Garden Sheds

Garden sheds: what to look for

A garden shed is judged by how dry it stays through January and how easy it is to lock against opportunist theft. The decision factors are size, cladding spec, roof type, and whether the door catches when the timber swells in damp weather.

Size: imagine the shed in five years and add 25%. The lawnmower, the trimmer, the hose reel, the BBQ, the bicycles, the kids' garden toys, two sets of seasonal cushions and the inevitable bag of compost all need somewhere. 6x4ft (1.8m x 1.2m) is the practical minimum for most British households; 8x6ft is the comfortable spec; 10x8ft and above for keen gardeners and bike-storage households.

Cladding:

• Overlap (12mm shiplap): the budget standard. Boards overlap to shed water but don't lock together. Cheaper, less weatherproof, more prone to leaks at junctions. £200-£500 for a 6x4ft.
• Tongue-and-groove (12-22mm): boards lock together, much more weatherproof. The standard spec for sheds you want to last. £300-£900 for a 6x4ft to 8x6ft.
• Heavy tongue-and-groove (28-44mm): log-cabin spec. Year-round use, can take electrics, properly insulated with the right thickness. £1,000+ and into log-cabin territory.

Roof type: apex (peaked, water runs off both sides) is the traditional choice, more headroom in the middle. Pent (single-slope) sits flatter and reads more contemporary, sheds water to one side only. Pent works against fences and walls; apex works in the middle of the garden.

Pressure treatment: pressure-treated timber is the spec to look for. The pre-treatment penetrates the timber rather than sitting on the surface and outlasts dipped or brush-applied alternatives. The "Premium" sheds usually carry a 10-15 year anti-rot guarantee on the cladding.

Security: hasp-and-staple lockplates with a quality padlock are standard. Better sheds carry concealed door hinges (visible hinges can be unscrewed). Window covers or windowless designs reduce the visible-stock-from-outside problem.

The brands and retailers we list

We pull around 6,600 garden sheds across the UK retailer network.

Shire dominates the upper-build-quality end of this market with a deep range from 6x4ft sheds to 12x12ft log cabins.

Buy Sheds Direct and Cherry Lane Garden Centres cover the dedicated garden-building specialists.

The Range and Robert Dyas cover the value-tier sheds.

Filter the grid above by size, material or price to narrow things down. Prices update daily.