My neighbor's old shed taught me more than any YouTube video

Last spring I was out back trying to figure out how to waterproof my new storage unit and my 70 year old neighbor Bob came over. He pointed at his own beat up shed that's been standing since the 80s and said 'that thing just uses regular paint and a slanted roof, nothing fancy.' No special sealants, no fancy ventilation system. He built it with his brother in law after work one weekend and it still keeps his tools bone dry. Has anyone else gotten better advice from just watching someone's old setup than from all the online guides?

3 comments

3 Comments

fiona_hunt7117d ago

Took me a while to admit it too, @lewis.brian, but it's the truth. My grandpa's porch has been standing since the 70s with just a coat of cheap white paint and some 2x4s he found at a salvage yard. I finally gave up trying to buy the perfect waterproofing system and just used leftover house paint on my own shed last summer. Still looks fine, no leaks, and the whole thing cost me about 15 bucks. Sometimes the simplest stuff really does work best.

lewis.brian19d ago

Wait, the 80s? So that thing has been standing for like 40 years with just regular paint and a slanted roof? That's actually wild. I mean, I've watched a dozen YouTube videos about vapor barriers and special sealants and here's a guy who just painted wood and called it a day. Maybe it's just me but that kind of makes all the fancy guide stuff feel a little silly.

keith27419d ago

Blew my mind too, now my shed looks like a kindergartner glued popsicle sticks together.