Before getting to work on my garage makeover with Rubbermaid, I had to get my Rubbermaid Roughneck Shed
set up, and all the yard equipment and gardening supplies
out of the way. This project in itself took a while to start, thanks a lovely Alberta Spring snowstorm followed by weeks of rain. So, keep in mind that doing outdoor projects like these may depend on your weather and cooperation by Mother Nature.
Once the sun shone, I needed to choose my area of the yard for the shed, and ensure I had a flat surface. I decided the storage shed
was going in an area of the yard where the kids didn’t usually play. It’s tucked in the corner of the yard, in a central location. I chose this area since it’s close to my garage door, which is makes taking supplies to the front yard very convenient.
My first step was to take out the uneven grass for the area of the shed {which was a ton of work, especially after weeks of rain}. Since I did it myself, it literally took me days to complete. After I had the grass out and the dirt leveled, I had a few options. I could lay the area with treated wood, rocks or cement blocks.
In the end, I chose the blocks since it’s a long lasting solution which required no maintenance. Plus, using the cement blocks guaranteed me that flat surface – and since the floor of the shed snaps together {see photo labeled ‘A’}- a flat surface is crucial!
Once I had the area leveled and the blocks in place, I called a dear and helpful friend to come over and help me assemble the Rubbermaid Plastic Large Outdoor Storage Shed.
Assembling the shed was fairly easy to do, the instructions were very straightforward. Me and my friend had a blast assembling this shed, and my neighbors probably had a great time watching us work. After all, my power drill ran out of juice right before we started {Make sure yours is fully charged!}, and we struggled with a few pieces before quickly realizing that we indeed had the wrong piece in hand.
Side note, each piece is very clearly labeled, yet we overlooked that once due to many kids getting in our way at the time. Needless to say, we had so much fun and laughs assembling this shed!
Once we had a working drill, and got our giggles out – the process only took a couple of hours. It was a whole lot easier than I thought it would be, each piece slides and snaps together {see photo labeled ‘B’}. We stood back and admired out creation upon completion.
My Rubbermaid Plastic Large Outdoor Storage Shed is solid – the pieces fit together perfectly. It’s so very durable and made of double-walled thick plastic – and unlike wood sheds, this one requires no maintenance and upkeep. Best of all, it just looks great in my yard – even complimenting the colors of my house!
And, completely water-proof as well. The style of the Large Roughneck Shed is deeper than it is wide {great for storing lawn mowers}. plus, the doors open to the entire width of the shed, making it easy to load and unload items. Things like these should be considered when choosing an outdoor shed.
Next, I got to organize the contents of the shed. Rubbermaid sent me their Closet Organizer Set, which works just as well in sheds and offers so much versatility when it comes to arranging the shelving and storage areas. Once I have organized all the tools in our garage using the FastTrack System Tool Hooks, I will know which ones I can use for the shed.
These hooks are great for hanging long-handled gardening tools {like rakes, brooms, shovels, spades etc}. I also got this Rubbermaid Deluxe Tool Tower Rack
and it works like a charm – every shed needs one of these!
I will go into more detail about the Rubbermaid FastTrack Garage Storage System Tool Hanging Kit
soon, along with more information on which ones I will be using for the shed.
You see, the great thing about Rubbermaid Shed is that you never have to make holes in the walls of the shed in order to hang hooks or shelves. The sheds have a wall anchor system on the inside of the shed. This makes it so easy to mix things up and move shelving and hooks if needed, without having to make any holes.
Since setting up the Roughneck Shed I have stopped and admired it daily. I love that all our outdoor equipment and tools are organized together and all within reach. Before, these items could be found all over – whether it be under the deck or tossed into a corner of the garage.
Now, when I need something, I save time and energy not having to hunt an item down. And, it’ll be nice to store the girls’ outdoor summer toys in the shed during the winter too. This will save us money on replacing cracked and damaged toys that suffered the harsh winter elements. My only question, why did we wait this long to get a shed anyway? It makes all the difference when it comes to organization!
Rubbermaid Roughneck sheds are available at Lowe’s and Home Depot stores. As well, Rubbermaid has a helpful Where To Buy section on their website.
Disclosure: I was provided with product to facilitate this post, opinions are my own.
Chelle says
08/20/2010 at 5:50 amThanks for the review! I’ve been wanting to replace our crappy old, waterlogged shed with one of these, and I’m going to forward your review to my husband so he can see just how great the sheds are.
Jenn @ Beautiful Calling says
08/20/2010 at 6:29 pmHmm. I think I am in need of a shed. It would certainly simplify my life to have the lawn stuff all in one place!
Rose @ NetWorkingWitches says
08/21/2010 at 2:19 pmI need one of those, I have seen them but always wondered how they were as for being water-proof.
Tammi says
08/21/2010 at 8:01 pmHi Rose, we have had many downpours and a hailstorm and not one drip leaked through. plus, we had one storm that blew over trees, but the shed held it’s ground just perfectly. I’d say it’s very weatherproof!
🙂
Josie says
08/22/2010 at 9:05 amThanks for the review. We need a new shed and this one looks great!
jessica says
08/22/2010 at 10:11 amthanks so much for the review! it’s always great to hear someone else’s opinion before making the purchase
Marj M. says
08/22/2010 at 11:03 amThank you for the review. It would be a great shed to replace my leaky one with. This looks easy to assemble also.
Anne Taylor says
08/22/2010 at 11:11 amGreat post! My father’s old wooden shed has just about fallen down and we are looking for something much better to replace it with; this sounds perfect!
thanks
alissa apel says
08/22/2010 at 1:14 pmI love that it only took you a few hours to put together.
Karla Sceviour says
08/22/2010 at 1:51 pmwow,very nice!! I now want one! my shed is a disaster,,this would be great!
Stephanie LaPlante says
08/22/2010 at 2:01 pmI’m jealous lol. We so desperately need a shed. Yours looks like a perfect size.
Pamela says
08/23/2010 at 6:49 amCongrats on setting up and organizing your new Rubbermaid Shed! I am glad that set up is easy for gals like me who have two left hands! lol
Tanya says
08/23/2010 at 9:01 amI would love to surprise my husband with the shed that you got and I also like the 75 Qt DuraChillâ„¢ Wheeled 6-Day Cooler.
Kaila Burke says
08/23/2010 at 1:07 pmWow, this is a MUST HAVE in my yard
Erica says
08/23/2010 at 2:22 pmI’m forever spending extra money replacing toys, tools, chairs, and bicycles that get rusted from the rain. I really need one of these sheds!
Who knew it could be so easy? Well, I guess we all do now. lol
Thanks for such a great review.
Karen says
08/23/2010 at 9:49 pmLove this shed… if and when we move – I’ll totally look into this product!
kimbuckjr says
08/24/2010 at 2:14 amOh my goodness, you are a woman of determination and strength! Let me tell you, if my electric screwdriver was dead before I started the project, the project would still be sitting outdoors waiting for a handyman to happen by. In other words, if something doesn’t put itself together, it’s never being put together, haa-haa-haa-haa! The shelving unit/system sounds like something I need for my garage. Currently my garage floor is covered in gardening tools, Rubbermaid tubs, extension cords, hoses, and other misc. items. I need to get organized and that’s an understatement! After your awesome review of their ‘Closet Organizer Set’ & the ‘FastTrack System’, I’m convinced that this is the solution to my clutter.
Thank you SO much for this post, I truly needed this! I’m now determined to make some sense of my garage this coming weekend! UGH, I dread the work, you know? UGH!
[email protected]
melissa flinn says
08/28/2010 at 8:14 amI’d love to get a shed like this for our new house!!! What is the size of it? It looks great and that can fit quite abit!!!! Also looks great with the colors of your house! 🙂
Cari S. says
08/29/2010 at 11:22 amThat shed looks great! We could really use one of those!
Daniella says
08/29/2010 at 9:26 pmThis is an awesome review, I really like the fact that you were able to put it together yourself!
Thanks!
AnnieO says
08/30/2010 at 1:01 pmWow, I’m most impressed you did all that with a friend’s help. I would love to surprise my hubby with such a huge project although I would need to find a babysitter for my 2 daughters! Will have to let my hubby know about this as he loves low maintenance items and the storage space looks great.
Sandra Unangst says
08/30/2010 at 9:35 pmThat is the coolest thing. I have never seen one before. We need a new shed since ours was damaged during a hail storm last year and pelted with near baseball sized hail…therefore holes all in the top. I need some durable and weather proof and something easy to assemble. It looks like this would work. Plus it looks very nice with your hosue and not like an aluminum can like most sheds.
Tammi says
09/10/2010 at 10:44 pmThanks Sandra, I’m very proud of the shed. I should have gotten one sooner, if I only knew!
Cynthia C says
08/31/2010 at 9:39 amWhat an attractive and easy solution to yard storage. Thanks for your opinions.
suzquiz says
09/02/2010 at 5:03 pmWhat a great option for storage
And a great size
Jennifer L says
09/04/2010 at 1:48 pmThanks for the review! You and your friend did a great job putting it together. I love the look of it and its the perfect size for yard toys and mowers.. 🙂 That just might be what we do next spring!
Tammi says
09/10/2010 at 10:43 pmThanks Jennifer. It was so easy for us to do too, which was much appreciated!
cheryl h says
09/04/2010 at 4:34 pmGreat review. I love the fact that the sheds have a wall anchor system on the inside of the shed so you never have to make holes. So ingenius. We have a fairly large garage but its got tons of stuff in it and this would be just perfect for our swimming pool inflatables, floaties, toys and whatever else I could fit inside. Thanks so much.
Deborah Wellenstein says
09/05/2010 at 8:25 amI’ve seen these sheds, and often wondered how easy they were to set up, and also if they were durable, especially in the Kansas wind. Thanks for answering my questions-I will seriously consider buying one now.
stampedwithgrace says
09/08/2010 at 12:05 amlooks simple enough to put together and great that it will keep everything dry inside 🙂
Dave says
11/15/2010 at 10:34 amIs the Fast Track System Compatible with the Roughneck Shed? I just built one this weekend and want a way to hang my garden tools in it.
Tammi says
11/20/2010 at 6:09 pmI just sent you an email, Dave!
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Melanie Moore says
10/05/2015 at 7:52 pmI know this is an old post, but I just purchased the large vertical shed and was wondering which type of organizers you used to store products. I love the shelves, but those we could only use roughneck took rack. Thanks for your reply.
Tammi says
10/06/2015 at 6:09 amHi Melanie! I use the wire shelves that came with it, and that’s about it. But, I also got this tool rack from Canadian Tire which is amazing! It’s one of the best items I’ve purchased. It really helps organize this shed! http://www.amazon.com/Rubbermaid-7092-Long-Handle-Tool-Storage/dp/B00009K76I
Hannah says
07/29/2016 at 11:42 pmI am purchasing this shed. I’m having a hard time finding the shelving… Where did you find yours?
Tammi says
07/30/2016 at 6:45 amThe only shelves I use for it still, are the ones that came with it. I used hooks actually, the ones from the fast track system from rubbermaid, that are made for the garage. works like a charm! I also got that rake and other tools stand from Canadian Tire – that is amazing at organization!