Choosing a 9×9 Shed
A 9×9 shed gives you a substantial square garden building with around 81 square feet of nominal floor area. At approximately 2.7m x 2.7m nominally, it provides useful depth and width, although exact external and internal dimensions vary between individual buildings. I’m Robin Antill, founder of 1st Choice Leisure Buildings, and sheds are where my working life in garden buildings began in 1979. After more than 45 years in the trade, I still believe the right building should be chosen by looking carefully at its construction, layout and what you genuinely need it to do rather than simply buying the cheapest option of roughly the right size.
A 9ft x 9ft shed is large enough for garden tools, bikes, gardening equipment, shelving and other outdoor items while still leaving sensible room to move around. At this size, you may also have space for a workbench or hobby area, depending on the particular building and specification you choose.
How Big Is a 9×9 Shed?
A nominal 9×9 shed has a footprint of approximately 2.7m x 2.7m, giving around 81 square feet of nominal floor area. That is useful for comparing buildings, but don’t base your plans solely on nominal dimensions. Always check the precise footprint, roof overhangs, door arrangement and base requirements of your chosen model before work starts.
The Six Products Currently Shown on This Page
The current page displays six products: Diamond Chichester Pent, Diamond Chichester Apex, Storrington Corner Shed, Platinum Bursledon Corner Summerhouse, Diamond Worthing Corner and Eversley Corner Shed. All six have published size ranges that cover a 9ft x 9ft requirement, but they are not six versions of the same type of building.
If straightforward garden storage is your priority, I would start with the Chichester Apex, Chichester Pent and Storrington Corner Shed. The Bursledon and Worthing are more leisure-orientated corner buildings, while the Eversley is another corner design with full insulation available. I would compare them based on what you actually want the building to do, rather than treating every result as an interchangeable 9×9 shed.
Diamond Chichester Apex and Pent 9×9 Sheds
The Diamond Chichester Apex and Chichester Pent have published ranges from 4ft x 4ft to 24ft x 12ft, so a 9×9 shed sits comfortably within their available sizes. Both currently show free fitting, a colour paint finish option and bespoke options.
The Chichester Apex gives you the familiar traditional pitched roof, while the Chichester Pent provides a single-slope roof. On a square building of this size, think carefully about the position of the door and windows, as well as the roof style, because those details determine how much uninterrupted wall space you have for shelving, tools, or larger equipment.
The bespoke options can be particularly useful if the standard arrangement doesn’t quite work in your garden. Moving a door or window may improve access or make the internal layout much more practical. I wouldn’t alter a standard design simply because you can, but a change that solves a genuine problem is worth considering.
Storrington Corner Shed
The Storrington Corner Shed has a published range from 6ft x 6ft to 9ft x 9ft, making 9ft x 9ft the largest size currently offered in this range. It shows free fitting and a colour paint finish option.
If your priority is genuine garden storage but you want to make efficient use of a corner, the Storrington deserves particular attention. Its angled frontage means it occupies the garden differently from a conventional square Chichester shed, so I would mark the actual footprint out on the ground before ordering.
Platinum Bursledon Corner Summerhouse
The Platinum Bursledon Corner Summerhouse has a published range from 6ft x 6ft to 10ft x 10ft, so a 9ft x 9ft version sits within its available sizes. It currently shows free assembly, a colour paint finish option and a full insulation option.
The Bursledon is a leisure-orientated corner building rather than a conventional storage shed. If your main requirement is somewhere attractive to sit, read, enjoy a hobby or spend more time in the garden, its specification and insulation option may make more sense than a straightforward storage building. If you mainly need somewhere for lawnmowers, bikes and garden tools, I would start with the shed models instead.
Diamond Worthing Corner
The Diamond Worthing Corner is another genuine product currently shown on this page, with published sizes from 6ft x 6ft to 10ft x 10ft. It currently shows free installation, a colour paint finish option and bespoke options.
The Worthing is a corner building rather than a conventional square storage shed. If you want your 9ft x 9ft building to make attractive use of a garden corner while providing useful enclosed space, it is worth comparing it with the Bursledon rather than looking only at the more storage-focused Chichester sheds.
Eversley Corner Shed
The Eversley Corner Shed is also displayed on the current page and has a published range from 6ft x 6ft to 10ft x 10ft. Its current product information shows free assembly, a colour paint finish option and a full insulation option.
The Eversley is another corner design, and the availability of full insulation gives it a different proposition from a straightforward storage shed. Consider it if you want to make good use of a garden corner and expect more from the building than a place to keep a few tools. As always, compare its exact specifications and layout with how you genuinely intend to use the space.
Why My Experience With Sheds Matters
Customers should know who is behind the advice they are reading. I left school at 15 and started my own garden building business in 1979, trading as Marina Sheds. I was hands-on from the beginning, manufacturing and selling timber sheds, so I learnt about garden buildings by actually working with timber and dealing directly with customers rather than simply reading specifications in a catalogue.
That manufacturing background still influences how I judge a building today. An attractive door, window or paint finish naturally catches your eye, but I also look at the timber, framing, floor, roof, glazing and how the complete structure has been put together. Two garden buildings can look remarkably similar in photographs and still be very different when you examine their construction properly.
I sold Marina Sheds in 1990. Unfortunately, I didn’t receive all the money I was due from the sale. It was a difficult business lesson, but it certainly didn’t end my involvement with garden buildings.
In 1992 we expanded beyond sheds and added summerhouses, garages, garden rooms and log cabins. Marina Sheds no longer properly described the wider business, so that change in direction also meant a change of name, and we became Titan Garden Buildings.
My son Craig joined me in 1992 after studying carpentry at Guildford College from 1990. His carpentry training brought additional practical woodworking and timber-construction knowledge into a business already built around manufacturing and selling garden buildings.
We sold Titan Garden Buildings in 1998 and, in 2000, Craig and I decided to take a different approach. Rather than manufacturing everything ourselves or being restricted to one manufacturer’s products, we wanted to use our experience to select quality garden buildings from manufacturers we trusted and give customers a genuine choice. That decision led us to form 1st Choice Leisure Buildings.
Craig now runs the day-to-day business, and I continue to support him and the team as required. I’ve been involved with sheds and garden buildings since 1979. That experience matters because I’ve seen the industry from both sides: first manufacturing and selling timber buildings ourselves and later comparing products from different manufacturers for our customers.
What More Than 45 Years Has Taught Me
More than 45 years around sheds and garden buildings has taught me that size and price alone don’t tell you whether a building is right for you. A 9×9 shed is large enough to become an important part of your garden, so construction, floor, roof, framing, doors, glazing and intended use all deserve proper consideration. I would rather see somebody choose the right building once than save a little initially and regret the decision later.
Construction Matters on a 9×9 Shed
The current 9×9 category highlights redwood deal timber, at least nominal 2×2 vertical framing and wooden floor and roof construction. The site specifically states that it uses toughened glass on its Diamond and Platinum buildings. These are exactly the sorts of practical construction details I encourage customers to examine rather than choosing solely from an attractive photograph or headline price.
The individual specifications still vary considerably between a conventional Chichester shed, the Storrington storage-led corner design and the more leisure-orientated corner buildings. I would therefore compare the exact product you are considering rather than assuming every 9ft x 9ft shed is constructed in precisely the same way.
Making the Most of a 9×9 Shed
A 9ft x 9ft shed provides enough space for tools, bikes, gardening equipment and storage while leaving scope for shelving and a useful central area. With around 81 square feet nominally, you may also have room for a workbench, potting area or hobby space if your chosen building is appropriate for that use.
The square footprint of a conventional 9×9 shed makes organisation relatively straightforward, but I would still plan the interior before ordering. Shelving and wall hooks can keep smaller items off the floor, while leaving a sensible walkway means you can actually reach equipment at the back without unloading half the building first.
Storage Shed or Corner Leisure Building?
This is the most important distinction on the current 9×9 page. If your main requirement is garden storage, I suggest starting with the Chichester Apex, Chichester Pent or Storrington Corner Shed. If the building is intended primarily as a place to sit, relax, or enjoy hobbies, compare the Bursledon and Worthing corner buildings. The Eversley provides another corner option with full insulation available.
There is no benefit in paying for features you don’t need, just as there is little sense in choosing a straightforward storage shed if you genuinely intend to spend significant time inside. Decide what you want the building to do first, and the product comparison becomes much easier.
Do You Need Insulation?
The Platinum Bursledon Corner Summerhouse and Eversley Corner Shed currently show full insulation options. This may be worthwhile if you expect to spend longer periods inside your building rather than using it simply for storage.
I wouldn’t add insulation merely because the option is available. Think about how often you will use the building, the time of year you expect to use it and what you actually intend to do inside. The right specification matches the job, not the one with the longest list of extras.
Fitting, Assembly and Installation
The Diamond Chichester Apex, Diamond Chichester Pent and Storrington Corner Shed currently show free fitting. The Platinum Bursledon Corner Summerhouse and Eversley Corner Shed show free assembly, while the Diamond Worthing Corner shows free installation. I think this is an important benefit because even a well-made timber building still needs to be erected correctly if the floor, roof and doors are going to perform as intended.
Whatever building you choose, suitable access and a firm, flat and level base remain important. If access from the road to your garden is narrow, restricted or awkward, tell us before ordering rather than waiting until the installation team arrives.
Get the Base Right
A 9×9 shed needs proper support across its footprint. An uneven or unsuitable foundation can affect how the building sits, how well the doors operate and how the floor is supported, so I would never regard the base as an afterthought.
If you need help preparing the site, take a look at our garden building base and additional services. Getting the groundwork right before the building arrives is considerably easier than trying to correct problems after installation.
Colour Paint Finish Options
All six products currently shown on this page offer a colour paint finish option. A building around 9ft x 9ft has a noticeable presence in most gardens, so the finish can make a significant difference to how well it works visually with your house, fencing, paving and planting.
Colours displayed online can vary because of lighting, photography and different screens. If an exact shade is particularly important, I would check the current colour information and obtain a sample before making the final decision.
See Sheds Before You Buy
I have encouraged customers to inspect sheds before buying for many years. Photographs can show style and colour, but they cannot completely tell you how substantial a floor feels, how a door operates or what the timber and framing are like when you see them close up.
You are welcome to visit our Surrey garden building display site at Sutton Green, near Guildford and Woking. We can’t display every model in every possible size, but seeing representative sheds allows you to compare construction and finishes before making your decision.
Take your time, look closely and ask questions. We don’t believe in high-pressure selling. I started my first shed business in 1979, and I still believe that seeing what you’re buying and understanding the specification are two of the best ways to make an informed decision.
Which 9×9 Shed Should You Choose?
If straightforward storage and bespoke flexibility matter, compare the Diamond Chichester Apex and Chichester Pent. If you want to make efficient use of a garden corner while retaining a storage-led design, look closely at the Storrington Corner Shed.
If your priority is a more leisure-orientated corner building, compare the Platinum Bursledon Corner Summerhouse and Diamond Worthing Corner. If a corner layout together with a full insulation option appeals to you, include the Eversley Corner Shed in your comparison.
There isn’t one best 9×9 shed or garden building for everybody. The right choice depends on what you intend to do inside it, how it will sit in your garden, the construction you want and which options genuinely add value for you.
My Advice Before You Order
Mark out approximately 9ft x 9ft in your garden and think about how the actual shape of your preferred building will occupy that space, particularly if you are considering one of the corner designs. Measure the larger items you intend to store or the furniture you intend to use and check the precise external dimensions, doors, windows and base requirements before ordering.
If you’re unsure which 9ft x 9ft shed or corner building is right for you, please contact us. Tell Craig, me or one of the team what you want the building to do, how much space you have and where it will stand. We’ll help you compare the six actual products currently shown on this page and choose the one that makes sense for you.
Robin Antill
Founder, 1st Choice Leisure Buildings
From £811
