Versatube Buildings, A Review Of Our Prefab Versatube Garage
My wife and I purchased a Versatube prefab garage kit that is 20 feet wide by 24 feet long. I did my best to research Versatube along with many other prefab 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 PWCs (Sea-doos) and wanted a storage garage that was secure and completely maintenance free. Our lakefront property was purchased for relaxation, socializing, and recreation, so we didn’t want the inevitable maintenance that comes with a wood frame building. Obviously, re-shingling, painting, or repairing vinyl siding damage should be avoided as much as possible. So we decided on a metal prefab garage kit.
CONSTRUCTION OF THE VERSATUBE GARAGE…
We decided we wanted the building to be portable and we also wanted to avoid a higher property tax bill. To accomplish this, we built a wooden skid plate (no permits are needed and our county does not tax portable buildings). Once the ground was perfectly level, we used sixteen pressure treated 6x6x12ft with 2×6’s screwed on both sides to achieve the 24ft length as a base. We then screwed two layers of 3/4″ plywood together as a floor.
Ours has a 7′ x 9′ swing door. We also opted to have semi-transparent solar light panels on each side of the roof, as we like to use small solar panels to charge the batteries in sea-doos and ATVs while we’re away.
I traded horses with my neighbor for an almost new man gate. The swing gate provided was great. However, the solar light panels provided for the roof were a bit of a disappointment. They seemed like pretty light duty and I was worried about hail damage. Sure enough, in the next couple of weeks we had marble-sized hail 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 very low price) and installed them over the original ones. Suffice to say, I highly recommend you order double the solar light panels. Who knows, mention this review and they might even add a couple of free extras.
The build video is decent as a manual plus something promotional. The instruction booklet was much more helpful. Obviously there was a lot of effort in it. I can’t think of any frustrating times wondering “what the hell do they mean?”.
The moment I saw the Versatube framing system I was impressed (and relieved) by how sturdy it seemed. As a bonus, it’s pretty simple to assemble. Just slide the pieces together, use some self-tapping screws to solidify, and that’s it. Make no mistake though, this isn’t Lego. While we didn’t find the build 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 prefab 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 panel light issue, the Versatube Prefab Garage Kit deserves a five-star rating. It’s much easier to build than a traditional wooden garage, and of course it’s fire retardant. Mainly it appeals to the lazy part of me that would rather have fun in the lake than worry about maintenance.