Should You Buy a Shed From Sam's Club?

Sheds are great for providing extra space for lawn and gardening equipment, keeping homes and garages free of clutter, and storing hazardous materials. But they could give your credit card a workout. According to Home Advisor, homeowners should expect to pay between $4,000 and $6,000 for a shed, with some high-end custom built sheds costing upwards of $33,000.

For Sam's Club members, however, access to affordable sheds is as easy as shopping for one on Sam's website and having it delivered to your home. The warehouse's prices are low compared to some competitors, and it sells a wide range of sizes in both wood and plastic. If you're looking to build a shed this summer, here's what you should know about buying one at Sam's Club.

Sam's Club has several sizes -- and good prices

Sam's Club has numerous sheds with a variety of widths and depths, from those that can fit in a corner to those that are as large as a small house. While its selection admittedly isn't as vast as Home Depot or Costco, you'll still find several products within the broad categories of small, medium, and large.

As far as price goes, Sam's Club is competitive but its prices aren't always the lowest. For example, here's how the warehouse retailer compares to its competitors for three of its sheds.

Sam's Club beats Home Depot by a long shot for the sheds compared here, but it has a pretty fierce competitor in Costco sheds. I'd compare both of these warehouses closely, because when Costco is running specials on outdoor products, it might have lower prices than Sam's. Likewise, when Costco isn't running a promotion, Sam's Club may have the better deal.

Assembly can take some time, unless you hire professionals

Most Sam's Club sheds are do-it-yourself projects that require numerous steps, from laying a concrete slab to building the shed from instructions, to securing the structure to the slab and finally slating its roof.

In regards to the ease of their assemblies, many sheds have a mixed bag of reviews. Some reviewers found the instructions easy to follow, while others criticized the steps for being vague or for mislabeling parts. The enormous difference, however, between satisfied customers and those who posted one-star reviews may have something to do with practical experience rather than a deficiency with the product itself, as many customers -- satisfied and not -- did say the kits required some handiness to assemble without hassle.

Sheds will arrive in flat-packs with hardware, parts, and instructions, but you'll need to lay your own concrete slab and supply the power drills. Most reviewers said you'll need two people for certain steps, like erecting the walls or putting the roof on, but you can likely get away with doing it alone for most of the project.

If you're not particularly handy -- or you don't have six to nine hours to devote to shed building -- you can hire help through Sam's Club. The warehouse retailer will source out the work to a third-party company (GoConfigure) that will bring the shed to your home and assemble it on the day you schedule. It will cost extra, but it might be worth it if it means doing the job right. You can request quotes on GoConfigure's website.

You can return your shed for a full refund

Most sheds are backed by Sam's "Member Satisfaction Guarantee," which lets you return most purchases at any time for a full return. That said, if you hire GoConfigure to build your shed, the assembly portion may have a separate warranty (30 days, according to Sam's Club), even if the shed itself falls under Sam's satisfaction guarantee.

The money back guarantee should give you some peace of mind when buying a shed from Sam's Club. Of course, returning a shed isn't as easy as returning a shirt that doesn't fit, so you'll want to research before you make a purchase. Read reviews on sheds you like to gauge how easy (or difficult) assembly will be, and compare it to similar products from Costco and Home Depot to see which can best benefit your personal finances.