Shed advice please - wood or metal?

[PrettyLittleMitty]

As the title says really.

I am a complete garden novice and at almost 40 years old have just got my first ever garden.

I need a shed, nothing too big, maybe a 4ftx6ft and I am lost! I like the look of the wooden sheds but worry it won't last long once the good English weather has got to it. So thought metal, but these seem to be complicated to put together and don't look as nice.

Also, I don't have a big budget so price is an issue.

Help and advice much appreciated.

I've never had a metal shed; wooden ones don't last forever but do last a good time if they're reasonably well erected . Get a decent base for it.

The one thing I do know is that no shed is ever big enough and 6 x 4 is pretty damn small. Get a bigger one if you can.

And do they all need a seperate base? It seems some mention needing a base and some don't?

I think PurpleWithRed is right.

I am awaiting my first shed with eager anticipation. It will be (a) as big as I can squeeze into the space and (b) subjected to a twee paint job and tricked out to look like the better class of beach hut.

ThanK you purple

can i ask roughly how long i could expect a wooden shed to last? (providing it is well erected of course

A 6x4 is about all i can squeeze in but i fear i may regret it!

Thanks

I have a wooden shed, well it's now wood with about a hundred layers of paint. It's well over 100 years old and is only coming to the end of its life now although we are hoping we can cut out the rotten section and repair it as its a thing of beauty.

I think most wooden sheds will last about 10 years if they are treated each year. We've had both. Metal sheds get very hot if the sun is shining on them, make sure they have an air vent of some kind. The metal shed we had, did have a very low doorway so I would check this before ordering as well. It was easy enough to put up but you do need at least two of you to do it, it's more bulky and ackward rather than impossible.

All sheds need a base to sit on, you can normally just use paving flags doesn't matter if it's wooden or metal.

Thanks all. I hadn't thought about metal sheds in the heat there's so much choice that I am confusing myself lol

This has got me thinking and I can't think of a shed I've seen for sale in Au that hasn't been metal. I would imagine a metal one would get very hot, so think about what where you would place it and what your would store in it.

For wooden ones, as PPs have said, it's all about the base. I live in Au, live in a very nice shed, and am having all the the hardwood stumps replaced with concrete.

I hear that condensation is a big problem in some metal sheds. I'd go for wood. Make sure that you get pressure-treated timber. This is wood that has had chemicals driven at it, so that they get right inside. They protect the wood and save you from needing to treat all the time. Most pressure-treated sheds will come with a 10-15 year guarantee against rot.

In terms of bases, you will need to do some work to check that the site is reasonable level in any case. If it's a bit hummocky, it's a good idea to level over the soil with a spade, and maybe even put down some crusher run and compress with a tamper. Then you need to lay a base. This could be concrete flags, or timber bearers, or a plastic base that you can buy (the last is expensive, but it is very forgiving to a slightly uneven surface).

It's worth checking on ebay, as they have sheds that are considerably cheaper than those in shed shops. I got mine from there and saved about £500 off an equivalent shed from the place down the road.

We have just bought an 8x8 shed, it's our first one too :) DH and my Dad did the ground work and put a heavier on the sand cement mix down for drainage with paving slabs with gaps for more drainage. We have just bought some really cheerful shed treatment paint for it (blue Brighton beach hut style!) to make sure it stays in a good condition. We went to an independant company attached to a woodmill which got us a really good deal plus them building it for us.

We're about to have ours done- £3.5k for the work which involves knocking a wall down and replacing a window. I've spent just over 2k on the suite, shower, radiator and bits. Haven't bought tiles yet so I imagine it'll hit 6k overall.

We're about to have ours done- £3.5k for the work which involves knocking a wall down and replacing a window. I've spent just over 2k on the suite, shower, radiator and bits. Haven't bought tiles yet so I imagine it'll hit 6k overall.

Not sure what happened there, thought I was on a bathroom thread
As you were!

Hahahaha! I was just thinking "BLIMEY! That's a deluxe shed!"

Bet your suite looks lovely, though.