Shed articles by topic
Five topics: costs, bases and foundations, materials, sizes and storage. The gravel base guide is up now; the other fifteen are being written, in the order readers ask for them.
Shed costs
What a shed costs once the base, delivery and the extras are in.
- How much does a shed cost?
An 8x6 ft shed in timber, metal and plastic, and what moves the price.
Coming soon - The extra costs of a new shed
Base, delivery, felt, preserver and a lock: rarely in the advertised price.
Coming soon - Build or buy: which costs less?
Materials against a kit, with the hours a self-build takes.
Coming soon
Shed bases and foundations
A shed lasts as long as the base under it. Start here if the ground is not yet ready.
- Step-by-step gravel shed foundation
A level, free-draining base for an 8x6 ft shed in a weekend.
Read now, 9 min - Which shed base suits your garden?
Gravel, slabs, concrete or a grid, matched to soil, slope and size.
Coming soon - Laying a paving slab shed base
A weekend job with a string line, sharp sand and a rubber mallet.
Coming soon - Plastic grid shed bases
Quick to lay and light to carry, but only as good as the ground.
Coming soon
Shed materials
Timber, metal or plastic: what each costs you in upkeep over the years.
Overlap or tongue-and-groove sheds
Why cheaper cladding lets in draughts, and when it is good enough. Coming soon.
Pressure-treated or dip-treated timber
Why the cheaper treatment wants a coat of preserver every year. Coming soon.
Metal and plastic sheds compared
No painting, but condensation and weaker shelving to plan for. Coming soon.
Shed sizes and storage ideas
Measure what you will keep in it, then make every wall work.
Sizes
- How to choose a shed size
Lay it all out on the lawn, measure, then add room for the door.
Coming soon - Shed height and door width
Headroom to stand up in, and a door the mower fits through.
Coming soon - Sheds and planning rules
Height limits near a boundary, and when to ask the council.
Coming soon
Storage ideas
- Shelves and hooks for a small shed
A rail of hooks holds more than another shelf.
Coming soon - Storing bikes in a garden shed
The floor two bikes need, and a lock worth fitting.
Coming soon - Keeping a shed dry inside
Vents, a raised floor and why a sheet over tools rusts them.
Coming soon
