Lidget Lean-To Pent Concrete Garage

The Lidget Lean-To Pent is one I recommend when the best place for your garage is directly alongside your house or another existing wall. Rather than trying to squeeze a standard freestanding building into the space, the Lean-To is made to suit the individual site.

I’m Robin Antill, founder of 1st Choice Leisure Buildings, and I have worked with garden buildings and garages since starting my first business in 1979.

British-made by Lidget Compton, it combines reinforced concrete construction with a practical single-slope roof and can be configured with different doors, windows, wall finishes and other options.

For me, its biggest advantage is simple: it can turn otherwise awkward space beside a property into a useful garage, workshop or storage building.

Lidget Compton Concrete Buildings

When I Would Recommend a Lean-To Garage

There are plenty of properties where a conventional freestanding garage isn’t the most sensible answer. You may have valuable space running alongside the house but not enough room to position a separate building comfortably. That is where I think the Lidget Lean-To Pent really earns its place in the range.

Instead of starting with a standard garage and trying to make the site accommodate it, I would start with the available space and work out what configuration makes the best use of it. That is a much more sensible approach when every foot of width matters.

Designed Around the Space You Have

The published specification offers external widths from 8ft 6in to 20ft 6in and lengths from 14ft 3in to 28ft 3in, with internal dimensions normally around 6in less than the quoted external size.

What matters more than simply choosing the largest building that fits is deciding how you will use the space. Vehicle parking may be the priority, but you might also want room for bicycles, tools, shelving, garden machinery or a workbench. Working that out first makes choosing the final dimensions much easier.

A Practical Single-Slope Roof

The Pent or mono-pitch arrangement uses a roof that slopes in one direction rather than meeting at a central ridge. The Pent specification uses a fully galvanised steel roof with an anti-condensation barrier, with timber fascias and vergeboards completing the roof edges.

I particularly like the simplicity of this type of roof on a Lean-To because the roof arrangement can be considered alongside the existing property and the available space rather than adding the height and shape of a conventional Apex roof.

Plan Where the Rainwater Will Go

Because this building is intended to sit alongside another structure, I would think about rainwater before finalising the order. Guttering and downpipes are available as options, and their position should work with your existing drains, paths and surrounding ground.

It is much easier to decide how water will be managed while planning the garage than to discover after installation that a downpipe or roof discharge is inconveniently positioned.

Reinforced Interlocking Concrete Panels

The walls use reinforced interlocking concrete panels to provide a strong and substantial structure. You can choose the standard spar finish or optional brick, stone or textured finishes, giving you scope to select an exterior that works with the adjoining property.

Because a Lean-To can sit prominently alongside your home, I think the wall finish deserves more consideration than it sometimes receives. You don’t necessarily need to imitate the house exactly, but the two buildings should look comfortable together.

Doors Can Be Chosen Around How You Use It

The standard specification includes a quality Hörmann horizontal-ribbed up-and-over garage door which is fully framed, fully retractable and finished in white powder coating. Alternative coloured, side-hung and electrically operated main doors are also available.

Personal access doors can be specified in timber, galvanised steel or PVCu. On a Lean-To I think a separate pedestrian entrance can be particularly useful because it lets you get to tools, bicycles or stored items without opening the main vehicle door every time.

A Window Is Included as Standard

A fixed garage window is included, with optional PVCu fixed or opening windows available if you need additional light or ventilation. If you intend to use part of the building as a workshop, natural light is something I would think about from the beginning rather than treating it as an afterthought.

Plan the internal layout at the same time. Workbenches, shelving, bicycles and storage cupboards all compete for wall space, so decide where doors and windows will be most useful before the garage is manufactured.

You Can Divide the Interior

A partition can be specified if you want to separate part of the building from the main garage. This can work well where you want vehicle parking at one end and a dedicated workshop or storage area at the other.

There are also options for extra length, additional windows, pedestrian doors and drive-through arrangements. This flexibility is one of the reasons I would discuss what you actually want to achieve rather than simply ordering from the basic dimensions.

Measure the Whole Site, Not Just the Ground

Accurate measurements are especially important when positioning a garage alongside an existing building. Don’t just measure the clear space at ground level. Look for window sills, soil pipes, drains, vents, boiler flues, roof projections and anything else that reduces the usable space higher up.

Access also matters. The concrete sections and other components need to be carried from the delivery vehicle to the garage position, and delivery cannot be made through your house. Establishing that there is suitable access before ordering can save a great deal of difficulty later.

Don’t Compromise on the Concrete Base

However carefully the garage itself is manufactured, it needs the correct foundation underneath it. The concrete base must be prepared to the required dimensions and needs to be flat, square and level before the fitting team arrives.

I have always regarded the base as part of the building rather than a separate job to get out of the way. If you need assistance with this stage, our base and additional building services explain the help available.

Professional Fitting Is Included

Full assembly and fitting are included at no additional charge, subject to the applicable delivery conditions, a correctly prepared concrete base and suitable access to the installation position.

For me, professional erection is especially reassuring with a Lean-To because the building has to work properly with the space alongside your existing property. Getting the site, dimensions and specification right before manufacture is therefore just as important as the installation itself.

Lean-To Pent or a Freestanding Pent?

If you have plenty of space around the proposed building, I would compare the Lean-To with a conventional freestanding Pent before deciding. A freestanding garage gives you access around all sides and may be the simpler solution when the site allows it.

The Lean-To comes into its own when the available space alongside the property is the deciding factor. I wouldn’t claim it is automatically better than a freestanding garage; its advantage is that it can solve a site problem that a standard building may not solve nearly as neatly.

10-Year Transferable Structural Guarantee

The Lidget Lean-To comes with a 10-year structural guarantee which is transferable if you move home, subject to the manufacturer’s terms. For a substantial building intended to remain in place for many years, I think proper manufacturer backing should always form part of your buying decision.

Planning and Building Regulations

Whether approval is required will depend on factors such as the garage size, position, relationship with boundaries and buildings, and how you intend to use it. A Lean-To sitting alongside your house is not something I would make assumptions about simply because another garage did not require permission.

I recommend checking the current requirements for your particular property with your local planning authority before ordering, particularly where the building will be close to a boundary or attached to or positioned immediately alongside your home.

Why You Can Rely on My Experience

I’m Robin Antill, founder of 1st Choice Leisure Buildings, and I have worked with garden buildings since starting Marina Sheds in 1979. Over the years I have been involved with sheds, summerhouses, garages, garden rooms and log cabins, both as a manufacturer and retailer.

My son Craig joined me in 1992 after studying carpentry at Guildford College and today runs the day-to-day business, with me supporting him and the team as required. Over those years I have learned that awkward sites often need more thought than standard ones, and this is exactly where a flexible building can come into its own. You can read more about Robin Antill and the history of 1st Choice Leisure Buildings.

A Site Survey Can Be Particularly Useful

This is one of the Lidget models where I think taking advantage of the available site survey can be worthwhile. If dimensions, access or the relationship between the proposed garage and your house are uncertain, resolving those points before manufacture is much better than trying to correct them afterwards.

You can also visit our Surrey garden building display site near Guildford and Woking to inspect representative Lidget construction, doors, panels and finishes and discuss what you are trying to achieve.

Is a Lean-To Pent Right for Your Property?

I would shortlist this design when you have usable space alongside a house or other existing structure and a conventional freestanding garage doesn’t make the best use of it. Its strength is the ability to plan the building around the site rather than forcing the site to accommodate a standard layout.

If you have unrestricted space, I would still compare it with a normal Pent. But where width, positioning or the relationship with the house makes a standard garage awkward, this is exactly the type of situation where I think the Lean-To deserves serious consideration.

What Is a Lidget Lean-To Pent Garage?

It is a reinforced concrete garage designed to make practical use of space alongside a house or another existing structure. The Pent configuration uses a roof that slopes in one direction rather than the two roof slopes found on an Apex garage.

What Sizes Are Available?

The published specification lists external widths from 8ft 6in to 20ft 6in and lengths from 14ft 3in to 28ft 3in. Internal dimensions are normally approximately 6in less than the quoted external garage dimensions.

Can I Add a Personal Door and Extra Windows?

Yes. Personal access doors are available in timber, galvanised steel and PVCu, while additional fixed or opening PVCu windows can also be specified. I recommend deciding their positions around your intended internal layout.

Does the Pent Roof Have Anti-Condensation Protection?

Yes. The Pent specification uses a fully galvanised steel roof complete with an anti-condensation barrier designed to reduce condensation dripping from the underside of the roof.

Are Gutters Included?

Guttering and downpipes are optional on this model rather than standard equipment. With a Lean-To installation I would consider adding them where appropriate so rainwater can be directed to a suitable drainage point.

Is Professional Fitting Included?

Yes. Full assembly and fitting are included at no additional charge, subject to the applicable delivery conditions, suitable access and a correctly prepared flat, square and level concrete base.

A Final Word From Robin

For me, the Lidget Lean-To Pent is less about choosing a particular style and more about solving a practical problem. If you have valuable space alongside your house but a normal freestanding garage doesn’t make good use of it, the flexibility of a Lean-To allows us to approach the site differently. Measure carefully, think about access, drainage, doors, windows and how you will use the interior, and you can turn an awkward part of your property into genuinely useful space. If you would like help deciding what may work on your site, please get in touch and we can talk through your requirements.