Making the Most of a Cheap Wooden Shed?

[BearTricks]

I'm moving at the weekend to finally get away from this old, leaky money sink. I'm after a new shed for the new place, but I'd like to keep the cost at a minimum so I think I'll probably end up getting the cheapest 8x10 that I can.

My first question is about the difference in bargain sheds. The difference in price between overlap, pressure treated 10x8 apex sheds can be in the £100s online, but most of them seem to be almost identical. Wickes have one (terribly reviewed) example at £500, whereas on another site like Waltons they have the same at £389. Are they actually just the same shed under the seller's own brand ordered from some wholesaler somewhere? If so am I best just picking the cheapest and getting that or could there be different grades of the same shed coming from the supplier depending on how good the timber is, whether it's warped etc? For example, could one of the online sellers be buying up all the knackered ones and selling them slightly cheaper?

Second, I'd like a wooden shed for aesthetic value, but metal ones seem to be cheaper. Am I right in thinking I'd be screwed for putting up shelves, insulating etc a metal one? I also feel like if my lathe started to vibrate across the floor of a metal one while I'm balancing a blank, the neighbours would have something to say.

Third, how difficult is it to build a wooden shed from scratch? Would the components just end up adding up to the cost of a pre-made one anyway, and is there the potential for it to go horribly wrong for an ***** like me?

Finally, I'd like to just get something cheap, put some membrane up, insulate it with some leftover insulation that I already have and reinforce the floor with some leftover timber. Then I'll whack up some OSB walls. A friend's dad works at a roofing felt factory and apparently has a load of felt just lying round so could probably replace the cheap stuff that comes with the shed with some better examples. Is it worth doing this on a bargain shed or would I just be wasting my time? I'll probably cuprinol it too.

Any help would be great.

 

[Stanleymonkey]

Most of the low to mid range B&Q, Wickes stuff that I have seen is appalling quality. Then it seems to jump to log cabins and chalets priced in the thousands.

I've never used B&Q or Wickes for sheds. I can recommend Shedstore, they are a good company and have 35% offon some lines at the moment (not unusual - got one shed at half price)


http://www.shedstore.co.uk/shed-sale/

Hope this helps

Martin

 

[Paul200]

Most of the low to mid range B&Q, Wickes stuff that I have seen is appalling quality. Then it seems to jump to log cabins and chalets priced in the thousands.

I've never used B&Q or Wickes for sheds. I can recommend Shedstore, they are a good company and have 35% offon some lines at the moment (not unusual - got one shed at half price)


http://www.shedstore.co.uk/shed-sale/

Hope this helps

Martin

I'll second that. We downsized and needed a shed urgently for storage. Our B&Q shed has got to be the biggest rip off ever. You can actually see through the cladding in places :shock: Please don't go there!

 

[transatlantic]

I'd invest the time to go to one of the show rooms of your local shed place. This really is something you absolutely need to see before you buy.

Assuming your new property is somewhat permanent, you should think strongly about just paying the higer price for the log type cabins, it's far better in the long run. The cheaper crap you see is false economy, and you'll be replacing it in a few years when it starts falling apart (it's going to get a lot more use than your average garden shed).

If you want something that will last, then I think you're going to at least need to be looking at the £1000 mark

https://www.quick-garden.co.uk/log-cabi ... -34mm.html

Some other things to consider :

- Do you want to attach stuff to walls/framing? .. the cheaper stuff is unlikely to do that well
- What kind of abuse is the flooring going to have to take? You generally get osb with the cheaper stuff that just falls apart

In summary, it's the same with anything else. Buy cheap, buy twice. But if you don't have the funds, then of cource you have no option. Do what you need to get back in the shop!!

 

[Adam9453]

buy the materials, build it, show us

Seriously, buying decent materials will add up to several hundred pounds but the shed will last donkeys years providing you keep the roof in good nick. Avoid OSB and chipboard as they'll fall apart. Get decent treated timber for the studwork and roofing timber, then plywood for the roof (assuming you are felting it) and floor. If you insulate the walls, then board them with ply so you can put shelves etc wherever you like.
Its a workshop you're building after all, not just a shed. Consider how you are getting electric into it before laying base etc.

If you just want something to put the lawnmower in then buy a cheap shed but be aware you'll need to replace it in 3-5 years depending on how well you look after it. However maintaining a cheap shed with expensive materials is also a false economy in my book.

Buy once, buy right, negotiate hard.

 

[BearTricks]

Is there much difference in difficulty between buying a shed from a website and buying the materials to build to my own specifications? How much of a pre-built is actually done for you?

 

[Harbo]

I had a 8'x6' Walton type Shed for about 20yrs which survived until last year when the roof started to sag.
The frames are not that substantial and the Shiplap cladding not very thick but it was good enough for a storage shed.
Shed's generally come as completed sections that you nail or screw together and are very easy to erect.

Last year I completely rebuilt it to fit into a corner of existing brickwork so effectively two sides and a new roof.
I followed the guidelines in Mike's Shed Build and used 100x50 CLS framework, 11mm OSB internal cladding, 100mm Rockwool insulation, breather membrane, air gap then reused the old shed's Shiplap for the outer cladding.
For the roof I used 11mm OSB, 100mm insulation and 18mmOSB covered with EPMD.
The new shed is 3.6m X 2.6m and cost about £900 in materials but much more structurally substantial than my old one and worthy of becoming a workshop.

Bear in mind also that sheds have to comply with your local planning guidelines which will tell you if your proposal will need permissions or not.

Rod

Ps if you stray across to the Woodhaven2 forum you'll see lots of shed builds WIP's on there.

 

[heimlaga]

Putting up a wooden workshop is totally within the capabilities of any woodworker skilled enough to need it.

I know very little about prizes in your country but generally ready made sheds sell for less than the timber value. Because there is hardly any timber in them. Everything is pressed to an absolyte minimum that will hardly stay together for more than a few years.

If you don't have some strange tropical woodworms down there in Wigan there is no need to use any pressure treated timber at all. An ordinary softwood 2x4" frame nailed with galvanized nails standing on a reasonably good foundation will last 100-150 years anyway. The siding may need replacement every 70 years but by then you will likely be dead or at least hospitalized.
However the build will likely cost a couple of thousand pounds in materials alone.

 

[Danger_MouseUK]

The worst mistake you can make is the one I made, by getting a shed with an apex roof. I can only stand up in the centre. When I got my shed, I was sulking. My wife issued movements orders from the spare room because we were planning a baby so she bought me a shed as a consolation prize. I wish I had taken an interest instead of sulking, but I wasn't into woodworking at the time and never thought I'd spend as much time in there as I do.

The second consideration is space. I have a 8ft by 12ft shed, and I'm running out of it. My wife bought ours from an online retailer for about £300 delivered. It came pre-treated and in panels ready to assemble. It included the roof and felt as well. Most shed designs are modular so moving doors and things around isn't too much hard work, but consideration should be given to access. The modularity also makes adding your own upgrades easyish

When we got our shed it was very easy to set up. When it arrived I was still sulking but after it was up I had already decided to make the best of it. the first thing I did was build a frame of 2x4 under the already built shed and fit that with polystyrene type insulation boards. I used rolls of bubblewrap type insulation from B&Q for the walls and roof insulation. They have the inside laminated with what looks like tinfoil. I sealed any gaps with foil tape. It was comparatively cheap and works very well. In winter it warms up quickly and after 15 minutes I can work comfortably in just a light sweater. If i'm doing any thing active then just a t-shirt. I have good ventilation so I don't suffer any problems with condensation. The walls were then lined with hardboard type stuff.

A side note with the bubble-foil insulation is that it also insulates against radio signals. I found that to get a decent wireless signal, i had to cut out a section behind where I put my laptop. My phone signal drops too and I imagine a wireless would suffer as well.

The biggest thing I would recommend is planning, load up sketchup and draw out the shed dimensions your looking at. Then add in all the equipment, storage and benches etc your placing to have in there. When you've worked that out, pick the next three tools or add ons your thinking about or have your eye on and plan where you'd put them. This will give you an idea of how future proof your shed is. If your not good with computers, draw it up on some graph paper then draw out your fixings and play with moving them around. There is no such thing as time wasted on planning.

 

[transatlantic]

The worst mistake you can make is the one I made, by getting a shed with an apex roof.

An Aprex roof doesn't mean it has low eaves height. It is quite easy to find them with at least 6ft high.

e.g http://www.tigersheds.com/product/tiger ... -cladding/

However, it is another reason to go try these kinds of things out before you buy them, especially if you're tall.

 

[novocaine]

I've bought 4 shed in the past 10 years all from Waltons. 2 value range (1 is sat in the garden ready to be erected, just freshly delivered today). one was a one up from bottom 6x4, one an 8x12. all were ok in build quality, a few extra screws and nails here and there and the use of framing adhesive between joints. the 6x4 was at the last place and was used for all my workshop requirements as well as having a motorcycle and 3 bikes pushed in and out on daily basis (and a narrow workbench down 1 side), the OSB floor lasted well although I did add extra battens. a coat of gloss paint on the roof both sides before fitting was a worthwhile addition too. the low apex didn't matter, I could stand in the middle and work in the lower part.

the 8x12 is at my folks place and hasn't been well treating in the past 5 years, but is still standing and looking ok considering.

so in short (because that wasn't), I'd happily recommend waltons (who I'm fairly sure is one of the big makers that others sell).

as your in Wigan, go check out Haydock sheds just of the M6 by the race course too. you might get a good deal.

 

[MusicMan]

I had very good service from Norfolk Sheds when putting up a shed for my machines (circular saw and lathe mainly. I just had a 12 x 6 space, which is not standard, but they customised one to fit the space and the cost was just proportional to size. I wanted it without floor so that the heavy machines could go straight on a concrete floor covered with 3 mm fibreboard and 18 mm chipboard. They also do log cabin options, and increased height options, both of which I took, ending up at just under £1000. I have a walnut tree behind the shed, and the roof is strong enough to stand on to harvest the walnuts (for pickling, yum!). http://www.norfolksheds.co.uk. Strong recommendation.

Keith