Buying a Shed in New York – What You Should Know

Storage Shed – A Guide to Buying & Owning

Purchasing a storage shed for your backyard can have many unknowns. This guide will help you be prepared to buy a storage shed in New York. Here at Gigglin’ Pig, we have a great shed program, and we love helping our customers find the perfect shed for their space. This article will discuss how to prepare (or ask others to prepare) the shed’s foundation. It will provide a few answers about what materials do best in harsh winters. Finally, it will provide future buyers with a quick guide to permits, HOAs, and laws about storage sheds in New York.

Preparing the Physical Space

Preparing the physical space can fall under the homeowner’s or the Gigglin’ Pig’s responsibility. When buying from Gigglin’ Pig Amish Furniture and Structures, the choice is up to the homeowner. Some customers choose to prepare the foundation themselves. They first grade the land to prove a level space for the storage shed, then provide a foundation. Some choose to spread gravel or build a concrete, wood, or stone platform. If the area around the storage shed tends to be wet, gravel provides better drainage than wood. Concrete is the most popular option for people who don’t plan on moving their sheds and want a stable, attractive, long-lasting location for their investment.

Gigglin’ Pig also offers services in grading and foundation. Each customer has the option of free wooden shims with their storage shed. For an additional charge, a popular option the Gigglin’ Pig offers is a stone pad, sold with or without a 4” x 4” timber border. They also have concrete or paved pads for sale, all with a geotextile landscape fabric included. For any of these grading or foundation services, inquire about it when discussing the sale of your storage shed and delivery.

A ramp to your storage shed can often be overlooked. Gigglin’ Pig allows customers to provide their own or purchase one of theirs. They sell steel and aluminum shed ramps, all customized to the specific location of each shed. These ramps have proved remarkably durable and lightweight, with easy installation.

Considerations for Buying a Shed in New York

While New York’s winters have been milder, anyone who has lived there for a while knows that winter storms can be severe. Western New York, especially, can receive lots of snowfall and high wind gusts. Gigglin’ Pig has customizable material options for those customers with weather considerations. For instance, their roofs consist of shingle or metal. Shingle has long been the most cost-effective, attractive roof, coming in various colors. They also insulate a shed, an attractive option for customers who spend time in their storage sheds during the colder months. Metal roofs provide the most durable resistance to severe weather conditions, and will be undamaged by large amounts of snow.

Another element that some customers will need to consider is homeowner association (HOA) restrictions. Each HOA will have its rules, but most require structures to be placed in the backyard. Some have rules about the maximum footprint, measured in square footage or as a percentage of the land. Many will restrict how close a storage shed can be to a property line. Sometimes they’ll have guidelines about building materials, roof slant, or exterior color. It’s important for each customer living in an HOA to inquire about the specific rules for storage sheds. Fortunately, Gigglin’ Pig has hundreds of options in stock and endless more to be customized for any HOA regulation.

Will You Need a Permit?

Finally, in most places in New York state, a permit is not required for sheds under 144 square feet. However, each city or county will have separate rules for structures that may be different. In New York City, for instance, a permit is required for backyard structures over 120 square feet and cannot be placed within 3 feet of the neighbor’s property. It’s important to research your area’s particular laws about backyard sheds, as they’re often called in building permits.

Final Notes

By now, we hope you know what preparations to make before owning a storage shed in New York. At the Gigglin’ Pig, you can pay for your shed with direct payment options, or you can choose their rent-to-own program. Don’t forget to check out our reliable shed ramps for effortless loading. But if you have further questions about delivery, foundations, or payment, don’t hesitate to contact the salespeople.