The Shed Review Guide
A free, printable guide to judging a garden shed before you hand over any money. Take it to the showroom or keep it open next to an online listing, and you'll know what to look for, what to ask and which shed to choose.
- 24 pages, PDF, prints well in black and white on A4
- Works for timber, metal and plastic sheds
- Includes a score sheet for comparing up to three sheds
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What's inside
Six short chapters, in the order you'll need them: from measuring the garden to choosing between two shortlisted sheds.
- pages 3 to 5
Before you shop
A size and site planner: what you'll store, where the shed goes and how much space to leave around it.
- pages 6 to 9
Reading a shed listing
What cladding thickness, framing size and "tongue and groove floor" actually mean, and which specs get left out of a listing.
- pages 10 to 15
The walk-round checklist
Cladding, framing, floor, roof, door, windows and treatment, with what good and poor look like for each.
- pages 16 to 18
Choosing a base
Gravel, slab, plastic grid or timber frame: a quick chooser based on your ground and budget.
- pages 19 to 20
Questions to ask the seller
Delivery access, assembly, treatment, guarantees and what happens if a panel arrives split.
- pages 21 to 24
The score sheet
Score up to three sheds side by side, so the decision comes down to more than price.
A look at the score sheet
Each part of the shed gets a score from one to five, with notes on what earns each mark. Here's part of the sheet, filled in for a sample 8 by 6 overlap shed.
It's written for people who are handy but don't work in the trade. There's no jargon you can't look up in the guide's one-page glossary.
Get the free guideShed A: 8×6 overlap apex
- Cladding thickness and fit
- Frame size and joints
- Floor and bearers
- Roof boards and covering
- Door, hinges and lock