When it comes to storage sheds and garden sheds, two national retailers who have a strong shed game are Costco and Menards.  Both offer very good shed options, depending on your intended use and budget.

More than likely, you have seen storage sheds at the Costco or Menards stores in your area or at least on their websites. They are right up there with Tuff Shed in terms of prebuilt shed popularity. Both of these stores are reputable and known for providing quality merchandise at reasonable prices. And both sell storage sheds — so if you’re in the market for one, you should check out both of these! Keep reading to see how the shed offerings at both stores stack up against one another.

Comparing Sheds

Do you know what you want out of a shed? Understanding how the offerings compare at both Costco and Menards will help you make your decision. We’ve gone through everything you need to compare at the stores and decide the best shed for you!

Brands Available

Brand	Costco	Menards
Best Barns	No	Yes
EZ Build	No	Yes
Handy Home	No	Yes
Menards	No	Yes
Shed Master	No	Yes
Kefer	Yes	No
Lifetime	Yes	No
SunCast	Yes	No
Yardline	Yes	No

 

Styles

The style of the shed changes its appearance and purpose. Some sheds are styled like outdoor cabinets that protect garden tools or even patio cushions. Some sheds have a design style that allows them to be used as an extra room.

The basic styles are:

• Cabinet style
• Flat roof
• A-frame
• Gabled roof
• Barn Style

Both stores offer different styles of sheds. They also provide sheds that have windows, floors, and other accessories.

Sizes

The shed sizes available from the stores are about equal. The structures are offered widths ranging from 2′ up to 20′. The available lengths range from 4’ to 20’.

Materials Used In the Construction of the Sheds

The materials used in the construction of the structure will determine how well the structure will do in the climate you live in. Common materials used in shed construction include:

Resin

Resin is a high-quality plastic material. It is one of the newest building materials being used in shed construction. Costco offers 14 sheds that are built from resin materials. Menards offers 16 sheds built from resin materials.

Pros of Resin:

•  Stain resistant
• UV Protected, so it does not crack or fade
• Does not rust
• Never needs painting or staining
• Available in easy-to-assemble kits
• Attractive
• Strong
• Less expensive than wood

Cons of Resin:

• More expensive than metal
• Cannot bear much weight hanging from the walls (such as shelving)

Wood

Wooden sheds are the traditional style of sheds. Costco offers 12 sheds that are all wood construction. Menards offers 137 sheds that are timber constructed.

Pros of Wood:

• Strong
• Can be customized – for example, easiest to add a DIY loft to
• Easy to secure

Cons of Wood:

• Requires periodic maintenance like painting
• Water and moisture can damage the material
• Some insects are attracted to wood
• More expensive than many other building materials

Polycarbonate

Polycarbonate is a plastic-type material similar to resin. Costco does not offer a shed built from this material. Menards offers one shed built from polycarbonate materials.

Pros of Polycarbonate:

• Never need painting
• Easy to clean
• Strong
• Withstands harsh weather
• Does not fade or bend
• Affordably priced

Cons of polycarbonate:

• Cannot be customized
• Not as secure as metal or wood sheds

Steel

Costco does not offer sheds built of steel. Menards offers 104 sheds constructed from steel.

Pros of Steel:

• The least expensive material for shed kits
• Does not need painting

Cons of Steel:

• These sheds are not as strong as the resin or wood ones
• Accessorizing and adding shelves is challenging to do
• If you buy an assemble-yourself kit, metal is harder to work with
• If your area is prone to storms, you may want to anchor a metal shed
• Not as aesthetically pleasing as other materials

Vinyl

Vinyl is a lightweight building material and can be referred to as resin. Costco does not offer a shed built from vinyl. Menards offers two sheds built from vinyl material.

Pros of Vinyl:

• Long-lasting
• Does not need painting
• Easy to clean
• Lightweight

Cons of Vinyl:

• Not as strong as wood
• Not easy to customize
• Hard to secure

Availability of Materials

Material	Costco	Menards
Wood	Yes	No
Resin	Yes	Yes
Steel	No	Yes
Vinyl	No	Yes
Polycarbonate	No	Yes

 

Delivery

Costco and Menards offer sheds for sale from their website or walk-in store locations. If you purchase a shed from their websites, you can have some of the items delivered to your home or a store location. All of the sheds will not be available for home delivery.

A shed delivered to a store location will not have added delivery charges. If the shed is going to be delivered to your home, there will be additional delivery charges.

Price

There are sheds that fit into almost every budget.  Shed costs vary greatly based on a number of factors, including size and finish. Both stores offer sheds that are priced between $200 and $17,000.

Prices are determined by the materials the structure is made from, the size, and the accessories. Costco and Menards prices are comparable on all of their structures.

Summary

The majority of the sheds that you can purchase from these stores are the assemble-yourself style or “kit” buildings. The materials needed to construct the building will be pre-cut to the right length, and all of the necessary hardware to connect the pieces are included.

The instructions will tell you exactly how to put the pieces together. The lowest-priced sheds are outdoor storage cabinets.

Differences that might sway your choice include:

• You need to have a Costco membership to shop at their store.
• Menards has a greater selection — they offer sheds built from more materials.
• Costco offers a better return policy with its 100% satisfaction guarantee. Menards’ return policy is a 90-day limited policy.
• There are Costco stores located in 46 of the United States. Menards has stores in 15 states in the Midwest portion of the United States. This could very well impact where you shop, but you may still even be able to order online, even if you don’t live close to one of their stores.