Articles
Every article answers one question you'd ask before or during a shed project. Pick a topic, or go straight to the one you searched for.
This preview includes one full article, Step-by-step gravel shed foundation. The other entries are sample listings showing how each topic is organised.
Costs
In shortThe shed is rarely more than two-thirds of the bill. Budget for the base, delivery, treatment and fixings from the start.
- Explainer
How much does a shed really cost?
The price on the label, plus the base, delivery, treatment and the bits nobody mentions.
- Worked example
Build or buy: a worked comparison for an 8×6
Timber, sheet materials and hardware priced against a flat-pack shed of the same size.
- Explainer
Where a cheap shed saves money, and where it shouldn't
Thin cladding is fixable. A soft floor and a short-lived roof usually aren't.
Bases and foundations
In shortGravel for most timber sheds, slabs for bigger ones, concrete for workshops and cabins. Whatever you pick, it must be level and drain.
- Step by step
Step-by-step gravel shed foundation
Frame, membrane, gravel, bearers. Quantities worked out for your shed size.
- Step by step
Paving slab shed base on a sub-base
Stronger than gravel and still a one-weekend job. Good for sheds up to 10×12 ft.
- Explainer
Do you need a concrete shed base?
When concrete earns its cost and effort, and when it's overkill.
- Comparison
Plastic grid bases and ground screws
The quick options: how they compare on cost, slopes and soft ground.
Materials
In shortPressure-treated timber with tongue and groove cladding lasts longest for the money. Metal and plastic win on upkeep, not on looks or fixing shelves.
- Explainer
Shiplap, overlap or tongue and groove?
What the cladding names mean, and which one keeps the rain out longest.
- Comparison
Dip-treated vs pressure-treated timber
Why the cheaper one needs treating every year, and how to tell them apart in the listing.
- Comparison
Wood, metal or plastic: an honest comparison
Condensation, security, upkeep and what you can screw to the walls.
Sizes
In shortMeasure what you'll store, add a walkway, then go one size up if the garden allows. Nobody ever says their shed is too big.
- Explainer
6×4, 8×6 or 10×8: a size you won't outgrow
Measure what you'll store, add walking room, then check the garden can take it.
- Comparison
Apex or pent roof: does the height matter?
Headroom, shelf space and what the neighbours see over the fence.
- Ideas
Fitting a shed into a small garden
Corner sheds, tall narrow stores and leaving access to maintain the walls.
Storage ideas
In shortGet things off the floor. Walls and the space above the door hold more than you'd expect.
- Step by step
Shed shelving you can build from offcuts
Simple brackets and battens that use the timber left over from the build.
- Ideas
Hanging tools: rails, hooks and pegboard
Getting spades, rakes and the mower handle off the floor and out of the way.
- Explainer
Keeping a shed dry inside
Ventilation, condensation and what not to keep in there over winter.
Not sure which shed to buy?
The free Shed Review Guide shows you what to look for in a listing and what to check on delivery day, so a cheap shed doesn't turn out expensive.
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