Talk to me about sheds and bike storage

[iK8]

Yes this is THE most riveting thread posted today, I know

We have a large adult bike with child's seat and a smart Pashley tricycle living in our tiny small back garden. We have a child's bike currently living in our living room. None of this is helpful to easy living or use.

We also have a shed filled with assorted crap the previous owners left us, some crap of our own and some things we would like to keep: pair of deck chairs, lawn mower, garden tools, gym trampoline, 4 x spare garden chairs, fold down 6' trestle table. The shed roof leaks and there are funnel shaped cobwebs in it (eeeeugh!). We also have a ladder is like to put in that appears to have take up residence in our bedroom.

So, I am keen to get rid of the shed and get a garden storage box that we can keep all the bikes in and our garden furniture and tools. The shed is average size and there is about half a metre space between it at the wall. Ideally I don't want it to be too deep because we might change the way round we have it but equally I'm sick of bloody stuff everywhere now.

Any suggestions?

If you have too much stuff to fit in your current shed then I can't see how getting a smaller garden storage box will help. You could get more than one box of course, but you would probably end up with a less efficient use of space than with a shed.

I would say the disadvantage of having a storage box for the bikes and especially the trike is that you will forever be pulling all the others out to get at the one you want, which will probably discourage you from using them as much as if you could just wheel them out. I would think the trike especially is a pain to lift around.

We bought a new shed from easyshed last year and would thoroughly recommend them. You can specify the exact shape and dimension to best fit the space you have available and they come and put it up for you in an hour or so. All you need to do is lay a firm base. The one we have looks really good and sturdy and seems really well made.

www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/3335631.htm
we get four full size mountain bikes in ours

I don't think the garden storage box need be smaller. The advantage of a garden storage box is that you don't have to lift anything if you get one that opens like this sort of thing: www.asgardsss.co.uk/bike-cycle-storage/large-metal-bike-shed

But I don't know if it would be big enough. I don't really want a traditional shed because they take up quite a lot of space, particularly height-wise which makes the whole garden look smaller.

We are going to get rid of the junk and just have the stuff we actually need to keep as outlined in first post.

I like the idea of that TalkinPeace (certainly it would be better than the current tarpaulin/wet bike thing we currently have) but we need something super sturdy and burglar proof.

Maybe we need something for the bikes and something for the "stuff"?

Burglar proof : easy : we have a shackle in the floor of the tent that is concreted in and the bikes are locked to it.
You take the bikes you take the drive
there is also a hole in the back for a shackle fitting

I don't think that will work for us. We don't have a drive. We have a garden that was previously marshland... so anything concreted in that isn't absolutely enormous just lifts out again!

Hmm. Maybe I should get a bike locker thing for dh where he can have his bike sort of standing up and something more shed-like for everything else but with a larger than conventional shed opening?

Really what I want is a bigger house with a garage I suspect!

iK8
I'll be honest : the shackle is actually just pushed into the ground
but any chancer will not know that till they have wasted 5 minutes
and they don't
they allow 30 seconds
even just lock all the bikes together : deterrence is 90%

We do the locking them together thing. It's more all the other crap that can't be chained together.

It's complicated slightly by the fact we might want to rent out our house and so we need something a bit stronger and tenant proof. Particularly if they have children like mine...

Ooh I've just found this that has a double utility door on the front and a single door on the side! This could be it if I can fit the trike in. Must measure up.

www.shedstore.co.uk/storage/garden-storage/windsor/windsor-shiplap-premium-multi-store-6-by-2

What do you think? Obviously it's hideous but I could paint it. Shame it's not metal but it's a start.

Thanks norkmonster that's really useful to know.

At the moment I am swaying towards a smart metal Asgard storage box for all the toot essential things we have to keep. Secure and dry is swaying me and then getting one of those tent jobbies for the bikes - it can come with us when we move like the bikes will - and it will instantly solve the wet bike/bike in the house problem.

I We have decided to go for the Asgard storage and ditch the shed, with a bike tent for the bikes because they will move with us if we move.

Thanks everyone for all your help!

why not just keep the shed, re felt it and get rid of the junk?

We had a shed left from previous owners and with quite a lot of their junk in. Over summer 18 year old DS has emptied it, painted it blue and cream like a little beach hut and re felted the roof. Materials were definitely under £50 all together and it's actually quite cute now. I'm glad we didn't scrap it as my first instinct was to.

The shed is going because it's an eyesore and would take quite a lot of work to fix and we don't have time to do it. It also has to go because if we do some work to our house (as we plan to) it will have to move and it's an awkward shape in our very small, narrow garden. Something narrower and longer is much better for us.

It's also easier to move the things we want to keep into the storage and then take the junk and shed away because we can do it over a few weekends instead of all at once.

Ok you're going to hate me but I come from a family of serious cyclists and so we have done this to death.

Don't get a metal shed. You will get condensation, and that is very bad for bicycles.

Get a wooden one - get a really solid, pressure treated, timber shed with a raised floor and proper insulation in the walls, and electric light, and put vinyl on the floor, and keep your bikes in that.

They will be fine all winter and you can even plug in a battery for an electric bike.

Metal sheds are a nightmare to construct, very cold, and as I said you get water droplets on the ceiling which then cause rusting.

It depends how much you want your bikes to last but if you do, then go for wood, insulated wood, every time.

Also get a full height one with enough room to get bikes out without taking the ones in front out first.

As far as the other stuff is concerned then the same thing applies probably. Wooden sheds are almost always far better.

(we just moved and inherited a large metal one, which will have to do for now as we're poor, but I am resigned to some of my tools going rusty in it)

Get rid of the crap and see what you're left with before making any decisions.

We really don't have enough room for a big shed due to size and shape of the garden. Where it is now is where we plan to put an extension with French doors so obviously the shed has to go because it's not going to be much of a view with that shoved up against the doors!

The bikes are going in a bike cave tent. I like the bikes but I don't love them enough to build them a nicer house than the one i currently live in

Point taken about the condensation. This was something I'd worried about but hadn't been mentioned before. So perhaps instead of the metal shed we will go for a wooden one?? It will be waist height because we have a narrow walled garden and full height is a bit oppressive unless we can get something super narrow. We don't have loads to go in it without the bikes and after the tip run which is good.

Thanks for all the ideas and tips. It has been really helpful :)