How to choose a garden shed

Sheds are sold on price and photographed from their best angle. The differences that decide whether yours is still square and dry in ten years are in the specification — here's how to read one.

Cladding: where the money goes

Overlap (sawn boards nailed overlapping) is the budget option — fine for bikes and lawnmowers, draughty and flexy by design. Shiplap and tongue & groove boards interlock, which sheds rain properly and stiffens the whole structure. If the contents matter, interlocking cladding is the single most worthwhile upgrade.

Board thickness matters as much as style: 8mm overlap and 12mm shiplap are typical; anything thinner is a greenhouse in denial.

Treatment: dip vs pressure

Dip-treated sheds (most budget models) need re-treating every year or two to keep their guarantee valid — budget £20–30 and an afternoon annually. Pressure-treated timber has preservative forced into the grain and typically carries a 10–15 year anti-rot guarantee with no maintenance. Over a shed's life, pressure treatment usually costs less than the repeated tins of treatment it replaces.

The base is not optional

Every shed needs a level, load-bearing base slightly smaller than its footprint — slabs, concrete, or a plastic grid base kit on compacted ground. A shed on bare earth rots from the floor up regardless of any guarantee, and most guarantees are void without a proper base. Factor the base into the real price:

The size trap

Quoted sizes are external and generous; doors, framing and eaves eat into them. Check the internal dimensions and the eaves height if you'll stand workbenches or shelving against the walls — a "7x5" can hold less than an honest 6x4.

Compare before you buy

The same manufacturer's shed frequently appears at multiple retailers at genuinely different prices — that's exactly what we track: