At Kroftman, we specialize in manufacturing self-build storage buildings. Our engineers have designed or sourced each component of the storage building separately (such as the doors). This is also the difference compared to a prefab storage building, where complete parts of a storage building, like the front and back facade, are delivered ready-made. We provide the individual components as a DIY kit, which you can fully assemble yourself with the help of others and materials. We have prepared a detailed assembly manual that guides you step by step through the assembly process. You will receive a printed version when you receive the storage building. Take the time to read it thoroughly. If you prefer to receive the assembly manual earlier, you can request a PDF version from us.

In this blog, we want to draw your attention to the parts that you need to customize during assembly. In case of transport damage, you can prepare for it by working on the damaged parts while customizing them. In this case, you may not need to return the damaged part and wait for a replacement. It saves you time, is better for the environment, and ensures that you have an undamaged storage building by sawing off the damaged part.

The following parts of a Kroftman storage building need to be customized during assembly:

1. The roof panels
2. The wall panels for the side walls
3. The wall panels for the front and back facade
4. The trims (or finishing profiles)
5. The gutters & downspouts

1. Roof panels of your storage building

All roof panels have the same length and width dimensions. Each roof panel is long enough to cover the roof slope from ridge to eaves. You only need to cut the first and last roof panel in width to achieve a neat distribution across the roof. In other words, these two panels need to be made narrower. Before cutting, place all roof panels next to each other on the ground along the base rail. This way, you can see how much you need to cut from the first and last roof panels to fit properly. When doing this, keep in mind:

• Ensure you don't leave a gap of only 10 cm wide on the last panel. Making the panel too narrow is not good for its stability and doesn't look nice either. This also applies to wall cladding.
• Always build against the prevailing wind direction. Since the roof panels overlap (see image above), it's preferable to install the panels against the prevailing wind direction. This prevents the wind from pushing rainwater under the cladding. This also applies to wall cladding.
• For cladding, roof and wall panels overlap each other. For uninsulated cladding, ensure the overlap is single. Otherwise, you may run short of panels at the end. There is one exception to this. When installing a transparent panel, it overlaps with the already installed opaque roof panel as shown in the image above. The next opaque panel to be installed after this has a double overlap. This is to provide additional strength to the transparent roof panel on warm days and to keep the storage building watertight.
• For insulated cladding, position the roof panels so that the trim or finishing profile overlaps the crown (the raised part of the panel). In the image below, the crown is highlighted in red and the trim in yellow. You understand that if the finishing profile does not overlap the crown, it affects the waterproofing of the storage building.

Trim overlapping the crown

For uninsulated roof panels, they do not have such high crowns, so it has less impact if the trim does not exactly overlap.

2. The wall panels for the side walls of your storage building

For covering the side walls, you want to distribute the cladding evenly across the building, similar to the roof, so that you don't end up with a narrow strip at the end. To prevent this, you may need to cut both the first and last panel narrower, or to size. We assume here that you don't have doors in the side walls. If you do, you also don't want a narrow strip between the doors. You will also need to customize the cladding around the door frames. More about this in paragraph 3.

Also, build the wall cladding against the prevailing wind direction to prevent rainwater from blowing in.

3. The wall panels for the front and back facade of your storage building

The wall panels used for the front and back facade are longer than those for the side walls. They need to be longer due to the additional height from the apex of the gable roof. Furthermore, due to the 15-degree roof pitch, all panels for the front and back facade need to be cut diagonally at the top to match the roof. It's not critical to be precise to the millimeter since the top of the cladding is finished with a trim. Additionally, for a standard storage building with two doors in the front facade, a roller or overhead door, and a personnel door, you will need to customize the cladding around them. Our engineers advise you on the following:

• You always receive sufficient cladding to cover the entire storage building. The delivery does not take into account the cutouts for the door openings. So you will always have some leftover panels, especially if you have ordered multiple doors.
• Ensure that you don't end up with two narrow strips between the two doors. It doesn't look nice and compromises the stability of the panel.
• Finally, leave an extra centimeter around the door openings for the trims. This provides space to install the trims neatly. The hole in the cladding will thus be about 1 cm larger than the door opening in the structure.

4. The trims (or finishing profiles) of your storage building

The trims, or finishing profiles, have a fixed (transport) length of about 3 meters. To finish the entire storage building, these are laid overlapping, each with an overlap of about 15-20 centimeters. Finally, you can cut the last profile to size. The finishing profiles at the gable end and the four corners need to be notched and bent for proper finishing, as indicated in the assembly manual.

5. The gutters & downspouts for your storage building

Our storage buildings are delivered standard without gutters and downspouts. If you prefer rainwater to run off at a specific location, you can order the matching drainage system as an option. The Kroftman gutter system for storage storage buildings is entirely made of galvanized sheet steel. The system consists of gutters on both sides of the storage building with downpipes (plus outlet bend) to ground level. You cut the gutters to size for the length of your storage building. Furthermore, you cut a hole for the downpipe connection as indicated in the assembly manual.

Summary

Our assembly manual specifies which parts need to be cut to size. However, by reading this blog, you already know which parts these are. Here are the main tips from our engineers:

• First, carefully plan how you will use the cladding before cutting. Just like a tiler does. This prevents you from ending up with a narrow strip at the end or a seam between two doors.
• Build the cladding against the prevailing wind direction to prevent rainwater from blowing in.
• For insulated roof cladding, you want to ensure that the finishing trim overlaps the crown of the cladding, not above it. You want to position the crown neatly.
• For uninsulated roof cladding, when installing a transparent roof panel, it should have a single overlap with the already installed panels. The panel following the transparent panel should then have a double overlap with the transparent panel.
• Ensure that you only overlap the solid roof panels once. If you don't, you will run out of roof panels.
• For doors and other openings, cut the cladding so that the hole in the cladding is about 1 cm larger than the hole in the structure.
• The most important tip, read the assembly manual carefully and follow it!

We hope the above information helps you make an informed decision. If you want to know exactly what the storage building of your choice costs, please feel free to fill out our quotation tool. From this, you will receive a quotation by email showing the costs and transportation costs for your storage building at a glance. You can create multiple quotations and select different options. This way, you can compare them effectively.

If you still have questions, we are happy to assist you.