New shed required...wood or metal?

aliasojo

I've always had wooden sheds before but the drawbacks of a wooden shed (regular painting, potential woodrot, roof felt damage etc) are beginning to cheese me off and we're considering getting a metal one for a change.

Apart from the fact they don't look overly attractive, are there any pitfalls with metal sheds I should be aware of?

ormus

yes.
after ten years they will look just as bad as a wooden one.

savemoney

Wood definitely I hear metal ones can sweat, a good dose with stain every year, and every 5 years or so new felt easy to do yourself (2 hour job max) and it should last well over 10 years if not more. Had mine over 10 years and as good as new but I left it 3 years ago when moved house

Also keep shed slightly off ground using some old slate

tifrap_2

I agree with savemoney above - metal sheds suffer from internal condensation - spend any time in a metal shed and your breath will cause condensation on the cold wall surfaces (except for the two hot days that we get each year - and then it'll be unbearable to be inside anyway). the result is exactly the same as sitting in a van in cold weather, water will run down the walls.

frank.hopper

Take a look at some of the plastic ones, buy one & install it, you will come back and thank me.

sillygoose

I have a good quality plastic one (Duramax, not cheap, 15 year warranty though) made from very stable ultraviolet resistant materials. It was prone to condensation but easily fixed. I put a decent vent in either end (plastic with flyscreen) and bonded to the inside roof 1 inch thickness of polystyrene tiles. The reason for this was the warm air inside rises to meet the roof that may be cooled by rain and wind, the moisture condenses and drips off the roof. The insulation buffers the cold roof from the inside air and the ventilation allows the humidity to balance by itself. All perfect for a fiver's worth of bits.

sunshinetours

All valid points mentioned above. If its in a garden I just think wood looks a lot nicer as you can (if you so wish) stain it different shades and the maintenance is not really that bad is it?

Buy a pressure treated one if you want it to last longer and treat it properly with a decent wood preservative every few years rather than each year with a cheaper one

Metal ones all look pretty hideous to me, aren't as easy to "fit out" inside, don;t come with an integral base usually and suffer terribly from condensation which is, if you are storing bikes, tools etc can be a real issue

Get a wood one you know you want to.....:D

aliasojo

Lol sunshinetours.....given that I'm the maintenance 'guy' around here, trust me when I say it is a pain in the bum having to upkeep things.

That said, I accept that metal sheds could never be classed as attractive and I take on board the condensation angle which, I hadn't appreciated.

Looks like it's wood again then.

Thanks everyone.

andrew-b

Wood...you can whack nails in it to put up shelves, hang up your garden tools etc. Easier/cheaper to paint whatever colour than metal. You can also build your own if you wanted. A decent wooden shed *should* last you years provided it's not in direct contact with the ground and is maintained regularly with a lick of suitable paint and the occassion refelting of the roof. Even if a bit does rot you can often patch it up without it showing!

Metal also rusts particularly in the salt air of coastal regions. Also may get condensation probs with metal sheds. Metal sheds don't usually include a floor so you would need to account for this in the initial costs..ideally need a proper concrete slab with damp proof barrier if you want the contents to remain dry.

Plastic sheds are much more expensive than wooden and you definitely can't whack a nail in them...also prone to condensation if insufficient ventilation. Also can't paint them.

Alternative...build a shed out of blockwork/brickwork with proper floor and foundations etc.

sunshinetours

aliasojo wrote: »

Lol sunshinetours.....given that I'm the maintenance 'guy' around here, trust me when I say it is a pain in the bum having to upkeep things.

That said, I accept that metal sheds could never be classed as attractive and I take on board the condensation angle which, I hadn't appreciated.

Looks like it's wood again then.

Thanks everyone.

I know what you mean joking aside! I have about 50m2 of deck to re-cover this year along with a small 6x4 shed (that I haven't touched in 5 years) and our cabin will probably need its first re-treatment now its a couple of years old later this season. At 5m x 3m that will take a while on its own!

Hmm maybe I should look into metal/plastic myself!

I would add that the decent plastic ones are quite sturdy and pretty much maintenance free especially if you sort our some ventilation as sillygoose suggested. They look marginally better than the metal ones IMO

sillygoose

How about genuine authentic simulated good as the real thing wood effect plastic, much cheaper now as Ford no longer use it for the dashboards of Granadas!

http://www.taylorsgardenbuildings.co.uk/store/customer/product.php?productid=24042