Garden Sheds

Buying guide

A good shed keeps tools, bikes and garden furniture dry for years; a poor one lets in damp within a couple of winters. The difference comes down to the cladding, the floor and roof, the base it stands on and how it is treated. This guide explains each, and how our Shire sheds compare.

Our sheds compared

All-rounder

Apex sheds

A pitched roof sheds rain and gives headroom down the middle. The Warwick has a 1.96m internal ridge and double doors about 1.36m wide.

See the Warwick

For gardeners

Potting shed

The Sun Pent has a full-length potting bench and windows glazed with 3mm horticultural glass, with a 12mm tongue and groove floor and roof.

See the Sun Pent

Budget

Overlap shed

Thin rough sawn overlap boards on a 34mm frame, with OSB floor and roof. A low-cost store for tools and garden kit.

See the Value Overlap

What size shed?

Shed sizes are given in feet (6x4, 8x6) as a nominal size; the real dimensions are on each listing. Check three numbers: the base footprint (what the shed stands on), the overall size including the roof overhang, and the internal size. For example, the Bute 6x4 stands on a 1.83 x 1.20m footprint and is 1.99 x 1.26m overall; the Warwick 8x6 is roughly 1.72 x 2.31m inside.

• 6x4 suits garden tools, a mower and a few bags of compost.
• 8x6 takes bikes, furniture cushions and a workbench as well, or a potting bench in the Sun Pent.
• Headroom: apex sheds have about 1.6m at the eaves and 2.07m at the ridge outside; the Sun Pent rises from 1.77m to 1.97m.
• Doors: double doors (about 1.36m wide on the Bute and Warwick) make it far easier to get a mower or bike in and out.

Apex or pent roof?

An apex roof rises to a central ridge, so rain runs off both sides and there is most headroom down the middle, which suits standing up to work and storing tall items. The Bute, Warwick and Value Overlap are apex sheds. A pent roof slopes one way, so the shed can sit lower against a fence or wall, and the high side can carry windows, as on the Sun Pent potting shed. Pent sheds often suit narrow side returns and the bottom of a garden near a boundary.

Shiplap, tongue and groove or overlap?

Overlap cladding is rough sawn boards laid over each other, the cheapest way to build a shed. It does the job for tool storage but lets more draughts and driving rain through the gaps. Shiplap and tongue and groove boards interlock, so they shed water better and resist warping, which suits a shed you want to last or to work in. The Bute and Warwick use tongue and groove shiplap, the Sun Pent 12mm shiplap and the Value Overlap 7 to 8mm overlap.

Floor and roof

The floor takes the most wear. Solid sheet OSB is used on the Bute and the Value Overlap (9mm OSB floor and 8mm OSB roof); the Sun Pent has 12mm tongue and groove boards for both. Roofs are covered in felt. Whatever the floor, Shire asks for a damp proof membrane between the floor joists and the base, and the floor should never sit directly on soil.

Where to put your shed

• On high, well-drained ground rather than in a low, damp corner where water collects.
• With room behind and around it to re-treat the timber each year: Shire says the building should not touch walls, trees or bushes.
• With the doors facing a path or patio, so a mower or bike can come straight out. The Bute and Warwick have double doors in the gable end.
• Away from overhanging trees, which drip, drop debris on the felt and keep the timber damp.
• Within the height limits near a boundary (see our planning notes below).

How to choose

• What will it hold? Tools and a mower fit a 6x4; bikes, furniture and a workbench need an 8x6.
• How long should it last? Shiplap or tongue and groove cladding for a shed you want to keep for years; overlap for a budget store.
• Will you work in it? Choose windows and headroom: the Sun Pent for potting, an apex shed for standing room.
• Where will it go? A pent roof sits lower against a boundary; an apex roof gives more height in the middle.

The base a shed needs

A shed is only as good as its base. Shire says its buildings need a flat, firm and level base, such as concrete, paving slabs, pressure treated bearers or a Shire frame base with levelling spikes. Bare grass, soil or loose gravel is not suitable on its own.

• Level. Check in both directions; an uneven base twists the frame and makes doors stick.
• Right size. Build the base to the shed's base footprint, not the overall size with overhangs, so rain runs off rather than onto the base.
• Damp proof membrane. Lay one between the floor joists and the base, as Shire asks.
• Space around it. Leave about 450mm clear all round for assembly, and keep the shed from touching walls, trees or bushes.

Planning permission and building regulations

In England, outbuildings are usually permitted development, so no planning application is needed, as long as they stay within limits: single storey, no more than 2.5 metres high within 2 metres of a boundary, not in front of the house, and covering no more than half the garden. Listed buildings and designated land such as conservation areas, National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty have tighter rules. All four of our sheds are under 2.1m high, within the 2.5m limit near a boundary.

Building regulations do not normally apply to a detached outbuilding under 15 square metres with no sleeping accommodation; our sheds are well under that. The Planning Portal has the full rules, and your council has the final say.

Treatment and Shire's guarantee

The Bute, Warwick and Sun Pent arrive with a dip treated base coat, which protects the timber in transit. Shire's 10-year anti-rot guarantee only applies if you treat the timber with a good spirit-based preservative before or shortly after assembly, and then at least once every 12 months. Treat every surface you can reach, including the underside of the floor before it goes down, and pay attention to end grain and the bottom boards.

Delivery and assembly

1. Your shed arrives flat-packed at the kerbside, free to England and Wales. Tell us about narrow access, steps or restricted parking before dispatch.
2. Prepare the base before delivery day, so the panels are not left lying on wet ground.
3. Assemble with two people: floor, walls, roof, then doors and windows. Leave about 450mm all round to work.
4. Treat the timber as soon as it is up, and fit your own padlock to the hasp and staple.

Security and what to keep in it

The Bute's doors close with a hasp and staple, so fit a good padlock. Keep valuables out of sight of the window or fit a blind. Store chemicals off the floor and out of reach of children, and keep gas cylinders in the open air rather than inside a shed. For logs, a ventilated log store is better than a closed shed, because wood needs airflow to stay dry.

Looking after a shed

• Re-treat the timber every 12 months with a spirit-based preservative.
• Check the roof felt each autumn and repair any tears before winter.
• Clear leaves and soil away from the base and keep plants from touching the walls.
• Ventilate on dry days to reduce condensation, especially in an OSB-floored shed.
• Ease and lubricate hinges and locks once a year.