My solar shed saga continues this week with delivery.
As you may recall from Part 1, I got a 40% discount on this shed because it came as a whole unit instead of being assembled on site (it was a State Fair demo unit).
Last week, in Part 2, I built a nice level foundation for a shed to be placed on.
And now it’s here!
How, exactly, does one deliver a 3500 lb shed? A flatbed. A pickup truck. A couple guys who know what they’re doing. And some fascinating manipulation.
Because I take photos of everything, you’ll want to keep reading to see how this shed went from the back of a flatbed to my foundation!
Initial Arrival and Shed Reversal
The shed showed up facing the right of the trailer. However, a brief survey of where the shed’s foundation was and how to access it made clear that the shed needed to be facing the other way.
So, the delivery guys (who, quite literally, move sheds for a living) unloaded the shed on a convenient patch of driveway, left it on blocks, and zipped around to pick it up from the other side! It’s a lift flatbed, so the “drop it off” process involved removing the straps, lifting the bed, and sliding it off.
Just think about what an HOA would say about a shed sitting on wooden blocks in the driveway…
At least it’s not sitting on cinderblocks. Yet.
Off Road Delivery
There’s a slight problem with vehicle access to my shed site. Which is to say, there’s really not much in terms of vehicle access to it. I can get my truck down to it, but it takes 4WD to get out if it’s wet. But they can’t unload the shed from that angle due to how the base is built.
The shed had to come in cross country, sideways to the pad. Fortunately, the delivery truck has 4WD and low range. They needed it.
After a good bit of excitement with the slope and keeping the shed on the trailer, the shed is lined up with my foundation - complete with gravel! The peg in front of the door is one of several that was there to keep the shed from sliding off the flatbed while bouncing into position.
Unloading and Positioning
Coming off the truck was a multi-step process, as the truck couldn’t get far enough back in one pass. The wood blocks came out again, as did a spare cinderblock I had laying around. So, my shed is on a cinderblock in the yard. Classy.
Really, I just stood around, watched, and pushed on the shed a bit when told to push. The guys who brought it do this for a living, and it shows. They knew exactly how to get the shed where it needed to be.
With the shed blocked at the far end, the trailer just pulls out from under, and the shed drops onto another set of blocks.
Then how do you get the blocks out? A handyman’s jack. It’s only 3500 lbs. My truck outweighs my shed by a factor of 2 and change.
And that’s it! I’ve got a shed in place, ready for the next steps!
Next week, I do some demolition work and start insulating the interior of the shed. How much insulation do I use? Lots.
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