When choosing a garden shed, summer house, workshop or log cabin you need to ensure you think of what you want to use the building for. Depending on this will lead you to the best model to suit your needs. You can start from the most basic garden shed for just a few garden tools and the lawnmower or can move up to a ‘full blown’ garden workshop. Whilst the smaller shed is adequate for a small garden it’s always worth buying one just a little larger if possible. If you can you won’t regret it.

The straight forward simple basic garden sheds will have a standard single door and maybe have windows to let a little light in. On the larger garden buildings, you will find options for double doors, wider doors or even stable doors. The number of windows on the larger buildings will vary as well. You will often find that there will be at least one opening window.

The smaller garden sheds are usually designed to accommodate the garden tools required for minimal maintenance of the garden. This will keep these items safe and dry from the elements. However, these often end up holding general bit and pieces and can become a bit of a dumping ground. The same thing can apply to the larger sheds as well. If you need to store bikes, garden furniture as well as lawnmower etc then a large shed is a must.

The style of the roof is one of personal preference as both the apex (gable or pointed roof) and pent (flat or mono pitched) will serve their purpose well and that is to shed (pun intended) water off the roof. The apex does tend to be more popular as it resembles a house whereas the pent can look a little box like. Having said that you do end up with more usable space in the pent as the space above the window can accommodate a shelf. You can see examples of garden sheds at this display site which will help you make up your mind.

The garden sheds should ideally come treated with a spirit based preservative or, for the very best life, with a tanalised (pressure treated) treatment. This will ensure your new garden shed has the best start to its life. With the tanalised option you don’t need to treat the building against rotting for over 15 years, however, it can be prudent to coat any side of the building which faces into the weather with a water repellent treatment which is available from most DIY stores.

With the spirit based treatment, you should re-treat your shed before the first winter and then every 2-3 years depending on whether it is required. A water-based treated shed should, ideally, be treated again within 4 weeks and then every 2-3 years. More often if it appears to need it.

The type of timber to be used, ideally, should be redwood deal as this is far better than the general white wood used by most shed companies. This is a little more expensive but it more resistant to rotting. The knots in the wood tend to be quite stable whereas the knots in white wood are very small but can become loose and drop out quite easily. OK for spying on your neighbours.

The other main thing to avoid is chipboard and OSB (oriental strand board) as these are not suitable for locations where they will get wet. You will often find these described as ‘solid sheet’ materials as the shed makers will use chipboard and OSB board don’t want you to know that is what you will get. Why do they use chipboard and OSB boards? to save money as these items are cheap. You want a cheap shed then that is what you will get so Buyer Beware!!

Written By Robin - Expert in Garden Buildings For 42 Years.
Hi, I'm Robin Antill, founder of 1st Choice Leisure Buildings, and I use my expertise gained over 42 years in the garden buildings industry to understand that each customer is different. With my manufacturing, retailing and customer service experience my articles help people choose their ideal shed, garden workshop, summerhouse, log cabin or garden office needs to suit their requirement and that is key to satisfaction. And what do I do when I'm not writing? You may find me following Grimsby Town Football Club or riding roller coasters - so plenty of 'ups and downs' in my life.