Which Portable Building Brand Should I Buy?

If you are looking to buy a portable building (aka a shed), how do you know which portable building brand you should buy?

When every portable building seller tells you they have the best portable building available, how can you separate fact from fiction?

How can you know for sure which portable building brand will be a good choice and will stand the test of time for you?

Well, in a few pictures and a bit of explanatory text, you will get the true answers here.

Which Portable Building Brand Should I Buy : Flooring

When evaluating which portable building brand to get, the FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANT THING you want to look at is the floor. Specifically:

1. What kind of flooring material is used?
2. What size are the floor joists underneath the flooring material?
3. How far apart are the floor joists?
4. Are there hurricane clips on each end of every floor joist?
5. Are the floor joists notched into the foundational skids?

We will now look at these five items individually.

#1 — What kind of flooring material is used?

Let’s start with some pictures followed by some explanation…

#2 — What size are the floor joists underneath the flooring material?

The floor joists are a key part of a portable building’s foundation. Some companies use treated 2″ x 4″ floor joists underneath their flooring to reduce costs and maximize profits. But for you, make sure the portable building you get has treated 2″ x 6″ floor joists because they are significantly stronger than 2″ x 4″ floor joists. In the preceding pair of pictures, the 2″ x 4″ is the shorter of the two boards.

Of course, you can’t see what is underneath the flooring of a finished portable building. And, grass or weeds sometimes prevent you from being able to look up underneath the building. So, how do you find out which floor joists a given building has?

One way is to do a jump test. When you jump on a floor built with 2″ x 4″ floor joists, it will feel “spongy”…you will feel “give” in the floor. In contrast, a floor with 2″ x 6″ floor joists will feel solid and firm when jumping on it.

The bottom line is that before buying a portable building, make sure it has 2″ x 6″ floor joists underneath the flooring.

#3 — How far apart are the floor joists?

To ensure proper strength and support in the floor system, floor joists should be 16″ apart (or 12″ apart for portable buildings used as garages or to store exceptionally heavy things).

With simple reasoning, we understand that less wood in a portable building means lower costs and higher profits for a portable building manufacturer. And, one way some portable building manufacturers cut wood (i.e., cut costs) is by using fewer floor joists. Specifically, they spread the floor joists out 24″ apart. And, what you need to know is that 24″ is too far apart and the consequence is a weaker floor.

You can always tell how far apart the floor joists are by checking how far apart the lines of nails are in the flooring. For most people, the easy way to check is with their foot. Using a man’s foot as an example, put the heel of your shoe on one nail line. The toe of a man’s shoe will be within 3-4 inches of reaching the next nail line. IF it is more than 3-4 inches, then you will know that the building has floor joists that are 24″ apart.

#4 — Are there hurricane clips on each end of every floor joist?

The more the components and structures of a portable building are locked and bound together, the greater its structural integrity will be. Now, all wood-framed portable buildings are nailed together. But, nails can be pulled out of wood when enough pressure is applied. For instance, when a portable building is subjected to storm winds, that creates a pulling pressure on the nails.

For this reason, you want your portable building to have hurricane clips (see picture) on both ends of the floor joists. This locks the floor system and the underlying skids together for maximum holding power.

#5 — Are the floor joists notched into the foundational skids?

All mainstream portable building manufacturers build their floor system on top of 4″ x 6″ skids. Some manufacturers buy plain 4″ x 6″ skids and just nail their floor joists on top of these skids. A much better and stronger approach is to have a notch in the skids that the floor joists sit in.

Which Portable Building Brand Should I Buy : Siding

Now, let’s move to the SECOND MOST IMPORTANT THING to consider when evaluating which portable building brand to get…the siding.

As before, let’s start with some pictures and then some explanation…

Which Portable Building Brand Should I Buy : Venting

Now, let’s move to the THIRD MOST IMPORTANT THING to consider when evaluating which portable building brand to get…the venting.

You got it…pictures and then some explanation…

Another way that some portable building companies cut costs is by shortchanging the venting that is needed in a portable building. Some portable buildings are built without any kind of venting on them. Others are built with an 8″ x 16″ screen vent on each end of the building…as shown in the preceding pair of pictures. The best portable buildings have a pair of soffit vents and a ridge-cap vent.

First, avoid any building that has no venting of any kind on it because such a building will retain heat and moisture at a level that will (with time) damage whatever you have inside the building.

Second, while a pair of 8″ x 16″ screen vents is better than no venting, it isn’t very effective. Here’s why: somehow, the hot air is supposed to exit through this little vent while cool fresh air enters through the same little vent. Well, common sense lets you know that air can’t flow in opposite directions through the same little vent.

There is another problem with the 8″ x 16″ screen vent approach to venting: it does not properly wick humidity out of a portable building. And, when humidity remains trapped inside a portable building, then tools start rusting, clothes start mildewing, books start molding, and so on.

What works much, much better…and what you DO want on your portable building…are soffit vents running down both sides combined with a ridge-cap vent on top.

The following picture shows a ridge-cap vent running the full length of the building. And, it is located at the peak of the roof. This means there will never be any “trapped” hot air in the attic of the portable building.

Which Portable Building Brand Should I Buy : Other Important Items

As you consider which portable building brand to get, there are a few other important things that matter a lot in a portable building…

Which Portable Building Brand Should I Buy : Up-Front Cost vs Annualized Cost

One last thing to consider when evaluating which portable building brand to get. For most people, a primary consideration is the up-front buying price of a portable building. What they don’t realize is that a portable building’s annualized cost is a far more important consideration.

Let’s explain. Some portable building companies build roughly constructed buildings out of cheaply made materials so they can win the business of unsuspecting portable building buyers who are just looking for the lowest purchase price.

Surprisingly, these lowest-purchase-price buildings are barely cheaper than a well-built building constructed with quality materials.

The difference between a building with the lowest purchase price and a quality building is often only $200 to $500. But how long a “lowest-price shed” lasts…its lifetime…is very different from how long a “quality shed” lasts.

Let’s use some real numbers to illustrate…

As you can see, there is a $500 difference between the “lowest-price shed” and the “quality shed”. But again, as many people have learned the hard way, a lower purchase price almost always means a much shorter lifetime. In fact, it is common for “lowest-price sheds” to need replacing within 10 years.

In contrast, a quality shed will frequently last 30, 40, or even 50 years. There have been many men who bought or built a quality shed, and now their grandchildren or even their great-grandchildren play in that shed.

But, using 30 years as our metric on how long a quality shed will last, let’s summarize what these numbers mean for you:

By spending 20% more to get a quality portable building, your building will likely last 200% longer, and your annualized cost will likely be 60% less.

So, let’s sum all of this up. As you consider which portable building brand to get:

1. Make sure the portable building you buy has the right kind of flooring, the right kind of siding, and the right kind of venting.
2. A building with the lowest purchase price and a decade-long lifespan will cost you more in the long run than paying a little more up front for one that lasts multiple decades.
3. Smart people are willing to spend a little more on the purchase price of their portable building if doing so will lower their annualized cost.

There you have it. By checking if a given portable building checks off on all of the above considerations, you can smartly determine which portable building brand you should get.

Postscript

If it feels like too much work to investigate all of the above just to figure out which portable building brand you should get, then make it simple for yourself: get your building from A-Best Buildings located at 110 E Coleman Ave, Hammond, LA 70403. We only sell buildings that we know from experience will serve you well and stand the test of time for you.

Our central location near downtown means we are only a few minutes away for most people. And, our stock of inventory buildings on the lot means you can quickly select the shed that fits you the best.

If you would like to have a more personal look at the people behind A-Best Buildings, we invite you to check out the A-Best Buildings Facebook Page or the A-Best Buildings Pinterest Page where you can see videos of us and other interesting information.

Related article: Why People Buy A Shed