Buying a second hand shed?

[User6424678852]

Is there anything I should be aware of if buying a second had shed/summerhouse off gumtree?

We have a largish new build garden. I’d love a summerhouse (of the posh shed with windows variety), but haven’t got the £1-3k+ spare to get one new. And I would rather reuse anyway.

They seem to come up on gumtree pretty regularly second hand, and look in decent condition.

But I’ve never had a shed or summerhouse before. What do I need to know? They are all “buyer to dismantle” so I would obviously need a van and some help, but do they come apart and go back together easily?

What do I need to know?

Also - same question regarding greenhouses!

More trouble than its worth.

Why?

Because generally they are not designed to be disassembled and reassembled and anything wooded will have warped from being outside no matter how well it has been weatherproofed. Screws are generally rusted and if you try to screw back in to the same holes that were there before everything gets a bit loose and wobbly. Greenhouse glass tends to last a very long time until you try to move it then it seems to break just from you looking at it.

Can you tell I've been involved in several attempts at this sort of thing and none of them have ever gone well.

Dont bother, they never go back together properly. Always slightly wobbly.
If it has glass, the frame can warp. In fact it all can warp.
Just no.

Ah well. Better to know before attempting it! I shall start saving up.

Any recommendations for what to buy when I have the funds?

We bought a secondhand shed some years ago, from an elderly,lady in the next town. It was a good solid shed, worth the money. The day before we collected it we sprayed all the bolts with WD40 and left them for 24 hours. Then we disassembled the shed, which came apart fairly well, into four walls, floor and roof panels. We strapped each panel o to the roof rack and transported it home one at a time, then reassembled and painted it. It was a good shed and lasted years, so worth the effort.

With no idea what your looking for, no.

But I bought this from a local place 4 years ago, same price, plus £80 fitting.
I set up the spot in the garden where it was going, picked a day for delivery. It was up in 45 minutes from them taking it off the wagon.

A shed will cost different depending on size, if you need to create a space, if you can do that yourself or need a handy man etc.
https://www.buyshedsdirect.co.uk/8-x-6-forest-beckwood-shiplap-pressure-treated-pent-wooden-shed?_$ja=tsid:|cid:1576384201|agid:100565311640|tid:pla-2121902963261|crid:422972776299|nw:g|rnd:1693112566675045488|dvc:c|adp:&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhbOG1vKcgAMVjRAGAB2mDQgMEAYYASABEgIMd_D_BwE

We bought a used shed on Ebay, it was in great condition and had been dismantled. Went back together fine and looked new once painted. Put new felt on roof and it’s going strong.