An Evaluation of the Royal Garden Shed
However, there are also a few people who complained that their Royal garden shed leaked, didn't stay square, and there was at least one report of mildew.
Since all garden sheds have their lumps and bumps though, here's a bit more information that might help you decide whether this is what you're looking for.
The Materials
The vinyl used in a Royal garden shed is usually between 1.5" (40mm) and 2.5" (65mm) thick. All of the sheds are built with a dual wall construction that leaves an air gap for insulation and strengthening purposes. They all come with ventilation systems built in, which is a recommended feature for any garden shed.
The large size (the Carriage House) comes with a foundation kit of sorts. It might make sense to build a concrete pad anyway, but at the very least level ground will be necessary. The medium size Royal garden shed is the Premiere series, and they have an optional base. A lot of consumer reviews suggested that you forego the extra expense and just build your own - again, having it absolutely level seems vital (see below) no matter what material you use. The YardMate is the smallest size and no base is offered.
The website offered construction times between 1-5 hours. Consumers suggested times between 3-6. That's actually pretty good considering wood garden sheds can take a day or two, and even the metal garden sheds are about one day worth of labour. Of course, this doesn't take into account building the foundation and floor.
Construction
The vinyl panels have a slide-lock mechanism that lets them fit together apparently pretty easily. This is where one of the potential problems comes in though. The Royal garden shed lost marks when owners had trouble keeping the walls "square", and the doors slid out of alignment, causing scraping and misalignment of the lock holes.
Other consumes said that the shed had no problems as long as the base was absolutely level and the panels were fitted together tightly and properly, so that nothing could shift. One nice gentleman suggested taking a power drill and some screws to it - you could probably see how he had a better experience in the long run than the guy who tried duct tape.
Durability
The Royal garden shed seems to be famous for its durability. It claims to withstand winds of 100 miles per hour and roof loads of 25 pounds per square foot. At least one reviewer said it had survived a hurricane in their yard (and this was without the optional stabilizing kit that supposedly ups the wind-resistance power another 20mph).The vinyl sheds do come with a 10 year warranty, and they are pretty much guaranteed not to rust, rot or have flaky-paint syndrome. However, mildew was one possible issue. It was suggested that to prolong the life of your shed (or at least the lifespan of its aesthetic) you wash it down with detergent every year.
I guess that's better than repainting...
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