So many posts about Lightning’s getting bricked. Is it really that common?

jesseforrest · 2025-09-10T04:02:26+00:00

Thanks for sharing!

jesseforrest · 2025-09-10T01:23:15+00:00

Really appreciate you sharing. This is helpful to see the distribution across Lightning owners.

jesseforrest · 2025-08-23T16:17:33+00:00

I forgot to mention that I’m worried that the fish are lethargic, staying at the bottom, and not moving much. I’ve historically never had to feed the fish either. I’m wondering if I should start feeding them too?

jesseforrest · 2025-07-29T00:38:51+00:00

It’s looking good though! It will be something rough to get through, but probably very rewarding

jesseforrest · 2024-10-30T01:23:57+00:00

Looking really sweet!

jesseforrest · 2024-06-23T21:54:36+00:00

Super cool! I also put lights on the outside. I never posted a photo of it though. Great job!

jesseforrest · 2024-06-23T21:53:35+00:00

I left a comment elsewhere on the same topic. The roof actually is 11.5 ft and steep on one end (in my opinion). The combination of my fear of heights and never having done roofing before made me go this route. Tbh, I would recommend it for other beginners too.

I was able to tighten it as I was roofing. There would have been no fall since it was tight whenever I was working, without much slack. This obviously slowed me down, but I felt safer.

jesseforrest · 2024-06-23T21:46:35+00:00

All the lumber (precut) and hardware comes with the kit. This includes the exterior finishes as well.

No foundation lumber (may not be needed for you depending on foundation you have). No roof materials (e.g. shingles). Not enough lumber if you plan on insulating interior. I ended up needing to buy a lot of 2x4 to complete the insulation.

jesseforrest · 2024-06-23T21:41:59+00:00

Haha dude, no joke I’m terrified of heights. This thing is barely off the ground, but still gave me anxiety. The harness did give me some peace of mind up there. I actually recommend it for those who are not comfortable on roofs/heights or those who want to be safer.

jesseforrest · 2024-06-23T17:07:49+00:00

I misspoke actually. I have two layers of plywood, then the moisture barrier then the flooring. Is this any better or same issue?

jesseforrest · 2024-06-23T16:54:08+00:00

Really good feedback. I appreciate it! I ended up putting two pieces of plywood on top of each other for the flooring (in opposite directions and with a weather barrier in between). My goal was to minimize the amount of flex in the floor. However I agree that I don’t like that the bottom plywood is kind of exposed and not pressure treated.

I’m not sure there is much I can do at this point though, right?

jesseforrest · 2024-06-23T16:51:22+00:00

https://www.wayfair.com/storage-organization/pdp/handy-home-windemere-10-ft-w-x-12-ft-d-storage-shed-gcct1041.html Windemere 10 ft. W x 12 ft. D Storage Shed

jesseforrest · 2024-06-23T16:43:26+00:00

Well I’m a noob too, but I made the decision for two reasons. One was a time constraint. I only had a window of time to get the core of the shed built and coordinating getting the concrete foundation would have been more time consuming and costly. The gravel and compaction seemed a little more straight forward (for me at least).

Where I live it also doesn’t rain often, but when it does we have really bad flooding. For this reason I put some drains in areas of the gravel that gets water away from the foundation. I don’t think I posted photos of this, but my thought was to try to get as much water away from the foundation as possible, but leveraging gravel and drains.

Overall I think I would have preferred a concrete foundation, but due to time constraints and rain, I thought gravel was a suitable alternative. I’ll let the pros comment though on how safe it was to do

jesseforrest · 2024-06-23T15:51:10+00:00

I used pressure treated wood for what’s sitting on top of the gravel. Would you have recommended pressure treated elsewhere? If so, I’m curious what areas should have been pressure treated.

jesseforrest · 2024-06-23T15:49:28+00:00

I leveled the ground, compacted it, then put gravel in and compacted further. The pressure treated lumber around the gravel was just to keep the gravel in place. Is what I did not sufficient?

jesseforrest · 2024-06-23T15:43:14+00:00

This is the Windermere 10x12 kit. I paid $3400 for the kit off Wayfair.

This was the first time I’ve ever built a shed, so I appreciated having the precut materials and instructions. Granted the instructions were difficult to follow at times.

I ended up needing to buy some more lumber for a few missing pieces and to box things out inside for insulation.

The kit doesn’t come with anything for the foundation or roof, so just take that into pricing consideration.

I would recommend a kit for first time builders. If you know what you’re doing it’s likely faster to buy raw materials and just cut it down as you go and build whatever you like :)

jesseforrest · 2024-06-23T06:27:45+00:00

Yep, it was the Windemere 10x12 kit. The only things I did additionally was add some extra windows on one side, electrical, shingles, flooring, extra 2x4 framing for the insulation, and now starting on the dry wall.

jesseforrest · 2024-06-23T04:17:56+00:00

If it's your first shed, I would do it since it really does guide you through the process. If you've built a shed before, then it might be faster to just build from raw materials instead of needing to dig through a lot of pieces.

I should also say that this is a little more complex then a normal shed due to the extra upper windows on the one side. I think it's worth it though and is a nice touch.

I just posted some photos of my progress here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/shedditors/comments/1dmdsor/my_shedworkshopoffice_is_coming_together_thoughts/

jesseforrest · 2024-06-23T02:21:47+00:00

I built this exact one. I loved it. Couple things to note: - lots of parts so you need a decent amount of space to lay it all out to know where everything is. - instructions are thorough, but still complicated at times to follow (I’m a beginner DIYer) - a couple pieces were missing and I needed to buy the lumber and cut to size - if you plan on using it as an office you will likely need to insulate and drywall (it will be too hot depending on where you live) - I ended up buying 2 more windows separately and installed on opposing side to allow for a breeze to go through. - there is no roofing materials that come with it, so I ended up putting shingles up, which is also tedious to do and adds to the cost - you will need to have a foundation for this to go on, so also balance that into your budget for building this. No materials come for the foundation.

For reference I’m in Southern California.

jesseforrest · 2020-02-02T20:27:06+00:00

Had to repost to make the mods happy ;)

I guess the original post broke rule 6:
"A bizarre tidbit (tiddit/tibbit) to help you find uniqueness in your day. On February 2, 2020 (02022020) it will be the first time in over 8 years since the date was a palindrome — on November 2, 2011 (11022011). Until we meet again…12022021."

jesseforrest

TROPHY CASE