Sheds, buy or Build?

Hi everybody.

I need a new shed, do you think I should buy one or build one myself?
My friend says that he built his himself with some plans from this site tinyurl.com/shed5 but I don't know whether that is the most cost effective option as (knowing my DIY skills it might fall down, that's not to say that the designs are bad because so far his is still going strong.) Anyway has anyone got any thoughts as to if I should buy a shed or not?

 

It really depends upon what you plan to do long term.

If you only intend to stay at your current property for just a few years, then an off the shelf shed would be the cheapest option. I've yet to see one that I would dare to pass wind in, without fear of it falling apart around your ears though. The standard of off the shelf sheds is sadly dire, with profit being put well and truly before quality.

If you intend to stay where you are for some foreseeable time, then I would go for the make it yourself route, or if that is a bit out of your depth, then perhaps ask a local carpenter to price one up for you.

The list of material finishes is almost as extensive as sizes available.

Perhaps you could give an idea of intended use and size, and I'll take a look to see what I think that it may cost you to build.

One thing that I would advise, is that you take a look here first... http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/england/public/buildingwork/projects/workcommonoutbuildings/ Just to check what you can or can't have. I'd also advise just checking with your own local planning authority as well.

Being an oak framer I am in a good position for cheap wood, but sheds still don't need to cost the earth.
Taking this example below that I knocked up for a mower shed with logstore behind. The overall cost was £70.00!!! I simply scrounged throw away wood/tiles etc and took it from there. The windows were new, but someone had ordered the wrong size so didn't want them, and even the rear logstore is the corner section of an industrial unit that was being taken down.
The £70.00 went on ballast and cement for the base.






Its a bit tidier than this now, but you get the idea.

 

smart

 

I've looked at a few sheds when visiting garden centres and I've always considered they've been made "down to a price."

When our daughter was seven, I decided to build her a shed for her two rabbits so we could get the hutches off the patio and she wouldn't have to clean them out in the rain before going to school if the weather was bad.
It's made of roofing ply with a 3X2 frame. It's built on to the back of the garage and I recycled three old windows. I knocked it up over a week-end.

We still call it the "rabbit shed" as at one time it housed six rabbits and a few guinea pigs in banks of hutches on each side. It's now 32 years old and houses only my garden tools, but I've a work-bench on one side. I took the photo last year. In all that time all I've had to do with it is give it an irregular coat of Dulux Woodsheen and replace the roofing felt. I can't praise the qualities of laminated roofing-plywood enough, it's really durable. I can't imagine anything else would have lasted that long. I also think that as both buildings are built up on brick piles so there's six inches of clearance below the base to give good air circulation, stops them rotting from the ground up.




Of course my other "shed" I built with more or less the same materials. This taken last year, is only 23 years old. "Self-build" let's you use your imagination.

 

mmm shed envy here

loopy

 

A word on selecting timber for the frame if you're going to build your own.

I've only ever used "rough sawn" as it was then, in 3"X2". It's so much cheaper than finished wood. It's no hardship to plane and sand if you've an electric plane and belt sander (the "agitating" fixed pad ones I've always found rubbish for such work). I've always also selected my own timber, often going through a few dozen 12' lengths to get some really straight pieces, from yards where it's kept under cover not out in the rain. I've also collected it myself to avoid any "mistakes."
In this way you can avoid lengths "only suitable for constructing bay windows."

There's also "roofing felt" and "roofing felt" It's always best to buy a good quality felt, so much cheaper in the long run. I've seen some of it "blow off" a garden centre bought shed after a few years, it was such poor quality.

 

i built a shed using pallets,which are treated against rot and the wood is very strong.

 

Nice sheds everyone, we had our's built, my husband didnt have time, our's was made by Mennonites, its in my photo album, i guess it all comes down to time and prefernce really, as to buy or build....I'd love to see some pics when you do decide and have it....good luck.

 

A lot of "non-returnable" pallets are rubbish.

The returnable blue "Chep" pallets which are very substantial are priced (or used to be), nominally at £1 deposit to companies.
Basically, they are usually exchanged "one for one." As were the very substantial sugar pallets. (They have to support a ton of sugar in packets). The Chep company conduct audits from time to time and a charge made for missing pallets.


I always thought at £1, the Chep ones "were very good value," lots of uses for them.

 

thanks for all the great tips everyone

 

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Wow, i love this shed! Can you build me one?

I came across this blog which might help you choose which shed is best for your garden, the link is http://shedforce.com/ - its got all sorts of info if you need some more ideas/etc

Hope that helps!:yho:

Karen

 

How pretty and i love the wisteria too.

 

Thanks for that.

Digressing a bit, wht not?

That was last years photo, when the little acer was "in training."

Now it's adopted the "correct dome shape" and doesn't need the wires and canes any more
We've another wisteria you can see to the left growing up the stump of a tree that died (not everything I do is a success). The idea is for it to "cascade" down the trunk. We've had it for about three years.



The wisteria that's trained round the tea-house is in full bloom.

 

You seem to have the touch for growing wisteria, I've tried it and it doesnt do well for me here.

 

I saw a useful article on shed building in the UK,

http://www.articlesnatch.com/Articl...ilding--create-a-space-that-you-want-/1218330

I didnt realise that in certain situations you had to provide a gap of a metre between your boundary and the side of the shed.

Thanks for the pictures EddieJ the shed looks fantastic nice to see how each segment went up. anyone else got a step by step of the process?