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 manufacturers of prefab garage kits 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 garage for storage that was secure and completely maintenance free. Our lakefront property was purchased for relaxation, socializing and recreation, so we didn’t want the inevitable upkeep that comes with a wood frame building. Obviously re-tiling, painting or repairing damage to vinyl siding should be avoided as much as possible. So we decided on a prefab metal 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 wooden skid pad (no permits needed and our county does not tax portable buildings). Once the ground was perfectly level, we used sixteen pressure-treated 6x6x12’s with 2×6’s bolted to both sides to achieve the 24′ length as a base. We then screwed together two layers of 3/4″ plywood for flooring.
Ours has a 7′ x 9′ overhead 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 on sea-doos and ATVs while we’re out.
I did a horse trade with my neighbor for an almost new man gate. The swing door provided was great. However, the solar light panels provided for the roof were a bit disappointing. They seemed like a pretty light duty and I was worried about hail damage. Sure enough, over the next two weeks we had marble sized hail and sure enough, about 10 little holes in our sunlight panels. I went back to the supplier and bought 2 more identical panels (at a greatly reduced price) and installed them over the originals. Suffice to say, I recommend you ask for 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 more like something promotional. The instruction booklet was much more helpful. Obviously there was a lot of effort put into it. 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 seemed. As a bonus, it’s pretty simple to assemble. Just slide the pieces together, use a few self-tapping screws to solidify, and that’s it. Make no mistake though, this is not Lego. While we didn’t find the build to be very mentally difficult, you’ll definitely need some physical strength and agility to complete this project. A pair 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 light panel issue, the Versatube Prefab Garage Kit deserves a five-star rating. It is much easier to build than a traditional wooden garage and of course it is fire retardant. It mainly appeals to the lazy part of me that would rather have fun at the lake than worry about maintenance.
