Shed thread

[Kol]

I'm on the lookout for my first shed. We moved into our own place about three months ago and have gutted the garden, stripping it back ready for Spring.

Ahead of that, there are a few things I need to do / get advice on, so I thought perhaps we could consolidate the information which spans a few old threads here.

So, I've a couple of questions which hopefully may help others who will be in a similar position.

1st. the ground where it stands, is just bare earth fine or do you need a concrete base? If bare earth does it need to be compacted in some way?

2. sheds - where is best, are there recommend brands, any designs which should be avoided, materials?

Basically, I'm on the lookout for the typical wooden shed where I can store my tools, gardening equipment etc. with a window so I can see what I'm doing when in there. It won't be powered.

Any hints/tips?

Cheers.

 

[Randomface74]

Right shed thread

 

[touch]

Don't sit it on bare earth, it'll draw up moisture into the wood and rot.

If the ground is fairly firm, you could sit it on a few concrete blocks.

If it's softer, lay slabs to sit it on or make a concrete base.

 

[DXP55]

Ideally you need a solid base for your shed - Depends on how big it is - You could do it from concrete - cheap paving slabs or make a frame up size of shed base out of 3x3 fence posts and just use a few bricks on each corner and some equal distance along length - then just drop your shed on it - Also whatever base you make it should be slightly smaller than shed - you don't want water running down side of shed onto the base - if it's solid base then water can run under slats on base of shed - also put gutters on for same purpose - Always try to keep water off the bottom of shed and that includes splash up hence gutters - Paint shed with good preservative -I use creosote - you can get the real stuff on ebay. - Also while you are at it run a duct under ground - I used large waste pipe that's used in kitchen and bathrooms - I think it's 42mm - join it with straight connectors - if you need a bend use swept bends not 90 deg and put a rope in as you go along - You will then be set up for power or ethernet - - If you buy a ready made shed - buy a roll of roofing felt and nails and put another layer on roof - they never come with good felt.

Never ever put shed base on the ground it won't last 5 min

 

[sovietspybob]

One of the local shed companies to me recommend sitting it on slate waste/gravel (with a weed proof membrane) in a frame as any water will drain away, water can pool on a concrete base and then rot the wood if you're not careful.

Tigersheds seem to be recommended by some, ideally you'd want one that's pressure treated but they're a lot more expensive usually. Good idea to paint it before you put it together too as you can get into all the fiddly bits.

 

[Kol]

Ace input, thanks @touch @DXP55 and @sovietspybob

Genuine lol @billysielu

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

Seriously think about power, it will become your refuge, its better powered

There is one option no one has mentioned so far, the shed spikes. They are quite expensive but can be considered

https://www.ridgeons.co.uk/wooden-shed-base-metal-spikes

or the slightly easier jacks type approach

https://www.a1sheds.com/quickjack-pro-adjustable-shed-base-for-soft-surfaces-11398-p.asp

 

[Kol]

That's an interesting idea. Cheers for that recommendation. Yea, power could be done rather easily actually so worth running a socket out there.

 

[Lopéz]

I have had a 10x8 shed on a 2x4 timber frame leveled up with bricks for the last two years. No issues whatsoever.

 

[Kol]

I guess my next step then is actually looking at an actual shed. Where is best?

 

[Kronos]

Every man should have owned at least one garden shed in his life time anand at the age of 64 I am taking the plunge and I must admit to feeling a childish excitement in anticipation.
Now I know that there is more to just going down to your local shed supplier, selecting the shed of your choice, having it delivered and erected and then filling it with all the junk, future useful items.

I need to have a firm base for said shed, I propose having paving slabs laid, which is where I have run into a slight conundrum, sheds it seems are measured in imperial, my shed will be 6' x 4' but simple paving slabs are metric and are 600mm x 600mm.

So my questions are will 6 slabs be an ample base for the above sized shed?
How should the slabs be laid as the area is currently grassed?
What about lighting, I cannot run a cable across so what portable lamp or will I really not need one?
Anything else I heed to consider?

 

[BigBoy]

Sheds are described as imperial measurements but in reality they are build to metric.

I cannot recommend www.Tigersheds.com enough, as will so many people here, my shed is 5 years old and still looks brand new.

Before taking the plunge, what so you intend the shed to be used for? have you looked at the different types of structure, door entrance positions and windows? are you sure 6'x4' is going to be big enough, my 6'x8' is rather full and wish I had bought he 10'x8'!

Lighting is easy with so many solar powered lamps around now, panel goes on the roof and lamp goes inside on a switch.

As for slabs, 600x600 and a 6'x4' shed you want 6 slabs 3x2 formation, make sure you prep the ground by digging out the area and compacting hardcore (10mm to dust is my preference) to a depth of at least 10cm, lay the slabs either loose or using cement to stick them down making sure they are level or near enough to allow water to drain off.

I would advice using sub bearers (timber joists under the floor joists) with a sliver of DPC between them to stop any sitting water soaking up into the floor and making it rot.

see this thread for lots of info on sheds https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/best-place-online-for-garden-sheds.18541015

 

[Kronos]

I have looked at sheds, for a laugh I went to B&Q and Homebase but the quality was dubious to say the least then I discovered a local supplier and I went down and was most impressed with the overall quality and they are built to order so you can place door, windows and pretty much anything else where you want it.

As for the base I am not doing that myself and have been seeking quotes for the laying of 6 slabs, I know how slabs should be laid as was un the building trade for most of my working life but I just wanted to confirm before going back to the quotes I have and asking how they intend to do the job and hopefully that will weed out and cowboys.

Had not thought of a solar lamp, great call. Cheers.

 

[sovietspybob]

I've only just finished putting up my first shed, got mine from Tigersheds and could not recommend them enough, another world of quality compared to the DIY stores and noticeably better than anything the local shed people could do in my area anyway.

Mine is 8' x 6' and should be fine for what i need to just keep garden stuff in it's not exactly huge so have a good think about the size, the size i went for seems to be the sweet spot in terms of value for money as anything bigger seems to be a lot more expensive and conversely smaller ones aren't really that much cheaper.

For the base i used plastic interlocking tiles which you fill with gravel with a weed membrane underneath it all, i did a lot of reading and decided against a solid base as if you have a concrete or slab base you need to put the shed on pressure treated bearers which will need changing at some point. With a gravel base the water will always drain away so no wood ever sits in water to start rotting. I got the base from eBay which was about £65 for a 8' x 6' shed size then got about 12 bags of the cheapest gravel B&Q had on offer to fill it in.

I highly recommend solar lighting as well, i went a bit overboard with mine as i already had quite a bit of stuff kicking around not being used from a solar powered timelapse camera i made a few years ago so only cost me £26 in the end.

You can see the base i used in this picture, i didn't get any of my laying it unfortunately.

Overboard solar lights

 

[Kronos]

I highly recommend solar lighting as well,

Anyplace you can recommend for the solar light?

 

[ash_scotland88]

Is it seafield sheds? It was a cross between there and the place along at granton for me.
Felt a bit messed about with SS, few delays, lost slip, a possible break in again delaying building.
In the end a lot better than b&q but feel quality is still a let down. Few rough edges could have been sanded, holes from knots in the walls. Think there's something else but I can't remember

 

[Kronos]

Is it seafield sheds? It was a cross between there and the place along at granton for me.
Felt a bit messed about with SS, few delays, lost slip, a possible break in again delaying building.
In the end a lot better than b&q but feel quality is still a let down. Few rough edges could have been sanded, holes from knots in the walls. Think there's something else but I can't remember

Yes it is Seafield sheds, I was down there yesterday and must say I liked what I saw. I would like to have a look at the Granton company, Forest Craft, but not having a car it would be a real pain to get to for me as I am just up from Seafield.

 

[sovietspybob]

Anyplace you can recommend for the solar light?

I got all my stuff from eBay, mine was a very DIY approach though so depends how happy you are with a screwdriver! I got 4 lights similar to these https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12V-72-L...hash=item362181c8ff:m:mC1upUogyfOf6iEdwzSu3_A and like i said i already had a 20 watt solar panel (about £20 i think) and a charge controller (about £10 ish) going spare and then just some lighting cable which a mate was throwing away after renovating his house, a few switches i had already so i only needed to buy a couple of back boxes and some cable clips.

 

[Kronos]

I got all my stuff from eBay, mine was a very DIY approach though so depends how happy you are with a screwdriver! I got 4 lights similar to these https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12V-72-L...hash=item362181c8ff:m:mC1upUogyfOf6iEdwzSu3_A and like i said i already had a 20 watt solar panel (about £20 i think) and a charge controller (about £10 ish) going spare and then just some lighting cable which a mate was throwing away after renovating his house, a few switches i had already so i only needed to buy a couple of back boxes and some cable clips.

Think I would be looking for a full kit rather than faff about.

 

[ash_scotland88]

Yes it is Seafield sheds, I was down there yesterday and must say I liked what I saw. I would like to have a look at the Granton company, Forest Craft, but not having a car it would be a real pain to get to for me as I am just up from Seafield.

They were much of the muchness, think we just chose seafield as had a good chat with the guy about options and possibilities for windows, doors etc.