Preparing for your new shed

✔ Prioritize Convenience – Place your shed where it’s most useful. A well-located shed makes it easier to access tools, bikes, and toys—especially for kids, who are more likely to put things away when it’s close by.

✔ Think About Aesthetics – A shed can become a focal point in your yard due to its size. That’s why we design our sheds to complement your home and enhance your landscape.

✔ Be Considerate of Neighbors – Before deciding on placement, check how it impacts those around you. Avoid blocking a neighbor’s view or shading their garden—a little courtesy goes a long way!

✔ Check with Your Homeowners Association– Many newer neighborhoods have strict regulations regarding sheds and playhouses.  Be sure to review your CC&Rs and obtain any necessary approvals before installation.  Your HOA may require your shed to closely match your home's roofing material, slope, or siding.  Fortunately, our design options make it easy to comply with most HOA guidelines and achieve fast ARC approval.

✔ Do You Need a Building Permit?– In Oregon, a shed under 200 square feet and no taller than 15 feet (measured from the ground to the average roof height) does not require a permit.  However, each city and county may have stricter size limits, so we strongly recommend checking with your local building authorities regarding zoning laws, setbacks, and any additional regulations.  Ultimately, it is the customer’s responsibility to ensure the shed is allowed in the chosen location. Also, don’t forget to confirm any HOA restrictions that may apply!

✔ Is a Gravel Base Necessary?– We highly recommend installing a compacted gravel base as a minimum part of your site preparation.  Many local soils contain unstable clay, which can cause uneven settling during our wet winters.  This often leads to misaligned doors and windows that stick or become difficult to open.  A compacted gravel base is an affordable solution to prevent future issues!  Need assistance?  We’re happy to refer a contractor for gravel base installation or site leveling.

✔ Clear, Flat & Level Surface – For a smooth and cost-effective installation, we require a clear, fairly flat, and level surface.  We can adjust for up to 6 inches of uneven ground using concrete blocks and shims under the pressure-treated skids.  If the site is more than 6 inches out of level, it must be leveled before our arrival. Need assistance?  We’re happy to recommend a contractor for leveling and site preparation.

✔ Unobstructed Access – The building site must have a clear path to the site that is at least 3 feet wide for us to carry in materials without obstacles.  Most fence gates meet this requirement with no issues.  However, please inform us in advance of any steps, steep hills, retaining walls, tight corners, or other obstacles we may need to navigate during delivery and installation.

✔ Electrical Outlet – We need at least one power outlet within 100 feet of the building site to run our tools.  If no power is available, let us know in advance so we can bring a generator (an additional cost applies).

✔ Adequate Clearance – We require 3 feet of clearance around all sides of the shed and above the shed height for construction.  Please check with your local building authorities for any additional placement restrictions or setback requirements.

✔ Exact Placement Confirmation– Before we start installation, we need to confirm the exact placement and orientation of your shed.  If you won’t be home, please stake out the four corners and indicate which location the doors and windows should face.  Since most yard corners and fences are not perfectly square, we prefer to have a clear reference point for alignment.  To ensure proper positioning, provide a landmark(e.g., rear fence, house) that you’d like the front wall to be parallel to.  The more details you provide, the better we can position your shed exactly as you envision!