Shedding the past, in search of a shiny upgrade.

ArbitraryRandom

I've been having work done on my garden this year, and the next stage is replacing the leaking aluminium shed that blocks the view from my kitchen and getting something new at the bottom of the garden. My builder is booked in to pour the new base in February or March, so I need to confirm the size... and that means deciding on the replacement. 

Ballpark, I'm thinking 6mx3m - but I'm looking for recommendations (and tips to avoid) when it comes to manufacturers, materials and styles. 

It's going to be half/mostly storage, some overwintering/starting plants, and some space for basic DIY - It needs to be water proof, durable, and easy to maintain. Insulation would be a plus. 

Budget is probably around £10k, though obviously I'd be happy to spend less and could go a little higher. Or I could buy something cheap now and save for brick built in a couple of years... 

ElaniArtin

Over the years I have kept my eye out and when I see a carpenter/builder working on a build near me I get their details; I find there are many honest, skilled carpenters out here ( West Midlands) that will charge the same or less to build you a shed to how you want it, using more sturdy wood, and etc. My neighbour just had a bathroom done so I can get the truth about the quality of work and cost for example. And I will feel good about supporting local talent. Sheds quite simple relatively, so not expensive. Can do a  web search for shed plans on line, as a starting point.

ElaniArtin

Oh, and remember to make a gutter system that feeds two or more water butts for that lovely rain water!

YoungBlueEyes

Be careful of your covenants when choosing your shed size. In my last house when himself bought me a shed for my birthday/xmas it could only be a certain height because it couldn't be taller than the height of the garden wall.

£10k seems a healthy budget though. I've been looking for one for here and the one I liked was a shed-!!!!!!-greenhouse sort of affair, big and solid, and it was £7k and that was at a garden centre. Having one made might not be as expensive as you think, even with the cost of materials  

Edit - shed-come-greenhouse.

ArbitraryRandom

YoungBlueEyes said:

Be careful of your covenants when choosing your shed size. In my last house when himself bought me a shed for my birthday/xmas it could only be a certain height because it couldn't be taller than the height of the garden wall.

£10k seems a healthy budget though. I've been looking for one for here and the one I liked was a shed-!!!!!!-greenhouse sort of affair, big and solid, and it was £7k and that was at a garden centre. Having one made might not be as expensive as you think, even with the cost of materials  

Here it's permitted development (no special covenants) so max 30m2 footprint and 2.5m height. 

I'm debating getting something cheap now and something built down the line - builder has quoted me c.£20k (not properly priced up) for a brick/concrete basically garage type thing with a sloping steel roof... and there's advantages of being able to get it rendered to match the house/properly insulated/lifespan etc but it's a question of prioritisation with the other things I want to get done.  

YoungBlueEyes

A proper built one does sound appealing. If you just want a make do for now thing, is there anything on the freebie sites..? Or maybe an ex-display model somewhere?

ArbitraryRandom

I don't suppose anyone has an opinion about this? 

At 6.12m x 2.51m, when I add features like insulation and a couple of windows it comes to around £7k... with the concrete base would be around £10k I think. A bit more to run power to it. Painted off white it would match the house.

https://www.summergardenbuildings.co.uk/products/garden-sheds/concrete-shed-11908782.html 

YoungBlueEyes

Hell that's a beast, it looks like a garage to me ha haa!

If I remember rightly from your other thread, that would match your house? How much tinkering can you do to it - that door looks a wee bit small if you've a proper chunky lawnmower etc - can you ask for a wider one? If you can I'd say go for it. Prices fixed 'til tomorrow (it says)  so if that's your pick move quick.

Dustyevsky

I would look into the difficulties of painting spar-dash, if the original finish doesn't appeal.

You certainly get a big volume for your money with a concrete structure, but then you're into after-market solutions for things like insulation, which would be included at the design stage with a SIPS type of building.

What would you want insulation for, exactly, and how much heating would you be willing to pay for if this is essentially a storage building? I have a 60' x 28' concrete block barn with no insulation whatever and obvious air leaks all around, but I can keep books in there. While it does feel slightly 'clammy' in the wet winter months, there is no obvious damp, and the key to that is air movement, rather than trying to keep warmed air inside.

ArbitraryRandom

YoungBlueEyes said:

Hell that's a beast, it looks like a garage to me ha haa!

If I remember rightly from your other thread, that would match your house? How much tinkering can you do to it - that door looks a wee bit small if you've a proper chunky lawnmower etc - can you ask for a wider one? If you can I'd say go for it. Prices fixed 'til tomorrow (it says)  so if that's your pick move quick.

I'm not going to rush into anything, this is defo a next year purchase and maybe the year after depending on what I do in the garden first - anywhere that I have to 'buy now' isn't somewhere I want to buy from anyway

Yes, it would match the house (most of the houses where I live are pebble dash built in the 50s and painted one colour or another) - though I appreciate what Dusty is saying about the difference between pebble and spar (there are a few different finish options inc brick) and needing to get someone into spray it. Possibility of getting it done next time the house is due in a couple of years. 

One of the options is a 4ft door - or go for the actual 'garage' which has a proper car sized door as well as person sized. But I'm not one for mowing really, so I'm probably going to keep paying the local guy to come around with his own kit two or three times a year and just keep my strimmer for tidying up the little area at the front. 

Dustyevsky said:

What would you want insulation for, exactly, and how much heating would you be willing to pay for if this is essentially a storage building? 

Flexibility, future proofing and to keep the temp a little more stable - the same reason as I'd run power out there and ask the builder about including a damp proof membrane under the slab or using epoxy as a top coat; heating would probably be calor.

During the summer it might not get much use as anything other than a garden shed, but I used to do a fair bit of making over winter, and a lot of what's taking up the entirely of the spare room is stuff that I either need to get rid of or turn into other stuff... so the space would be a mix of storage and potting shed and making space (I've been musing a slightly larger option with an internal wall). 

I'm not fixed on the solution and I've asked the builder if he could do something better for the same or not much more; hopefully I'm going to be here and wanting to use this space (perhaps for different things) for the next 30 years, so I'd not get a new mortgage for it, but given it would be a permanent structure, a few thousand to ensure it's comfortable doesn't seem wildly unreasonable? 

ElaniArtin

When I saw your concrete shed I thought... Going in when it's rainy. It would be practical to have a sort of landing area outside, a porch, so that in opening the door if your hands a full, or you're wiping your feet, so you aren't being rain pelted and mud splattered.

Concrete.... makes me think that it is suitable for machines( like around here some have amazing hobbies- miniature train machining, carpentry projects using bandsaws, etc.) Sounds like you are morphing a storage shed into a work space in which case have a look at 'Office Sheds' maybe? or Studio sheds?

I can read that this is for practical reasons, however, Is this something will be viewing from your house windows? Maybe worthwhile spending a bit of time thinking about aesthetics even though it is low on your list. I do get a lift when I see something nice on the allotment instead of the totally practical.

I like the idea of a cheap thing first to sort of test out all of your ideas...

Can you tell that I have given this years of thought?

I have a difficult and small back garden but it is my dream to do this