New shed advice

Clarey22

Hi - am looking for a bit of advice. We bought our first home which has a shed but it has seen better days as the wood has rotten in places and you can see daylight through one corner of the roof. With the better weather (hopefully) on its way, we have set ourselves the task or taking it down and replacing. Have heard that tongue and groove sheds are better at keeping out water than overlap ones but the tongue and groove sheds I can find say they need treating every year whereas I found pressue treated overlap sheds that say they need no treating and are guaranteed for 10-15 years. My question is which is better? Is it worth spending a bit more for the T&G version but have to treat each year or would the pressure treated overlap shed be much the same? My OH has an expensive bike which is living indoors as our current shed is no good so want to make sure that our new shed will keep it in good condition as some bits we ha in there have gone mouldy. Any guidance greatly appreciated - thanks.

wellused

Shiplap is best but more expensive to buy I painted my 6'x4' shed with fence preserver in about an hour so don't worry about having to preserve it every year. And a bit of advice sell your old shed on ebay or local adverts allotment holders are always looking for cheap sheds and you will be amazed what you can get even for a rotten shed.

Cliecost

I use tongue and groove. I used a cheap preserver paint from b&q and it lasted for over a year now.

Just make sure you coat it well and no areas that face the weather go untreated. I did 4 coats when it said one would do, just to be sure.

Davesnave

The only problem with tongue and groove sheds, which are generally superior, is that the tongue can come out of the groove in extremes of heat. On the other hand, overlap sheds can warp and develop gaps.

Therefore, it is most important that you buy a good shed in the first place, not some junk from the internet or a DiY chain. It's difficult to get a good shed in my area, so I go 25 miles to a proper manufacturer and get him to build to spec.

Treatment type is according to taste, but all sheds should be treated. Water based treatments can peel or be blasted off, and spirit based treatments, like Creocote, will fade. I find it easiest to use Creocote once a year, but it will help if the shed is made from tanalised wood and has galvanised nails and fittings that won't rust at the first sign of a shower.

There, that's confused things even more!:rotfl:I don't think I'll go into erection at this time of the morning either.....;)

COOLTRIKERCHICK

Totally agree with Davesnave....

Def going to a local firm who makes sheds etc, rather than the DIY stores,

We have all our sheds/ chicken sheds etc mae by a local woodmill, and even though they might seem a lot more expensive than the DIY stores, when you actually look at the quality and thickness of the wood use, there is no comparison...

we bought a cheap shed years ago from b&q an within 9 months it had warped, the wood had split etc...

Look at the thickness and the quality of the wood used etc

A good shed, will last you for years.. and will only need a hour or two each year to give it a coat of preserve/paint..

valk_scot

Even a cheap shed will last a fair while with regular maintenence while an expensive shed that's neglected will not last as long as it should. It's not a big job to treat a shed once a year with preservative, you don't need to do it to exactingly neat standards so the average 10 year old can be paid to do it.

The cheap overlap shed that I bought for the allotment is still fine after 15 years, I treated it every year and when the roof felt needed replacing after 6 years I used a heavier weight and it's only just needing renewing again now.

Davesnave

valk_scot wrote: »

Even a cheap shed will last a fair while with regular maintenence while an expensive shed that's neglected will not last as long as it should. .

While that is basically true and I agree, people should be aware that there is some real carp out there, which won't be saved however much you maintain.

I finished off an internet shed for a friend who had to go on holiday and it was heart-breaking at the time. Not now perhaps, because he profited well from tarting-up his house + garden and selling it on!:rotfl:

However, that highlights another issue of how long you will own the shed, because I'd guess many people in starter homes will move long before they wear out an expensive one.

Mollymoonlight

Have a look at Tiger Sheds, we bought this one from them last June because I was sick of DH's bike living at the top of the stairs. Its been great, and was a daudle to put together.

valk_scot

Incidentally the shed I bought was an ex-display one from the local (proper) garden centre. It was their budget model and I got it half price. It was delivered still erected and placed gently on my plot exactly where I wanted it. Bargain!

Clarey22

Thanks for all your advice, we have opted for an 8 x 6 shiplap shed from a timber merchant based 50 miles away. Although a bit more money than deals I had seen on the internet, the guys will come and put it up for us. Is coming next week, so hopefully all will go to plan.

Cliecost

Why not build your own one? I did it. I'm not a carpenter just good at building. The shed I built cost me about £1000 but its 14ft by 7ft and made with quality wood.