Yes, your shed does need a base. This is to give it a solid, level foundation. Open soil will not help with the longevity of the shed itself or the contents within. The best materials to use to make your shed base are concrete, natural stone or wood.
Garden shed
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Garden shed
A garden shed is the perfect storage solution for any outside space. Whether you need one to store tools, summer furniture or maybe even use it as a summer house or office, there are plenty of sheds available to suit your needs.
Why should you get a garden shed?
If you don’t have space for tools inside the house or you have a lawn mower you need to store, you’ll need somewhere you can lock them away so they don’t get stolen. Burglaries are on the rise, so it’s essential to have a secure shed with a strong lock. It’s also important to buy a shed that’s made from treated wood or engage a specialist to preserve the timber to ensure that it stays strong and free from woodworm and rot. Alternatively, there are metal and plastic sheds available to buy.
Sheds are also ideal to add extra living space to your home. Many homeowners use them as summer houses for those days when it’s not quite warm enough to be outside or to extend the evenings, but as the world moves to more remote working lots of people use them as offices too. Just make sure you insulate it properly if you’ll be using it in the cooler months.
What types of shed can I buy?
As well as wooden, plastic or metal sheds, there are other things to consider before you buy a garden shed. There are different types of shed depending on the cladding, roof shape and what you intend to use it for.
Cladding
A wooden garden shed’s cladding refers to the planks of wood that make up the shed, and makes the structure sturdy and weather-resistant. There are 3 main types:
- Overlap cladding: The standard type of shed cladding. Horizontal timbers overlap each other to create a stable structure that is generally weather-resistant
- Tongue and groove: Tongue and groove panels in a shed interlock rather than simply overlap, creating a stronger and more weather-resistant structure
- Shiplap tongue and groove: The panels are interlocked like tongue and groove cladding, but there is also a small lip between each panel that is an extra barrier against rainwater getting in. It’s the most expensive type of cladding, but also the most durable.
Roof types
There are also 3 main types of roof to look out for when you’re buying a garden shed. They will affect the head height, how much space is available in the shed and how easy it is to get in.
- Apex: Probably the most common type of shed roof, an apex roof is the inverted v-shape with the peak in the middle. You usually get into the shed via a single or double door at one end.
- strong>Pent: Pent shed roofs are sometimes called lean-tos because the rood slants down. Usually the low side of the roof is put against a building and the door is at the front of the shed where the roof is highest.
- Barn: Sheds with a barn-style roof are semi-octagonal and look like traditional Dutch barns. They can be good if you need a wide shed to store larger items.
Intended use
What do you plan to put in your shed? If there will be tall items stored there, you might want to consider the high eaves of a barn shed or a taller shed with an apex roof. If you want extra space outside to store logs, you could choose one with a lean-to covered space to the side so they are slightly sheltered from the weather. There are also offset-apex sheds that have a lip at the front to provide some cover for logs, so there are plenty of options.
On the other hand, if you’re going to be using the shed as a work or living space, you might want to consider a barn or workshop-style shed since they can have a substantial depth and width. It’s also worth considering choosing a model that has windows to the front as well as the sides.
Average Garden shed cost
The typical cost of Garden shed is £600. Costs vary based on the materials and the organisation selected. The upper price range can be as high as £690. The material costs are typically around £150
Average price per Garden shed job in 2024
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Avg. price | Avg. price |
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£1900
£1425
£950
£475
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Garden shed installation cost in your area 2024
Labour cost | £420 | |
Material cost | £150 | |
Waste removal | £30 |
Advantages for Garden shed
- Additional space in the garden for storage
- Wide range of colour options available
- Different types of shed available for various uses
- Keeps valuable tools and equipment safe
Disadvantages for Garden shed
- Base will rot unless placed on a suitable surface
- Will require painting or staining every few years
- Roofs are susceptible to wind damage
Garden shed Manufacturers
Garden shed FAQs
- What you need the shed for
- How much space you have
- How big you need the shed to be
- Which style of roof you want
- What material you would like
- How big your budget is
- Hand-crafted from Nordic White Spruce
- Felt roof reinforced with high-grade polyester
- Tongue and groove cladding makes it more weatherproof so ideal for items that must be kept dry
- High eaves for more head height and to store taller items
- Pent roof and fixed windows allow lots of light
- Ideal for putting up against a wall or fence
- Door can be hinged either side
- Ideal for small gardens or those with fewer tools to store
- Apex roof for water runoff
- Tongue and groove walls
- Tall floor-to-gable door
- How to build a shed base out of paving slabs
- Mix sand and cement together to make mortar or use a pre-mixed one
- Use a trowel to lay mortar for 1 slab at a time on the sub-base and lift a damp-sided slab onto the mortar, using a piece of timber and club hammer to tap the slab into position carefully. Continue to lay the first row of slabs
- Make equally-sized spacers in all the joints in the slabs to ensure they’re the same size, checking it’s level as you go along
- Next lay slabs along the two adjacent outer edges, filling in the central area row by row
- Leave the mortar to set according to the instructions or for at least 48 hours before filling in the joints with mortar or paving grout
- Building a shed base from concrete
- Create a wooden frame around your shed base area (also called formwork) to stop the concrete from spreading
- Mix pre-mixed concrete with water or use 1 part cement to 5 parts ballast
- Wet the sub-base using a watering can with a rose on the end
- Pour the concrete onto the framed base starting in one corner
- Push the blade of a shovel up and down in the edges of the concrete to get rid of air bubbles
- Use a rake to spread the concrete, leaving it around 18mm higher than the top of the frame. Work in sections of around 1-1.m2
- Compact the concrete using a straight piece of timber that’s longer than the width of the base. Move the timber along the site, hitting it along at about half of its thickness at a time until the surface is evenly ridged
- Remove excess concrete and level the surface by sliding the timber back and forwards from the edge that you started. Fill in any depressions and repeat until even
- Run an edging trowel along the frame to round off exposed edges of the concrete and prevent chipping
- Cover the concrete with a plastic sheet raised on wooden supports to allow slow drying. Weigh it down with bricks
- Once the concrete is set, you can install your shed and remove the wooden frame with a crowbar
Yes, it is possible to insulate a shed. You might want to do this if you’re planning on working in it during the winter. A professional will be able to help you find an insulated shed or advise you on how to insulate a shed that you already have. Always seek professional advise first before attempting to do this yourself!
- Plan your shed base
You must have a sturdy base for your shed, otherwise the frame won’t stand properly and could stop the door from opening. Decide whether you’re going to have:
- A concrete base laid on hardcore
- Concrete slabs on sharp sand
- Treated wood beams on hardcore or shingle
- An interlocking plastic system
- Treat wood with preservative To help your shed last as long as possible, you should coat all the wooden parts with timber preservative before you put it together.
- Put the shed floor together Some will need more assembly than others, but you need to make sure that the floor panel is attached to the joists; follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the correct spacing.
- Put up the shed walls
- Mark the centre point of each wall on its bottom edge, then do the same for the shed floor so you can line them up together.
- Stand the gable end on the base and line it up. Check that it’s vertical with a spirit level – you might need someone to support the panel while you do this. Use a temporary holding batten to keep it in place.
- Fix a side panel to the gable end panel with countersunk screws, then add the second side panel in the same way.
- Fit the roof
- If the shed comes with a support bar, put this in position before you put the roof panels in.
- Nail the roof panels in place, ensuring there’s a parallel and equal overlap at each end.
- Roll out some roofing felt from front to back, leaving a 50mm overlap at each side. Secure it with clout-headed felt tacks at 100mm intervals.
- Apply mastic sealant to the outside corners, then fix each corner trim with 30mm nails.
- Add the fascias and finials, predrilling 2mm holes to avoid splitting the wood. Nail them through the felt into the shed using 40mm nails.
- Add the shed windows
- Slide each windowsill into the tongue and groove cut out, then put the window cover strip in position, fixing it to the vertical framing.
- From inside the shed, put the glazing sheets into the window rebates, making sure the bottom edge of the glazing sheets sit on the outside of the sill.
- Fix the window beading on the top and sides with 25mm nails.
- Fix the walls to the floor Before you do anything, make sure you check that the centre marks on the walls line up with the marks on the shed floor. Then fix the wall panels to the floor with 50mm screws, aligning them with the joists. And that’s it! But if you’re not confident in building a shed yourself, there are plenty of professionals available who will be happy to help.
- Tongue and groove timber boards
- Boards for the ledges and braces, at least 20mm thick
- Nails
- Hammer
- Saws, including a circular saw
- Chisel
- Mallet
- Cut your boards to size If you can’t buy boards at the right height and width for your door, cut the boards to length using a circular saw. Don’t forget to sand and treat any cut ends with timber preservative. Lay out the boards in the best arrangement for your shed door, with the inside of the door facing up.
- Arrange the ledges and braces On most shed doors, you’ll probably need 3 boards across the back of the door to form the ledges. The ledges keep the door straight and keep the boards of the door together. The braces are the parts of the door that slope down to form a ‘Z’ shape between the ledges. Ensure that the braces are sloped up from the bottom and middle hinge to stop the door from sagging as the timber expands and contracts in the weather. Once you’re happy with the arrangement, mark the spots on the boards where they will meet and cut out of the housings using a chisel and mallet.
- Put the door together Use clamps to pull the boards together and hold the ledges and braces in place. Nail from the front of the door through the boards and ledges to fix them. Secure the ledges and braces with screws; you may want to pre-drill and countersink holes to prevent the wood from splitting. Remember to treat them with preservative if you do.
- Fix the shed door hinges Make sure you measure carefully before attaching the hinges, ensuring you know where the pin sits in relation to where the door opens.
- Treat the door and add locks and handles Apply some wood oil, like linseed or teak oil, to help prevent water damage. Then add locks or handles to your shed to help keep it secure. If you’d rather leave it to the professionals, there are plenty of specialists that will be able to make a shed door for you, or even put up an entire shed.
- Mark out the area and dig the top layer of soil, trying to get the ground as flat as possible.
- Build a timber frame to size.
- Measure out 4 rows of 3 blocks to create good weight distribution and lay in place.
- Underneath each block, dig around 50mm wider than the blocks and about 150mm deep. Fill the hole with pea gravel until it’s flat.
- Place timber planks along the rows of blocks and see how level it is. Add or remove blocks where necessary. If it’s only a small difference, use shingle underneath the timber until it’s level.
- Nail your timber shed base to the timber planks to create a sturdy base for your shed.
How to build a really SOLID shed
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