Building a Vinyl Shed

Put the rear channel in place. Measure to make sure it's centred from side to side. Attach a corner block to each end. Put side channels into the corner blocks. Use a framing square to make sure they're square. If the side channel is made of more than one piece, use one of the vinyl panels as a guide to make sure they're in a straight line. To make sure the sides are square with the back, measure the diagonals. If the diagonals are equal, the sides are square. If not, adjust them until they are and double check with the framing square.

Put corner blocks on the side channels and put the front channels in the blocks, leaving room for the door. Measure to make sure the opening is the right size and layout for any screws that will hold the threshold. Some kits have a special tape that shows where the screws go. Screw the channels to the floor. Check again for square – you'll find it virtually impossible to assemble the shed if it is out of square. Trace the screw holes in the channels to size smaller than the screws you'll be using. Screw the channels in place with phillips-head masonry screws that don't need anchors.

Put a sidewall panel in the track at the corner. Put a rear panel in the rear track (all or the side panels are usually the same, but the tops of the rear panels follow the slope of the roof and are different lengths). Make sure you have the right panels. Install the corner post by sliding a corner post over the two panels. Slide it all the way down and seat it in the corner block. Keep all the pieces in order so you don't install the wrong piece in the wrong place.

Work your way back across the back wall. Once the corner is in, put in the next panel of the back wall. Align the grooves and join the two panels by sliding a connector into them. Work your way along the wall making sure the panel follows the roofline. When you reach the middle, a panel with two square ends supports the vent. Install the panel and work your way across the rest of the wall. Install the vent by putting the vent in its opening in the wall and then put the vent panel over it. Slide connectors to hold it in place.

Install the corner panel by putting the shortest front panel in place in the corner post over it. Repeat on the other side of the shed. Install the remaining panels by putting the next longest panel in place and attach it with a connector. Work your way to the doorway and repeat on the other side of the shed. The doorposts are reinforced with metal, and the hinges already mounted on them. Put one on each side of the door and attach it to the adjacent panel with a connector.

The upper door frame is reinforced with metal. Put the frame at the top of the doorway and gently slide each end into the sockets in the hinge posts. Install the upper door panels by putting the panels that form the peak of the roof in place on the beam and attach them with connectors.

Slide the mounting caps onto each end of the main roof beam. Screw the caps in place. With a helper, put the beam in place. Align it with the marks on the panel and screw each end in place.

Lift the half hinge on the door above the half hinge on the shed and slide the hinge pin into the hinge barrel. Repeat on the other side. Align the doors by eyeing the top edge of the doors to see it the top edge of one and the top edge of the other form a straight line. If not, push gently on the appropriate side of the shed to bring the doors into alignment. If the gap between the doors isn't parallel, neither are the sides of the shed. Correct the problem at the bottom of the shed. Put a piece of wood against the appropriate side along the bottom and tap with a hammer until the space between the doors is uniform.

Put a roof guide over one of the exposed ends of the rear wall so the channel faces the inside of the shed. Repeat for the other exposed end of the rear wall and the front wall. Install the side mouldings. These mouldings go over the tops of the sidewalls. Put one on each wall with the angled flange on the inside of the wall.

Have a helper work inside the shed while you work from the outside. Put a roof panel into the main beam and against one of the roof guides. Attach with a connector and screw the connector to the inside of the main beam. Work your way toward the centre of the shed. Put in as many panels as it takes to get to the centre of the shed, connecting to the main beam as you go. Once you have reached the centre, go to the opposite end of the roof, install a panel against the side moulding, and screw it in place. Work your way back across the roof, screwing the connectors in place as you go. Attach the two center panels with a connector, and screw in place. Repeat on the other slope of the roof.

Snap the roof trim to the lower edge of the roof. You'll screw it in place later. Attach the corner cover. Snap the corner trim over the gutter. You'll screw it, too, in place later.

If the doors are out of alignment, one or more of the sides is out of plumb. To check, close the doors against a thin strip of wood such as a stir stick; then remove the stick without moving the doors. Next see if the gap is the same at the bottom. If not, correct as before. Push against the side on the shed to align the tops and tap against the bottom to make sure the door edges parallel.

Once the shed is properly aligned, drive screw into the connectors as directed by the manufacturer. Screw the gutter in place. Install the door hardware by screwing the doorstop, the door handles, and the latch in place. Apply caulk between the ends of the panels and the metal channels, working from the inside. Use a clear, long lasting silicone caulk.