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The independent shed guide

Get your shed right the first time.

Straight answers on building or buying a garden shed: what to put under it, which materials last, what size you need and what it really costs. Written for weekend DIYers, not the trade.

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The Shed Review Guide: a free PDF checklist. No spam, unsubscribe any time.

A new pressure-treated timber apex shed with a ledged and braced door, standing on a slab base in a back garden
1Apex roofMineral felt over 12 mm OSB. Plan to re-felt every 10 to 15 years.
2Shiplap claddingSheds water far better than cheaper overlap boards.
3Braced doorThe diagonal braces should rise away from the hinges.
4The baseSlabs here. Gravel is cheaper and drains better.
What to look at before you buy: four details on a typical 6 × 4 ft apex shed.Build the base →
Popular questions Gravel shed base How much does a shed cost? Wood, metal or plastic? What size shed do I need? Build or buy?
Start with your question

Five things every
shed plan comes down to

Most shed regrets trace back to one of these: the wrong base, the wrong size, or cheap timber that gave up after three winters.

01

Costs

Real budgets for kits, self-builds and everything you forget to price in.

 02

Bases & foundations

Gravel, slabs, concrete or plastic grids: what suits your ground.

 03

Materials

Timber, metal or plastic, and the details that decide how long it lasts.

 04

Sizes

How to measure what you own, and why most people go one size up.

 05

Storage ideas

Walls, rafters and doors: fit twice as much in without the chaos.
Three stages of a self-built gambrel shed: bare timber frame, sheathed walls, then painted red with a door
Quick answer

Build or buy? Our honest rule of thumb

Buy a kit if a standard size fits your plot and you want it up in a weekend. Put the money you save on time into a proper base and a better roof covering.

Build your own if your space is an awkward shape or you want heavier framing than kits offer at the price. Expect to spend roughly what a mid-range kit costs on materials: the payoff is a sturdier shed, not a cheaper one.

Read the build-or-buy articles →
Latest from the shed

New this month

All articles →
Close-up of grey angular crushed stone gravel
Bases12 min read

Step-by-step gravel shed foundation

The cheapest base that actually lasts: a treated timber frame, weed membrane and compacted stone. One weekend, two people.

Read the guide →
A grey corrugated metal shed next to a brick wall with a ladder leaning against it
Materials9 min read

Wood, metal or plastic: which shed lasts?

Each one fails in a different way. What to check on each before you hand over your money.

Coming soon
A large timber garden shed with two windows and double doors, in snow
Sizes7 min read

What size shed do you actually need?

A ten-minute measuring job that stops you buying a shed you outgrow by next summer.

Coming soon
Free download

The Shed Review Guide: check a shed before you buy it

  • A printable checklist to take to the garden centre
  • Base, size and material decisions on one page each
  • A budget planner with the costs people forget

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