20×8 Sheds – Large Storage With Practical Working Space
A 20×8 shed gives you around 160 square feet of nominal floor space, making it a substantial choice for garden machinery, bicycles, tools, shelving and larger equipment. A 20ft x 8ft shed also gives you enough width for a workbench while retaining useful access through the building, so this size can work well when storage and DIY or hobby space need to share the same building.
This page is part of our wider garden sheds range but concentrates specifically on this larger footprint. Genuine 20×8 choices shown here include Diamond Chichester, Woodgate, and Barnham buildings, along with Platinum Fareham, Winchester, Portsmouth, and Southampton models, giving you a useful choice of specifications and layouts.
What Is a 20×8 Shed Best Used For?
A 20×8 shed is particularly useful when you need a lot of length without moving to a 10ft, 12ft or wider building. Lawn mowers, bicycles, garden furniture, and larger tools can be positioned along the walls, leaving room for shelving, benches, and a clear route through the centre.
I always recommend planning the interior before ordering. Measure your largest equipment, decide where benches and shelves will go, and think about how easily bulky items will pass through the doors. With a 20ft-long building, also consider whether access from the long elevation would be more convenient than entering from one end.
Which 20×8 Shed Should I Choose?
If you want a flexible traditional timber building, the Diamond Chichester Apex is a good place to start. Its stated range extends from 4×4 to 24×12, and it offers free fitting, colour finishes, configurable doors and windows and bespoke options. The Chichester Pent provides a single-slope alternative, while the Woodgate Reverse Apex is useful if access from the longer side works better in your garden.
The Diamond Barnham Apex and Barnham Pent are further genuine 20×8 options. Their stated size range extends to 28×12, and the larger buildings offer wide double-door access, which can be particularly useful for machinery, bicycles and bulky equipment.
The Platinum Fareham Apex, Fareham Pent and Fareham Reverse Apex all support 20×8 and offer pressure-treated construction, free assembly, colour finishes and full-insulation options. The Portsmouth Apex provides another genuine choice with its own specification and insulation options.
The Platinum Winchester Apex, Winchester Pent and Winchester Transverse models extend from 8×6 up to 28×16, so 20×8 sits comfortably within their stated range. Southampton Apex, Pent, and Transverse buildings are also available in 20×8. With this much choice, I would compare individual specifications rather than simply choosing by range name.
Apex, Pent, Reverse Apex or Transverse?
An apex roof gives you the traditional central ridge, while a pent roof slopes in one direction. Reverse apex and transverse designs change the orientation of the main elevation and entrance. On a 20ft x 8ft shed, that can make a significant difference because entering from the 20ft side may give you much easier access to different parts of the building.
I would decide where the shed will stand and how you naturally approach it before choosing the layout. Door position can seem like a small detail when ordering, but on a building this long, it can affect how conveniently you use it every day.
Is a 20ft x 8ft Shed Big Enough for a Workshop?
For many home DIY and hobby uses, yes. A 20ft x 8ft shed gives you plenty of length for a substantial workbench, tools and organised storage while retaining useful working space. The 8ft width also gives you more room behind a bench than a narrower 6ft-wide building.
If you expect to spend regular periods inside, compare the Fareham, Winchester, Portsmouth and Southampton models and the insulation options available on the relevant buildings. If the shed will mainly store machinery and garden equipment, practical access, floor space, and door position may matter more than insulation.
Can You Get an Insulated 20×8 Shed?
Yes. Full-insulation options are available on selected Platinum products shown on this page, including Fareham, Winchester, Portsmouth and Southampton models. Insulation can be worthwhile if you intend to spend longer periods inside for DIY or hobbies.
I would not automatically add insulation simply because it is available. A 20×8 shed used for bicycles, lawnmowers and gardening equipment has different requirements from a building where somebody intends to work for several hours at a time. Choose the specification that matches how you’ll genuinely use the building.
Are These 20×8 Sheds Fitted for You?
Professional fitting or assembly is included with the relevant Diamond and Platinum timber buildings shown on this page, subject to the manufacturer’s delivery area, suitable site access and having a correctly prepared base ready before installation.
You will still need a firm and level foundation. Garden-building dimensions are nominal, so always prepare the base using the precise measurements supplied for your chosen model rather than relying solely on the description 20×8 shed.
What Should You Check Before Buying a 20×8 Shed?
After many years in this business, I would never recommend choosing a shed simply from its photograph, headline size and price. Look at the framing, cladding, floor, roof, doors, glazing and available options. With a building this large, door width, internal height, and window placement can make a considerable difference.
Two buildings described as a 20×8 shed can be quite different once you compare their construction and layout. Someone storing machinery may prioritise wide access and clear floor space, while somebody using the building regularly for DIY may value opening windows, insulation and a carefully planned workbench area.
My Experience With Garden Buildings Goes Back to 1979
I’m Robin Antill, founder of 1st Choice Leisure Buildings. I left school at 15 and started in business in 1979 trading as Marina Sheds. Those early years were very hands-on: making and selling sheds, dealing directly with customers and learning where timber, framing, floors, roofs and doors really matter once a building is being used.
I sold Marina Sheds in 1990, although unfortunately I did not receive all the money which was due from the sale. I stayed in the garden-building industry and in 1992 we expanded into summerhouses, garages, garden rooms and log cabins. As the business had moved beyond sheds, that change of direction led to the name Titan Garden Buildings.
My son Craig joined me in 1992 after studying carpentry at Guildford College from 1990. His carpentry background brought further practical timber knowledge into the business. We sold Titan Garden Buildings in 1998 and in 2000 decided to retail quality garden buildings from selected manufacturers rather than being restricted to products from one source. That was when we formed 1st Choice Leisure Buildings.
Craig now runs the day-to-day business, and I continue to support him and the team as required. You can read more about how our family business developed on our About 1st Choice Leisure Buildings page.
Why Does My Experience Matter When Choosing a 20×8 Shed?
Having worked with sheds and garden buildings since 1979, I have learnt that bigger or more expensive does not automatically mean better. What matters is whether the construction, access, layout and options suit what you genuinely need the building to do.
If flexibility, bespoke options and practical storage are your priorities, compare the Chichester, Woodgate and Barnham models. If pressure-treated construction, opening windows or insulation matter because you expect to spend more time inside, compare the Fareham, Winchester, Portsmouth and Southampton buildings. My role is to explain those practical differences rather than tell everybody that one range is best.
How Do I Choose the Best 20ft x 8ft Shed?
Start by deciding what needs to go inside, whether you need a workbench, how regularly you expect to use the building and which side needs the main entrance. With a 20ft-long building, also think carefully about how easily you will reach equipment stored at either end.
Whichever 20ft x 8ft shed you choose, check the exact dimensions, doors, windows, insulation options where applicable, base requirements and delivery access before ordering. If another footprint might suit your garden better, compare alternatives in our garden sheds by size section.
If you are unsure which 8×20 shed is right for you, please ask us. Between Craig, myself and the team, there is a great deal of practical garden-building experience here, and I would much rather help you choose the right specification before you order than see you pay for features you do not need or discover later that another layout would have worked better.
Can I See a 20×8 Shed Before Buying?
Whenever practical, I recommend seeing garden buildings before buying.
We cannot display every model in every possible size. Still, you can visit our Surrey garden building display site near Guildford, Woking and Ripley to inspect representative buildings and compare construction, floors, doors, windows and finishes for yourself.
Photographs are useful, but they cannot fully show you how substantial a floor feels underfoot or how a door operates.
I started selling sheds in 1979 and still believe that seeing the product and understanding its specifications are two of the best ways to make a good buying decision.
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