Hopkins 90192 2x4basics Shed Kit, Peak Style Roof (4 Kits)

Great for what it is. If you can do miter cuts and/or build your own trusses easily then obviously this kit is not for you. If you are somewhat handy and short on time–you get helpful brackets and a good basic plan–which you can easily modify. I used this basic plan to make a playhouse for my kids and I’m certain it saved me a ton of time. I did everything by myself–you should not need a second person to do anything. The brackets are good enough quality IMO–I don’t get the complaints there. They hold the frame up just fine to make it a one person job–and make rafters strong. I did not have this perfect dead on level/square or anything. Tried my best obviously but I’m not a pro. It was pretty close but with a bunch of things off slightly– It did require some finagling and hammer banging to get cross support pieces in. But it was doable–and not the fault of the kit–I actually think the “slop” tolerances are good. Since I modified the plan I ended up having to make a couple of angle cuts–they were 30 degree cuts.I did a deck floor and did car-siding and cedar fence picket for trim. Menards grade C utility cedar shingles work just fine to make a playhouse roof (would not use them for my house for sure). I am thinking now you could make playhouse siding with just cedar picket–couple of bucks per 6ft at HD and Menards–trim off the dog-ear and if you pick through you can get enough clean pieces.

This kit comes with all of the bracket hardware and plans to build your own backyard storage shed. The brackets seem pretty sturdy and like they will last. They don’t bend at all with basic movement.
A few of the other reviews mentioned missing parts. My husband thought that at first as well but quickly realized that the parts are there. One box comes with enough pieces for a 7’x8′. If you want to build an 8’x14′ or 10’x22′ you’ll need two or three kits total, respectively.
Overall it looks pretty simple. The directions are easy to read and lists every piece of wood and cut necessary for completion. He’ll be building ours this weekend. Will update if anything pertinent occurs during construction.

Awesome product, did exactly what it said it would!

Do not for any reason use their plans for the floor and foundation IF you are NOT placing this on flat concrete. You NEED to do something heavier if you plan on using blocks. Their design for the floor is trash, you might as well throw those steps completely out. SHOWN BELOW, is the before and after pics. I used the 2×4 design originally but it didn’t work. I switched to a 2×8 design with joist hangers. USE JOIST HANGERS, YOU’LL NEED IT.

This kit is designed to help the basic DIY builder. You do not have to cut angles or figure out how long to cut the lumber or where to place each piece. Yes the brackets are flimsy, but the function of the brackets is to hold the rafters at the correct angle. We built each rafter assembly on the ground and then attached them to the floor. It helps to have a couple of people to hold them in place until you secure them to the floor with screws. There will be back and forth movement but they had excellent compression strength and they held my 200 pound frame as I hung from it to test it. Once you attach the 3 cross braces the structure will be strong enough to support itself as you finish it. When you install the 4 by 8 roofing and siding the structure will be extremely strong. The instructions were simple and clear, if a bit basic. However they got the job done. Once you get the frame done you really don’t need them much. You can youtube how to roof it with your preferred material and best to buy a cheap door and frame around it. I modified mine to be a kids play house. I used it as an opportunity to learn how to tile and practiced by placing a tile floor in it. As long as you make sure everything stays square and level then you won’t have any issues.

In case you’re not sure what this is, it’s a couple of dozen flimsy metal brackets that you use to piece together your own lumber. I knew all this going in, except for the “flimsy” part. There’s flat pieces (such as what would connect floor to wall studs) that are just triangular pieces with a few holes pre-drilled. At the corners you’re expected to just hammer it around the edge, which gives you an idea of the strength we’re talking about. Then there’s the angled pieces that would attach wall stud to roof. Those are so flimsy that you’ll need two people to hold your lumber at every opportunity, because just the weight of the wood will bend them all out of usable shape.

I expect that if I tried to build exactly what they describe in the instructions it might have worked fine, I hate to give a bad review because I did something it wasn’t intended to do. But the truth is that I expected something sturdier that might actually help me keep my joints in line since I did not have much help with my project. What I got was a bunch of metal that was intended to bend when specified, but also bent on me when I didn’t want it to, ultimately making it unusable.