Has anyone built a large shed recently?

[Millybingbong]

We want to put up a shed in the garden preferably 13x7 but it is hard to find one. Can anyone recommend anywhere to buy a good quality shed?

Our builder is planning to install it for us on a gravel base. We plan to run electric into it.

Are we doing it all right? Any other shed related tips?

Marking place as we're planning similar...

It'll rot on a gravel base. The base needs to be above ground level.

Is a concrete base best? Is that expensive? (Thinking of a smaller shed. Sorry to derail, OP)

We're hoping to build a large shed this summer on a concrete base. So that it doesn't take us for ever to put up we're hoping to use SIPS, which will dictate the final size.

Google shed manufacturers in your area and talk to a few.
You need some air underneath to stop the floor rotting, a decent builder would know what to do.
Check with building regs for your area, sheds should not normally be higher than 2.5 Metres to top of roof.

I know the yard that imports these things.
hampshire-log-cabins.co.uk/

I wouldn't call them logs, exactly, they're sawn thick timbers cut to size that slot together with notches at the corners. Might be two inches thick or something like that. They arrive in a pile, craned off the truck, and you carry them to the site and assemble it. AFAIK each piece can be carried by two people.

It's important o put them on a dry base such as a concrete slab, or even a dwarf wall to keep the timber off the ground and raised above rainsplash. Some sheds don't have gutters so water runs or splashes onto the walls and they rot.

The Base will be above ground level.

I thought the gravel would help it drain as water would pool on a concrete Base?

As long as the fine details of it's installation allow all wooden parts to dry out as quickly as possible after rain there should be no problem either gravel or concrete. It is the details that are important.
A couple of my smaller sheds have rested on concrete paving slabs (2ft SQ) with little 'feet' to ensure all the actual shed woodwork is clear of the ground (handful of engineering bricks which are waterproof would be good to use as feet).

Out and about - can you link to the engineering bricks you mean?

yes, sheds usually sit on "bearers" being horizontal beams. These need to be raised up off the slab or other bed slightly. Some people use heavy paving slabs. It needs to be something that will not sink into the ground or tilt. If you have two paving slabs on top of each other, the upper one will be drier than the lower.

Even a concrete slab will not be fully dry, as it is porous, unless it is laid with a dpm which also protects the edges (this can be done by building the dwarf wall first, then pouring the concrete into the "tray." This is especially suitable if the shed does not have a floor and you will be standing on the slab.

If the shed stands on dwarf walls, you can run DPC plastic strip along the top of the walls before putting the shed on it.

If the ground slab is nicely sized, it can be under the shed enough that rain cannot fall onto it, and above ground level enough that puddles and running water can't get onto it.
Otherwise the bearers will rot first.

When I was having a 10 X 20 shed installed, the manufacturers specified a concrete base very slightly smaller than the outside dimensions of the shed. This is so that the fame sits on the concrete but the cladding is slightly 'proud' therefore rainwater will drip from the bottom and not pool at all.
Gravel doesn't sound a good option to me. I know for smaller sheds you can now get base frames that sit in a dug-out hollow but for a big shed I do think concrete will be best.

Hi
You would ask at any building yard for engineering bricks, they are glazed so are waterproof. As DPM has been mentioned that would be a bit cheaper and use 'ordinary' bricks (which are a bit porous).
As you will appreciate there are many ways of 'skinning this cat', but the essential is to make sure all woodwork can dry out as quickly as possible to prevent rot.

Costco has a huge shed on their UK website; the "Grosfillex Deco 16' x 13'

Http:www.costco.co.uk

We are having a large shed done at the moment. It's a custom build done by a carpenter. It's amazing!

We have a 12x8 shed and it is on railway sleepers. DH is always in it.

We built a log cabin earlier this year, which we bought from Tuin. Total footprint is about 16ft x 9ft

This is it when we'd just finished building and painting it.

Ours is sat on wooden frame which is supported by feet which are set on paving slabs so there is air circulation underneath.

That's lovely tiz
Would you recommend them? Any pitfalls?

They're certainly great value for money compared to other places selling similar structures. We paid 1800 for ours. Wood for base, insulation for roof and floor, flooring and guttering was separate to this and we probably spend another £500 there.

Supplied instructions are very light touch, but there's loads of instructional stuff online.

The only minor quibble we had was surrounding delivery, basically you book a week of delivery and then you get told the week beforehand what day delivery will be made. For us this made it slightly difficult as we needed to book time off to take delivery but it's one of the ways they keep their costs down.

Pleased with how it all turned out. Certainly recommended if you're happy to do the work yourself to save on costs.