Leisure Season assembly
Solid wood, but thin, so pre-drill every screw or it splits.
Leisure Season makes genuinely attractive small solid-wood storage, but the boards are thin and the kits mostly do not pre-drill the holes. Drive a screw cold into the edge and the wood splits, which is behind most of the it-broke-in-a-week reviews.
Attractive small-format wood, with one habit that makes it last
Leisure Season is a Canadian specialist in small-format solid-wood outdoor storage: trash and recycling enclosures with flip-top lids, vertical tool sheds, firewood stores, deck boxes and multi-compartment cabinets, rather than walk-in barns. The wood is cypress, naturally decay-resistant like cedar, tongue-and-groove, and stained, and the pieces genuinely look good in a yard.
The recurring complaint is durability, and almost all of it comes back to one thing. The boards are thin, and the kits mostly do not pre-drill or mark the screw locations. Drive a screw straight into thin softwood, especially near an edge or at a hinge, and it splits the wood, and that is exactly what owners describe when a lid or a door fails within weeks.
The fix is simple and changes everything: drill a pilot hole before every screw. Do that, assemble it square, anchor it, and keep the finish up, and it is an attractive, serviceable piece. Skip it and the thin wood cracks.
The build
Small, a morning with two people, but pre-drill as you go.
| Model | Time | People |
|---|---|---|
| Garbage / recycling enclosureFlip-top lids and cabinet doors. Mind the spring lids. | 2 to 3 hours | 2 |
| Vertical tool shed / deck boxSmall, light, quick. Many include a floor. | 1 to 2 hours | 1 to 2 |
| Firewood storeRaised, ventilated. Straightforward. | 1 to 2 hours | 1 to 2 |
| Pilot-drilling as you goThe step that prevents split wood. Do not skip it. | adds a little | 1 |
| AnchoringTo a base or wall. These are light and blow around. | 30 min | 1 |
The instructions can be unclear and the holes are not pre-marked, so dry-fit each stage, keep everything square, and expect to eyeball or measure the screw positions yourself.
What thin solid wood needs
Pre-drill a pilot hole before every screw
The single most important habit, and the fix for most of the negative reviews. The boards are thin and the kits generally do not pre-drill, so a screw driven cold into the edge of a piece splits it, and split wood at a lid, hinge or corner is exactly what fails first. Drilling a small pilot hole before each screw, especially near edges and at hinges, lets the screw bite without splitting. It adds a few minutes and it is the difference between a piece that lasts years and one that cracks in a week.
The spring-loaded lids snap open and can split the hinge
Specific to the trash and recycling enclosures, and a known weak point. The flip-top lids are spring-loaded rather than damped, so they fly open when lifted, and owners report the lid snapping open hard enough to burst the hinge screws through the thin wood, sometimes on the very first use. Pre-drill the hinge screws, consider replacing them with through-bolts at the hinges as some owners do, and ease the lids open rather than letting them spring. Reinforcing the hinge at assembly prevents the most common failure.
Assemble it square, and be ready to plane a door
Small wood kits can go together out of square if you are not careful, and owners report having to plane a door to make it fit. Build on a flat, level surface, check for square as you go, and clamp where you can before driving screws. A little door-planing to get a clean fit is normal on this kind of piece, but starting square minimises it and keeps the doors latching properly.
It is light-duty, so anchor it and shelter it if you can
These are attractive but lightweight, and owners describe them as wobbly until fixed down, and prone to blowing around. Anchor the piece to a base, cement blocks or an adjacent wall with brackets, as owners do, so it stays put in wind. And because the wood is thin, a somewhat sheltered spot, under an eave or against a wall, meaningfully extends its life compared with full exposure in an open, windy yard.
Keep the finish up, and re-stain it
Cypress is decay-resistant, but thin wood left bare still weathers, fades and cracks. Leisure Season stain their pieces, and owners who add a coat of exterior weatherproofing stain and keep it up report the wood staying sound and looking good. Give it a fresh protective coat at assembly, especially on any cut ends, and re-stain periodically to get the most out of it.
Inspect on arrival, and secure lids against wildlife
Two practical notes. First, thin wood ships more fragile than metal or resin, so shipping damage, a split door or panel, is the top complaint, check everything on delivery day and claim promptly, as Leisure Season’s returns are generally handled well. Second, for a trash enclosure, a determined raccoon or bear can lift an unsecured spring lid, so adding a hook or latch to secure the lids, as owners do, keeps wildlife out.
Before you build
Have a drill and the right small bit ready to pilot-drill every screw.
Plan a flat, level surface to assemble on, and keep everything square.
Decide how you will anchor it, to a base, blocks or a wall, since it is light.
Have exterior stain to touch up cut ends and refresh the finish.
And inspect all the wood for shipping splits on arrival, while a replacement is easy.
Where an installer helps
By pilot-drilling every screw, which is the single thing that keeps the thin wood from splitting and the piece from failing early.
By reinforcing the spring-loaded lids and hinges on the trash enclosures, the most common weak point.
By building it square so the doors and lids fit and latch, and anchoring the light frame against wind.
And by finishing the wood properly. These are genuinely attractive pieces that get a bad name mostly from being built without pilot holes and left unanchored and unsealed, all of which an installer simply does right.
What an installer does
- Pilot-drills every screw so the thin cypress does not split.
- Reinforces the spring-lid hinges on trash and recycling enclosures.
- Assembles the piece square and planes any door for a clean fit.
- Anchors the light frame to a base or wall against wind.
- Touches up the finish, especially cut ends, and advises on re-staining.
- Checks the wood for shipping damage and secures lids against wildlife where wanted.
Get it built by someone who has built one before.
Tell us your ZIP and what you bought. Installers near you will quote you directly, and you deal with them, not with us.
Questions people ask
Why does the wood split when I put in the screws?
Because the boards are thin and the kits generally are not pre-drilled, so a screw driven straight into the edge splits it. The fix is to drill a small pilot hole before every screw, especially near edges and at hinges. This one step prevents most of the cracking and lid failures owners report.
What wood is it made of?
Cypress, from the same family described as having decay resistance similar to Western Red Cedar, in tongue-and-groove construction and stained. It is naturally rot-resistant, but the boards are thin, so it benefits from pilot-drilling, anchoring, a maintained finish and, ideally, a somewhat sheltered spot.
The lid on my trash enclosure broke. Why?
The flip-top lids are spring-loaded and snap open hard, and the hinge screws can burst through the thin wood, sometimes on the first use. Pre-drill the hinge screws, consider through-bolts at the hinges, and ease the lid open rather than letting it spring. Reinforcing the hinge at assembly prevents this.
Is it sturdy?
It is light-duty by design, attractive small-format wood rather than a heavy walk-in shed. Built with pilot holes, kept square, anchored and finished, it holds up well for its purpose. Left unanchored, unsealed and un-pre-drilled, the thin wood is where the durability complaints come from.
Does it come with a floor?
Many of the vertical tool sheds and cabinets include a floor, often pressure-treated, while the trash enclosures and firewood stores are open-bottomed by design. Check the specific model, and either way anchor it to a stable, level base.
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