I ordered a custom 280 sq ft backyard storage shed from Johnny's Backyard Houston in late November…read more2025. The sales rep (Tyler) conducted a site visit, measured the area, and created CAD designs showing outward-swinging French doors (which I specifically wanted for aesthetics and to not take away such a large amount of usable area). When I asked about permits, I was told the shed was "movable" (not on a slab/foundation) and no permit would be required. Construction began, but I returned home to a City of Houston stop-work notice on my door dated December 4, 2025. The shed remains incomplete, unusable, and non-compliant 80+ days later.
I immediately notified the company. They repeatedly assured me permitting was "submitted" and "pending". They invoiced me $125 for the City permit fee on December 17, 2025--I paid immediately. Their Operations Manager emailed December 30 saying they were "working with the city" and had submitted documentation. That same day, the application was rejected for incompleteness (missing site plan, impervious cover calculation, grading worksheet, wall sections, wind load info, flood data, etc.).
Despite my repeated follow-ups I received zero responses--complete ghosting. For over 65 days after paying the permit fee, there was essentially one substantive communication from the company.
I sent a formal breach-of-contract notice January 11, 2026, with a full timeline and 14-day cure period. Instead of resolving or completing the job, I received a lawyer's letter January 15 threatening legal action if I didn't drop my credit card chargeback (initiated due to the ongoing issues) and confirm no further disputes. Their response claimed the contract has "no completion date" and "once construction has commenced, no refund--partial or full--shall be issued under any circumstances." I paid for a shed with outward swinging French doors, a full 150 amp electrical package, and full spray foam insulated interior. I paid $20,300 to them, which I know is quite the premium, so that I could have a premium build. I work too much to do this on my own. Yet here it sits 2.5 months later unfinished and they're still taking the money.
On January 23, 2026, I personally submitted a new permit application under my own name. Within less than two weeks, it passed preliminary review and Code Enforcement checks (February 3) with no corrections required--while their application has sat dead since December 30, 2025. I achieved this as a non-expert (I'm a pilot, not a contractor) using the same public guidance available to them all along.
I extended another opportunity for them to retrieve the shed and restore my property (deadline February 4, 2026)--ignored completely.
The pattern is clear: assurances of permitting help, acceptance of a dedicated fee, claims of progress, then total abandonment, silence, and threats via counsel when I sought resolution. I was left to fix their mess at significant personal cost (lost billable work days, months of stress, items stored indoors, hiring an attorney). This is not the professional experience one expects from a custom shed builder serving the Houston area.
If you're considering Johnny's Backyard, be prepared for potential communication blackouts, permitting issues, non-conforming work, and aggressive legal responses instead of accountability. Document everything and know your rights under Texas consumer law. They took over $20,000 from me and haven't even attempted to finish the job. They've made no efforts to cure the problem. They've only threatened with a lawyer to keep the money for services not provided. Make sure you read their own statements. I paid $20,300 upfront for a shed, designed by them and agreed to by me, with docusign, and their argument is they don't have to offer what we agreed to, there's no completion date on a contract, and they don't have to give any money back once they started a project. They've left a shell on my property, have done absolutely NOTHING to resolve the issue, and still want the money.
Would not recommend.
