Articles

Everything we've written, grouped by the question it answers. Start with the topic you're stuck on.

Costs

What a shed really costs once you add the base, delivery and fixings, and whether building your own saves anything.

How much does a shed cost? Prices by size and material
Kit, base, delivery and the bits nobody quotes you for. 9 minute read.
Build or buy: when building your own shed actually saves money
Lumber prices, your time and the tools you don't own yet. 8 minute read.
A shed on a budget: twelve places to save without cutting corners
Where cheap is fine, and the three places it never is. 7 minute read.

A level, well-drained base matters more than the shed you put on it.

Step-by-step gravel shed foundationStart here
Timber frame, fabric, crushed stone and a hired compactor. Steps, materials and costs. 12 minute read.
Concrete slab, gravel or plastic grid: which shed base?
Matching the base to your ground, your shed and your budget. 10 minute read.
Building a shed on a slope with concrete blocks
How to level a frame on blocks when the garden falls away. 9 minute read.

What each material asks of you in upkeep, and how long it lasts in rain and sun.

Wood, metal or resin: which shed material lasts?
What rots, what rusts, what cracks, and how to slow each down. 11 minute read.
Shiplap, tongue-and-groove or overlap cladding explained
Why the way boards meet decides how dry the inside stays. 6 minute read.
Roofing felt, shingles or EPDM: re-roofing a shed
Costs, lifespan and which one you can lay alone. 8 minute read.

Buy the shed your things need, plus room to reach them.

What size shed do I need? Measure your stuff first
A ten-minute tape-measure exercise that saves buying twice. 7 minute read.
Do you need a permit for a shed? Size rules to check
Footprint, height and boundary distances to ask your town about. 6 minute read.

Get things off the floor and you'll fit twice as much in.

Shed shelving you can build in an afternoon
Two designs from standard lumber lengths with almost no waste. 6 minute read.
Storing a mower, bikes and tools in an 8 × 6 shed
A layout that keeps the door clear and the mower easy to roll out. 5 minute read.

A free printable checklist for judging any shed before you pay for it, with worksheets for size and base costs.