Help me decide what shed to buy!

Maureen43

Hello All,

I am moving house shortly and will no longer have a garage.

I will need something at least 6x8 to store bikes, gardening stuff etc. Because of the bikes it will need to be good quality and watertight.

My experience of wooden sheds is that they warp and don't last at all long.

So, which of these choices should I go for?
1) Cheap wooden shed (on the assumption that all wooden sheds die after just a few years!)
2) Better quality wooden shed - is it worth it?
3) Plastic shed
4) Metal shed

Help!!

forgotmyname

A shed lasts as long as you look after it. Regular treatment and keep it off the ground.

If needed use a sacrificial base. What i did was use 3" square timbers. Cut into short lengths/ Treated these with a good soak in some creosote.
These have been there for 6 years now and still pass the screwdriver test.

If they do rot, I just cut some more to the correct length, Treat them and replace them one piece at a time.
Because they are only about 2ft long, I can remove a piece and add a new bit in very easily.

Shed stays off the ground and doesnt sit in puddles.

Metal and plastic sheds can suffer from condensation issues.

Lomast

Indeed a well planned and maintained shed can last a longtime, i bought a 12x8 workshop shed when i still lived with my parents.

Before installing it i put down a proper concrete base and treated the shed with a decent quality timber treatment, that shed is now 17 years old and apart from a few re treatments and some new Felt over the years it almost looks as good as it did when it was new.

I would suggest buying the best you can afford the build quality is very different.

Ectophile

A shed that's made from pressure treated timber will last a lot longer than one which has just had a coat of preservative slapped on.

And there's nothing to stop you adding a coat of preservative or water repellant to a treated one, for good measure.

thefishdude

deff lay a good base down also think about acces and ease of getting in i went for a 6x8 shed but with double doors makes it sooo much easier to get things in and out of. also gerneally you will be putting the shed together yoruself wich i did and i stuck a few extra screws and nails in in various places, gave it a coat of treatemnt before erecting it and a double coat on the underside of the floor before putting it down as you wont have access to that once up.

Maureen43

Thanks All,

Good quality wooden shed it is then! Also will look after it as described.

Can anyone recommend a good value model?

wellused

Homebase have a (high spec) 6x8ft shed for £500 seems very expensive but they have a 15% day at the moment knocking £75 off.

Davesnave

Maureen43 wrote: »

Can anyone recommend a good value model?

I'd look in the local paper or on-line for a proper shed manufacturer in your area; one you can visit, see the sheds and buy from without a middle man.

I have two or three in my area, and by that I mean within 30 miles! They all deliver for around £20-30. The one I use says he's had grown men in his office, crying because they bought a load of rubbish on the Internet, instead of paying sensible money for something that will last at least 20 years.

But as others have said, regular treatment with a spirit-based preserver is essential to get the most from any shed, as is preparing a proper base and bearers.

Tech101

Can anyone recommend a good value model?

I've very recently been through this whole thing of finding a good wooden shed. For budget and delivery reasons I bought one from Screwfix. It's fine and way ahead of those at B&Q.

However, I'm impressed with 8 x 6 wooden sheds by Walton Garden Buildings. I'm not permitted to post links but they are at waltons dot co dot uk

Mrs_Money

Avoid Homebase and B & Q sheds - they are rubbish. We had a Homebase one which despite us treating it as recommended, leaked, the roof bent strangely and dipped badly and it was a complete disaster in 3 or 4 years! It was wet, mouldy and so was everything in it.
Just bought the cheapest shed we could for our allotment last spring from B & Q - utter rubbish, but all we could afford at the time - I do not recommend it!
We've also now just moved to a house without garage or shed and have just had a new garden shed delivered and erected this week from Skinners Sheds, cost around £900 (gasp!), but we opted for a 10 x 8 and had it lined with the paper stuff that breathes. It is one very tough, solid building and I think it's going to be worth the money in the long run...don't know if you can get to a show site- but they have videos on their website and I suppose they deliver and erect everywhere- not sure.

Ectophile

So far as I can tell, Skinners Sheds operate only in the South East. They are based in East Sussex, and cover quite a large area including parts of Kent.

I have one of their sheds left by the previous owner of this house, and one of their wood stores I bought myself.

Both seem very good and solid, and the shed doesn't leak. I have resorted to dragging the wood store around the patio when it was in the way, and it didn't fall apart.