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Shed articles, sorted by topic

Sixteen guides on costs, bases, materials, storage and sizes. Not bought a shed yet? Start with bases: the ground decides how long a shed lasts.

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A weathered timber shed with a tiled roof among summer flowers and vegetables
Newest12 min read
Step-by-step gravel shed foundation

Shed costs

The price on the label is rarely the whole bill. These three cover the rest.

  • How much does a garden shed cost?Price ranges by size and material, kit or built9 min
  • The extra costs of a new shedBase, delivery, felt, treatment and a lock8 min
  • A shed on a budgetWhere saving money works, and where it costs you later10 min
A plain grey timber shed with a shingle roof in long grass

Bases and foundations

Four ways to give a shed a level, dry footing, from a weekend of gravel to a poured slab.

Timber bearers laid across a plastic grid base filled with gravel
Close view of grey angular crushed stone
  • Concrete shed base: when it is worth itLarge sheds, workshops and heavy loads9 min
  • Plastic shed base grids: any good?Grids against a timber frame, on cost and level7 min

Shed materials

Timber looks right and can be repaired; metal and plastic ask for less upkeep. What each needs, year by year.

  • Timber, metal or plastic: which lasts longerLifespan, upkeep and security side by side11 min
  • Shiplap, tongue and groove or overlapTimber cladding types and how thick to buy8 min
  • How to treat a timber shedWhich treatment, and how often6 min
An old board-clad garden shed under a bare tree in early spring

Storage ideas

A shed fills up in one summer. Walls and roof space hold more than the floor.

Spades, forks and rakes hung in a row on a wall
Old rakes and forks leaning against a grey timber wall
Worn hand tools laid in a line on a white board
A padlocked steel hasp on a weathered timber shed door
  • Storage that holds real weightFixing shelves into thin walls8 min
  • Bikes in a garden shedWall hooks, floor stands and locks7 min
  • Rails, hooks and pegboardHanging tools, compared6 min

Shed sizes

Measure what goes in, add room to walk and turn, and check the height rules before you choose.

  • What size shed do you need?From a 6x4 tool store to a 10x8 workshop7 min
  • Shed height and planning rulesWhen a shed near the fence must stay under 2.5 m6 min
  • Apex or pent roofHeadroom, rain run-off and where each fits5 min
Two small sheds of different sizes on a vegetable plot