Best Sukkah?

[Dan]

I"yh I'll be building my own Sukkah for the first time this year.

Any recommendations?  Best durable Sukkah that's not too hard to put together?

[Yisha]

before suggesting anything, we gota know the conditions where the Sukkah is to be build, backyard or porch and if you have a awning or you'll need a Shlock?

[Dan]

before suggesting anything, we gota know the conditions where the Sukkah is to be build, backyard or porch and if you have a awning or you'll need a Shlock?

Don't think it matters, but on a patio.  No awning.

Anyone have a certain sukkah they love?

[Yisha]

Lietters Sukkah http://www.leiterssukkah.com/modular-assemb-txt.htm should be the easiest to build by yourself in minutes and is not from wood so it wont get ruined so fast and you have ready sizes to pick (no need to custom order) that will save you a lot of headaches.

[elikay]

Lietters Sukkah http://www.leiterssukkah.com/modular-assemb-txt.htm should be the easiest to build by yourself in minutes and is not from wood so it wont get ruined so fast and you have ready sizes to pick (no need to custom order) that will save you a lot of headaches.

Having built many sukkas from scratch, I think that wood holds up better and is stronger than these other ones.

[Dan]

Lietters Sukkah http://www.leiterssukkah.com/modular-assemb-txt.htm should be the easiest to build by yourself in minutes and is not from wood so it wont get ruined so fast and you have ready sizes to pick (no need to custom order) that will save you a lot of headaches.

Seems like there is a wood and a fiberglass option: http://www.leiterssukkah.com/modular.htm
Which have you dealt with?

[jong]

Seems like there is a wood and a fiberglass option: http://www.leiterssukkah.com/modular.htm
Which have you dealt with?

im a fan of fiberglass... esp living on the east coast, it would last many years to come... the modular ones are pretty easy to set up once you get the hang of it... just store the wooden planks that go across in a dry place when not in use so they dont get warped. and add a window or 2, it makes a difference

[elikay]

im a fan of fiberglass... esp living on the east coast, it would last many years to come... the modular ones are pretty easy to set up once you get the hang of it... just store the wooden planks that go across in a dry place when not in use so they dont get warped. and add a window or 2, it makes a difference

Good point.. except that I mean in general this style succah seems to be a bit wobbly.

[Yisha]

Seems like there is a wood and a fiberglass option: http://www.leiterssukkah.com/modular.htm
Which have you dealt with?

I have dealt with both and i would recommend the wood! don't worry the wood is not like lumber wood, it wont get ruined from a rain or so.

the odds of the fiberglass is that you don't feel like your sitting in a Sukkah (I'm not referring here to Yidishe Hergieshim) its just not comfortable, it feels more like sitting in the Lego Sukkah designed br B&C Lumber a few year ago,

some people may rather recommend the fiberglass but i don't like it and sure not recommend it to others.

[skyguy918]

http://www.sukkahdepot.com/english/Product.aspx?Product=67&Category=41&SubCategory=23

Big fan of this one. I researched the whole thing a few years ago for my father and decided on this. It's very easy to build, and very, very sturdy. Most other interlock succahs have a relatively flimsy metal frame and then attach the panels to the front of the frame (the part that goes inside). With this succah, the frame is much sturdier, and the panels are inside the frame, not pressed against it. Also, instead of fiberglass, the panels are pressed wood, treated and sealed off so it'll last. There are fewer pieces because the design is such that any piece can be a corner (so no corner brackets, like Leiter's). I'm also a fan of the door setup, much better design.

Now for the cons. It's probably more expensive than your other choices. The walls keep heat, sometimes too much for my liking. The door uses a lock and key to stay from swinging, which means you'll leave the key in all the time. But the key is flimsy and I've brushed by and broken more than one. Then I couldn't get a locksmith to copy the key and it was a mess getting another from the company.

All in all, I would definitely recommend this model.

[Hudi]

I"yh I'll be building my own Sukkah for the first time this year.

Any recommendations?  Best durable Sukkah that's not too hard to put together?

I bought mine from http://www.sukkot.com/ It's cheaper then the other companies. Very easy to put together. had it for 4 years and it holds up very well.
 I got the 8 x 16 canvas one.

[hershy]

I would recommend Lietters Sukkah wood i also have it its very easy to put together & even nice, the only problem with Lietters Sukkah is to hang shterns or signs on it.

[Dan]

http://www.sukkahdepot.com/english/Product.aspx?Product=67&Category=41&SubCategory=23

Big fan of this one. I researched the whole thing a few years ago for my father and decided on this. It's very easy to build, and very, very sturdy. Most other interlock succahs have a relatively flimsy metal frame and then attach the panels to the front of the frame (the part that goes inside). With this succah, the frame is much sturdier, and the panels are inside the frame, not pressed against it. Also, instead of fiberglass, the panels are pressed wood, treated and sealed off so it'll last. There are fewer pieces because the design is such that any piece can be a corner (so no corner brackets, like Leiter's). I'm also a fan of the door setup, much better design.

Now for the cons. It's probably more expensive than your other choices. The walls keep heat, sometimes too much for my liking. The door uses a lock and key to stay from swinging, which means you'll leave the key in all the time. But the key is flimsy and I've brushed by and broken more than one. Then I couldn't get a locksmith to copy the key and it was a mess getting another from the company.

All in all, I would definitely recommend this model.

What is up with the horrible websites these guys have???

[skyguy918]

What is up with the horrible websites these guys have???

I'd say overall, Sukkah websites are pretty shaky, this one being a little worse than most. I ended up seeing a little 8x8 or something set up in a local Judaica store (that's where they were set up to sell in my neighborhood). One big advantage of that was seeing up close how sturdy it is, and being able to bargain. It was a relatively young guy doing the selling and he seemed to have some autonomy in pricing, especially since we were not ordering a preconfigured setup.

That being said, the closest location to Cleveland that has them on display is probably Toronto. You might be able to bargain over the phone, but probably not as well as in person. Also, if they have no distribution in Cleveland in might be expensive to get it to you. Then again, I don't know if anybody has distribution in Cleveland.

[springles]

My advice is to buy good strong wood from a lumber yard and build yourself a succah.  If you do it right it is the sturdiest and nicest by far.  It will take some time to build it the first year but after that its just as quick as the interlocking panels. 

[skyguy918]

My advice is to buy good strong wood from a lumber yard and build yourself a succah.  If you do it right it is the sturdiest and nicest by far.  It will take some time to build it the first year but after that its just as quick as the interlocking panels. 

While not exactly as difficult as say building a house, building a sukkah from scratch still requires a level of handiness that not everyone has.

[springles]

While not exactly as difficult as say building a house, building a sukkah from scratch still requires a level of handiness that not everyone has.

I would definitely not call myself a handy person but had no difficulty building a sukkah.  Maybe it's because I helped my father put up our wood sukkah all my life but if you have a drill it is really not hard.  I think people are often scared to try things on their own but if you do you will find that it was easier than expected.

[jong]

I would definitely not call myself a handy person but had no difficulty building a sukkah.  Maybe it's because I helped my father put up our wood sukkah all my life but if you have a drill it is really not hard.  I think people are often scared to try things on their own but if you do you will find that it was easier than expected.

pre-drill 3 holes... use nuts and bolts to secure

[boruch]

Here's the thing; Leiter's Sukkah's are a bit more expensive than other sukkah manufactures out there. However my experience is that they are also better and last longer. They also have more options (7' or 8' high, about 12 diffrend colors if you choose wood, windows, doors etc) than other places.
wood is a bit more expensive than fiberglass and it looks much nicer. it all depends where you store it during the year (specialy in cleveland  ) If you store outside than i would advice you to take fiberglass. wood will warp and be ruined in 2-3 years.
Leiter's has a wholesaler in cleveland. it's Jacobs book store (right by Izzy's pizza) Give them a call and see what he can do for you.
One more thing: customer service @ leiter is sometimes a bit less by Leiter's. It all depends on your salesman. specially if you don't live in Brooklyn and you can't bring it by to fix something if needed.
How do i know all this ?! I worked @ leiters for about five years. did retail sales and managed their wholesale department too so i know most of their wholesalers pretty well. Some of them have no idea about sukkah's and screw up a lot so be carefull. The one in cleveland is pretty good.
My wife is from cleveland and I'm in cleveland for sukkos every year so if u need any help setting it up the first time, I could give you a hand. The least i can do for someone who saves me thousands of dollars over time 

[E]

Built one with my father many years ago an still in great shape frame for walls are 2x3's and the actuall wall I curagated plastic screwed into it very durable, lightweight and cheap to replace..