A timber garden cabin in evening sun at the edge of a planted garden

Garden shed guides for beginners

Build or buy, materials, sizes, bases and costs: 16 guides for homeowners planning their first shed.

Five shed topics

Most first-time buyers ask the same five things, roughly in this order.

  • CostsPrice ranges, hidden extras, where to save3 articles
  • Bases and foundationsGravel, slabs, concrete and plastic grids4 articles
  • MaterialsTimber, metal and plastic, and their upkeep3 articles
  • SizesFrom a 6x4 ft tool store to a 10x8 workshop3 articles
  • Storage ideasWalls, hooks and shelves that carry the weight3 articles
Two red-stained timber sheds behind a clipped hedge

Where to start

Most shed trouble starts at ground level: a base that is out of level, a floor sitting on wet soil, doors that stick by the second winter. That is why our guides begin with the base, and only then the shed.

Read the gravel base guide

New shed guides

New guides go up every month. Each one ends with what to buy and what to skip.

  • How much does a garden shed cost?Costs9 min
  • Timber, metal or plastic: which lasts longerMaterials11 min
  • What size shed do you need?Sizes7 min
  • Paving slab shed base, step by stepBases and foundations10 min
A hand letting grey gravel run through its fingers

Step-by-step gravel shed foundation

12 min

A timber frame, a weed membrane and a tonne of compacted gravel. Seven steps, a materials list and an example budget for an 8x6 ft shed.

How we pick products

Some links on Shed World pay us a small commission. These three rules decide what we recommend.

A padlocked steel hasp on a weathered timber shed door

Names who should skip a product

Every pick names the shed, garden or budget it suits, and the one it does not.

Old rakes and forks leaning against a grey timber wall

Labels example picks

Product picks in our articles are marked as example picks, never dressed up as test results.

Worn garden tools laid in a line on a white board

Lists the cheaper tool first

Where a £10 tool does the job, we say so before naming the £60 one.

The Shed Review Guide, free

Six short chapters and a budget sheet to check any shed before you pay for it.

One email a month after that. Unsubscribe from any of them in one click. See what is inside

A dark timber shed with a small porch, hanging baskets and pots on the steps