Shed. Build or Buy

[Gary_S]

I need a shed for my mowers and garden tools and furniture but it has to pass the wife test. Haven't decided dimensions but at least 10 ft. What would you do?

 

[No skills]

Cost or quality is the question you need to answer first, if you want as cheap as possible then buy one in. If you want a good job build your own.

 

[RobinBHM]

If you have a bit of time, its a good project to do and you will end up with a solid structure, much better than a ready made shed.

If you do make your own its worth making with a breathable membrane and a 25mm cavity. It will be much more airtight and the cavity increases the lifespan of the cladding a great deal.

Also ideally epdm rather than felt.

If you want budget then it is hard to compete with ready made. But as soon as you start looking at more expensive ready made sheds then it becomes possible to save quite a bit of money.

 

[doubleb]

I bought a small shed that looked good on line but was quite crap when it arrived. I am now going to make one like my log cabin.
I have Mole Valley Farmers near me and they sell "Dung Walling" 200mm x 50mm kiln dried tongue and groove boards. You would only need one skin and I intend to use shingles on the roof...bb

 

[JR147]

Like the replies above I bought what I thought was a pretty decent shed, but in reality its average at best. If I was going for a new shed now I'd definitely build my own. You can get better quality materials and make something that will meet your exact needs, that will last for years.

 

[biskit]

The fact your on this forum you should build your own.

 

[Gary_S]

Agreed, I should build my own as the quality of the ones I have seen is not high. I was thinking about time primarily but I think I will give it a go. A good project to learn on. Now I need to find some plans and a Youtube video.

 

[Wildman]

plans you need plans, hee hee

 

[AJB Temple]

Well - I could easily make a shed, but I bought one. My wife wanted a potting shed. It cost about £1,100 for a 12' by 8' heavy duty (their words not mine) "workshop", complete with shelving and workbench, proper door, fully planked timbered roof (with heavy duty felt on top), and a tanalised base beneath the floor (all on our concrete slab). This price included delivery and erection. It was a "seconds" version (which means the timber might be a bit more knotty - tghough mine was fine) I added a coat of additional preservative and beefed up a couple of areas.

It arrived a few weeks after ordering and was erected and ready to go in 4 hours.

I could have made something equivalent and saved perhaps £300 in materials, but I have so many projects on the go that my time is worth more than this. I am very pleased with it. My advice - it's a shed. Don't obsess. If money is tight, make one. If you want to spend your time on something else, just buy a decent one.

 

[whiskywill]

If you do decide to buy, have a look at these. http://www.wyreforestgardenbuildings.co.uk/index.html I saw a display in a farm shop yard near Worcester and they are the best quality I have ever seen in a shed. No idea what they cost but worth asking.

 

[scrimper]

I have built 3 sheds/workshops and I have bought 3 sheds, obviously you can build a better shed yourself and build it how you want however it will cost more than buying one ready made. there are some really good quality sheds/workshops that you can buy but the decent ones do cost a lot of cash.

I suppose it depends on ho much time you have to build one and what size you require, small sheds are easy to build but bigger ones take a lot longer and often need extra help in erection etc.