Versatube buildings, a review of our prefab Versatube garage
My wife and I purchased a Versatube pre-built garage kit that is 20 feet wide by 24 feet long. I did my best to research Versatube alongside many other pre-made garage kit manufacturers and found that for some strange reason, there weren’t many reviews available online. If you’re a research junkie like me, you already know that this is the kind of thing that drives you crazy. I decided that regardless of our experience with building our metal garage project, I would post an online review of the entire process from order to completion.
My family owns a 2 acre recreational property on a nearby lake. We have two ATVs and two jet skis (Sea-doos) and we wanted a storage garage that was safe and maintenance free. Our property on the lake was bought to relax, socialize, and have fun, so we didn’t want the inevitable maintenance involved in a wood-frame building. Obviously, if possible, re-shingling, painting, or repairing vinyl siding damage should be avoided. Hence, we settled on a metal prefabricated garage kit.
CONSTRUCTION OF THE VERSATUBE GARAGE …
We decided that we wanted the building to be portable and we also wanted to avoid a higher property tax bill. To accomplish this, we built a sliding wooden base (no permits are required and portable buildings are not taxed by our county). Once the ground was perfectly level, we used sixteen 6x6x12 feet pressure treated with 2×6 bolts on both sides to achieve the 24 foot length as a base. We then screwed in two layers of 3/4 “plywood for flooring.
Ours has a 7 ‘x 9’ overhead door. We also chose to have a semi-transparent solar light panel on each side of the roof, as we like to use small solar panels to charge the batteries in sea-doos and ATV’s while we are out and about.
I did a horse trade with my neighbor for an almost new man’s door. The overhead door provided was great. However, the solar panels provided for the roof were a bit disappointing. They seemed like a fairly light task and I was concerned about hail damage. Sure enough, in the next two weeks we got hail the size of a marble, and sure enough, about 10 small holes in the sunlight panels. I went back to the supplier and bought 2 more identical panels (at a heavily discounted price) and installed them over the originals. Suffice to say, I recommend that you ask for duplicate solar panels. Who knows, mention this review and they might even add a couple of extras for free.
The construction video is decent as a rather promotional manual. The instruction booklet was much more helpful. Obviously, a lot of effort was made. I can’t think of any frustrating moments wondering “what the hell do they mean!”
The moment I saw the Versatube framing system, I was impressed (and relieved) by how sturdy it looked. As a bonus, it is fairly straightforward to assemble. Just slide the pieces together, use some self tapping screws to solidify, and that’s it. Make no mistake though, this is not Lego. While we didn’t find construction to be very difficult mentally, you will definitely need some physical strength and agility to complete this project. A couple of good 8 or 10 foot ladders are a must. You will also need a good quality cordless drill with a spare battery in the charger. There are several million (a slight exaggeration) of self-tapping screws that hold the pre-made garage kit together. A small amount of cutting with tin snips will also be required.
The end result is incredibly nice. It is robust, functional and attractive. Aside from the minor solar light panel issue, the Versatube pre-made garage kit deserves a five-star rating. It is much easier to build than a traditional wooden garage and, of course, it is fireproof. Mostly it appeals to the lazy part of me that would rather have fun by the lake than worry about maintenance.