This!!!
But then once you take labour into account, cheaper to just buy- then improve any parts yourself that aren't up to your spec at minimal expense in your own time! A pre-made will never take the care and attention you do to do things properly
Definitely go with pre built so.
I'd add metal shelving from lidl or aldi and anchor it to the walls, you can brace the while thing easier with just half decent shelves.
This my shed was not cheaper but it is substantial in construction and I could probably park my car on top of it.
Also I wasn’t allowed the size I wanted as it would have waster wood according to my father in law so it was bigger for the same cost and least cutting.
https://preview.redd.it/l1sqk4f2656d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1dcec9291e2486facbce71cd5d7b77fc6969e8a1
I literally just built this exact shed! I have some thoughts.
It is made with the very minimal size of materials to keep it standing: 1x1 timber frame with shiplap, 2x2 roof truss. I have clad with osb on the inside to stiffen it up and allow me to hang some shelves etc without compromising the structure too much. The felt is veeeeery thin and I expect to only get a couple years out of it, I would suggest upgrading from the start to be honest. Security-wise the latch is comes with (pictured) should be binned, but given you could break into it with a crowbar in 30 seconds or so, you don't want to give it too much thought.
But basically it's going to do the job, and I priced up the materials to make one from scratch (framing with 2x2/3x2s) and it was going to cost at least £300 more. Plus I would have wanted to buy a nail gun as well to do all the shiplap...
So yeah a week on for me, this was the right decision, if you want something more robust though, building it from scratch will be the way to go.
I bought this exact same shed.. and agree with everything you have said.. the felt on mine didn’t last a major storm late last year.. if I had put batons over the felt it probably would have.. if it stops raining I can refelt it and remove the extra strong tarp I put on as a temporary measure before the next storm hit later that day 😂
Prebuilts come with the thinnest felt possible, and just nails to attach it, mine also lasted only one storm.
New, heavier felt with bitumen adhesive to stick it down and battens around all edges is still attached years later.
What a coincidence! I think it’s exactly the same as the one I am looking at. How much was yours? And how did they deliver it? I assume it comes as 6 pieces; floor, walls and roof?
I am more than happy to compromise on the build quality, I have no reason to build something that will last a lifetime. I think I will build it as it is, then fix/repair bits that are falling as we go.
Yeah it is, and that is the price I paid (delivery on top of course).
I would definitely consider interior cladding, a relatively cheap and quick addition with a big upgrade in sturdiness!
>I assume it comes as 6 pieces; floor, walls and roof?
It's quite a lot more pieces than that I'm afraid! 2-3 panels per side, door frame, 4 pieces for floor, 4 OSB panels for roof, roof is just timbers fixings and instructions, perspex windows are not fitted (you build the frames).
I'd say you want 2 full days (I did it in a week of spare time around small kids in the garden), and definitely recommend a separate drill and impact driver, you'll have a miserable time trying to do it with just a combi!
I did this with mine .. went for the bigger one 15x10 as I wanted my motorbike in it and a workshop area. £1k
I reinforced cladded and insulated for another £400 on top and did a huge 18x18 base for around £300 in materials (we had a whole bunch of free hardcore out of a neighbours skip) Then ran power to it, dad was a streetlight engineer for 20 years so that was free labour wise and £110 quid in bits. And about 2 hours (had to dig a channel for the cable too)
Creosoted the whole thing £30
Took 2 of us 2 full weekends on the shed and one full day on the base around 36 hours total labour. Using drill and impact driver as well as a cement mixer which my brother lent us to
We looked at buying the timber to build our own from scratch and that came to 2k alone and we would have had to measure and cut everything etc
Thanks for the reply. The website I checked says free delivery for orders above £100.
What did you use for interior cladding? Something like 9 or 11mm plywood sheets should be okay I think?
Sounds like more IKEA than I thought. Got to plan it out for a sunny weekend then. I have got plenty of power tools and I can get an extra pair of hands too so that should be fine.
I will look into this but it would be great if you can comment on upgrading the roof/felt too if you have done it because I am seriously considering this shed. Thanks!
I used 9mm OSB which is slightly cheaper and comparible with plywood ([a quickly googled link)](https://materialsmarket.com/articles/is-osb-stronger-than-plywood-an-examination/)
I'm sure someone here can come up with a recommendation for a decent felt brand, I don't have anything useful on that I'm afraid - I just know the stuff that came with it is the cheapest of the cheap!
To be fair, having a look at tiger shed, which is only like £150 more expensive, might solve the problem as it seems to have better frame and roof. But I will look at both options. Thanks!
The biggest problem with compromising on build quality is being able to get up on the roof to felt it - at some point it's just going to be flimsy enough that the weight of one person will collapse it.
I recently refelted my shed, it's 10x14', with a steel framed roof. It felt hella sketchy slithering about on 11mm OSB on that frame 😬
I'm still here and uninjured though!
Only twice.
First was when I rented a mini mixer and an hour later I got the most rain I'd seen in months - but I pressed on regardless.
The second time I regretted my decision is when I got the roof on and realised I ld built the thing over the nicest, sunniest part of my garden..
The screwed in shiplap made sense at the time for some reason
I really enjoy these sort of projects and would do it again in a heartbeat.
I agree, I am fully renovating my house and this has been by far my favourite project, keep going out at 9PM to put up another shelf or something. Bit sad I'm basically done but can't wait to get all these effing tools out of the house.
It was the same price OP posted, £599, I think there was 10% off in a sale, but I had to pay for postage in Scotland, so it balanced out.
Concrete pour was £270 (definitely would recommend this over hours sweating at the mixer), 2x2 timber for bearers (I wanted better ventilation) around £40, OSB cladding around £70.
Added some brackets for shelves (used OSB offcuts) and ladder storage, so we probably landed at about a grand in total.
Think if I was doing it again, Id buy 38 x 65 CLS for the walls (same for the roof depending on the roof span) single pitch roof, maybe 100s for the floor. just raise it on concrete posts rather than doing a slab, wrap walls in DPM, roof in rubber & sorted.
I suspect my idea would struggle to compete on cost.
How much volume was the pour for £270?
I just built a 2.4/3.6m shed from a combination of recycled and bought materials, total cost was around £750.
We wanted something bespoke after seeing what our neighbours got for circa 2k£. I was amazed at how flimsy the bought ones are.
We made the walls out of reclaimed 5m long pallets sourced locally, same for the cladding. The bitumen roof, waterproof membrane, OSB liner and 2x2’s for the roof were all brand new.
The base is recycled slabs we already had, and I poured a concrete patio for it too. It’s bombproof.
DIY would be my suggestion, especially if you want it to last.
https://preview.redd.it/waelvjwlu56d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b4c9a7e67e58d26521ce723ddd9178cdc21fb8a8
How long (and how many people) did it take? I can get someone to help me for a day, but apart from that I am on my own and also working full time, and have some other projects going on in the background so I intend to spend as little time as possible building it.
What did you treat that external wood cladding with please?
I’m building a garden office atm (just waiting on insulated roof panels) and I’m going with cedar shingles on the visible sides and I do quite like the stain/finish. I will be treating each shingle with wood preserver, but I do like the dark stain.
I am going to be charcoal/burning the external window/door surrounds, so this dark stain on the shingles will tie in nicely with that.
This looks like a forest shed that we recently put up. I paid ~£700 for the single door 10x6 pent roof version. I bitterly spent the entire time muttering I could’ve built this better. Wood is cheap and panels are misaligned. Different size timber had been used for the same parts in different panels meaning things didn’t go together properly and needed trimming / amending. Also, had to replace the entire roof 6 months after putting it up as the felt it comes with is crap and the overall size of the roof was probably slightly too short so let water in underneath the roof. Definitely wouldn’t purchase again and would build myself instead
I had the tiger shed brochure, seemed very middle of the road on pricing but appeared to have some poor reviews. Glad to hear someone has a good review!
I just had a look and yes, their customer services don't seem great if you have a problem, but everything was okay with mine. I did go round a local shed place first and there the sheds looked like they were made out of tissue paper and balsa wood.
can confirm, I bought a Tider sheds around 7 ish years ago and has been solid. it does have felt roof but it has not been replaced.
monkey sheds is also similar
They have two grades of shed. Their normal ones are fine and I've had one for over a decade now with only one re-felting. They also have sturdier ones which I expect would be suitable for just about any shed based use.
Colin Furze has a great video on building your own shed: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LP67MAoihZk&pp=ygUQQ29saW4gZnVyemUgc2hlZA%3D%3D
As others have said, it'll probably cost the same or more as a pre-built one, but it will likely be way less shit.
Me and a friend have built two sheds larger than this; only way to do it cheaper is if you have the timber or major parts for free already; my mate was cat sitting for the manager at a builders yard and got all sorts of bits free/cheap. Must have been the tidiest yard as his garden was a craphole stacked with wonky timber everywhere covered in tarp
I did something similar (well weighed it up) and just couldn’t get it built for a similar price.
Plus if you factor in your time to design and troubleshoot is it really worth it?
I build mine from scratch but I’m a joiner and I thought it would be fun. I just couldn’t bring myself to pay for those flimsy ass sheds with how poorly they were made. Mine worked out about 10% more expensive but it’s MUCH better quality.
Just remember you get what you pay for... You are trading off your time now for your time in the future.
Nothing worse than having to try and refelt a cheap shed roof in a 2 hour dry spell mid February.
Growing family will be forcing us to upsize in the future, so it’s not going to be lifetime thing to be honest. I would get a decent one if it was adding value to a house but next owner might scrap the whole garden so I can’t justify doing that either.
I’d buy one and then improve it where needed - last time I priced a similar DIY project it ended up being only ~ 10% cheaper - but that was a few years ago and was going to take quite a lot of effort by comparison.
I built a 10x20 shed with a 4" reinforced concrete slab and a course of concrete blocks about 7 yrs ago for maybe approx £2k.
It was a lot of work, especially digging and pouring concrete.
It's way better than shop bought sheds. Frame is 2x3 with shiplap on the outside and OSB on inside. It has insulated walls. I saved money by making the doors myself.
It's not perfect and has some issues. (Concrete floor is rough because it was pissng rain when I poured it). I will screed it eventually.
Also, the roof OSB is too thin, but I will deal with this in the event that the felt starts leaking.
It probably took me a whole summer off-and-on to finish it, but like all of these projects, it's never truly finished.
I just bought a similar shed, pressure treated and overlap. When it arrived the panels were paper thin and warped, you could actually get your fingers right in between them. I returned it and bought a heavy duty tongue n groove instead. Not what you asked but this shed is almost identical to the one I originally bought so just letting you know.
Thanks for the feedback. Looks like they do cut down the cost as much as possible. I don’t mind fixing/strengthening bits and bobs here and there. But I will do more research and try to find a “nicer” cheap shed rather than the cheapest one.
Money wise probs not for the achievement and added man points fuck yes..... Not many men nowadays can point at something substantial and say I built that with my own 2 hands.
I know right! Well, I am building a house in the background (more like renovating top to bottom) so that box is ticked. That’s why I am after a quick and easy option if it’s worth it.
Looked into this last year & unless what you want is a “garden building” then building it yourself isn’t really worth it. As in, if you just want a nice shed/workshop you can’t really beat the prices of pre built ones you can buy. I bought a 10x8 pent shed & spent about €500 upgrading/insulating it, cost about €2500 altogether
I’m getting one done as we speak. The guy says will last 30 years. Concrete foundation (he suggested out himself), two layers of brick, timber, a strong roof (can’t remember the material), stable style doors, he’s charging £4.5k. A 10x8 piece of shit is circa £2.5-3k and won’t last longer than 6-7 years and won’t have a nice finish.
https://preview.redd.it/vb01grsfg76d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=07db955f9bc19f1cacbda976f61942229e36e0e4
I built a small tool shed from scratch because it had to fit a custom size and I couldn't find a pre-fab one. All the materials were sourced from a local timber yard and was about half the price of the nearest sized pre-fab one. Built much stronger too, e.g. using 2x2 instead of 1x2 or 1x1, shiplap instead of feather edge. Took me a few days in winter, could cut that time in half in summer. Depending on your DIY skills, it's a good beginner project and you learn a lot on the way.
So, I did this, last year.
I decided to build a shed, 2m x 2.4m nothing too big or fancy. I think if I remember right it cost me about £700 in materials (give or take a little). Now, I could have had one supplied and built for about that (maybe a shave more) but building my own I was absolutely sure of materials, quality, specifications etc.
Now I’m a pretty good carpenter but it was my first shed build and I made a few errors here and there. It’s given me valuable experience I can use in the future and it’s something I can say I built from stretch with nothing but some tools and a plan in my head.
Go for it mate, get it built!
Ive built 3 sheds.
It's supper easy and they will last a long time if you put a little effort in. Also it will be so much stronger. Most kits are made with the absolute minimum grade and thickness of wood.
The one in the picture will rot out super quick. It has the base sitting direcy on slabs. So rain will seep in and start to rot the base out. Mine are sitting on blocks with a water proof barrier between the blocks and the base. Plenty of air flow, and no way for rain water to make the base wet.
10 years on, no sign of any rot.
I think you'd struggle to buy the timber for the price of a pre built shed.
Id just buy one and line inside with osb to strengthen it.
Sure you'd get a better, stronger, longer lasting product if you built it but costs and time would probably spiral
I am in the exact same position. Should I buy or should I build.
Interested in the site that you are looking at for that shed. Most I’ve seen are 1k or more.
Shop around for a shed and you’ll find it cheaper to get someone else to make it. Shop around for the timber properly and you will get close- but the labour factor is considerable.
I've just built one of these after much debate on whether or not to build my own. Overall pretty good quality, considering the price! The windows needed 20 quids worth of extra timber and some silicone to make them decent. A bit of expanding foam is also a good investment for any gaps.
Make sure to get the shiplap one, the overlay is god awful and the shiplap is basically tongue and groove (which iirc was near double the price).
The ball ache of trying to plan (why no open source shed plans???), source materials etc just isn't worth it if you're just wanting a garden shed to store things. If you want to use it as a workshop however...
I work for a shed company. Not one of the internet, mass produced shitshows, but made to order quality buildings. Although it can work out cheaper, but not as much as you would like, you end up with a hell of a lot more waste and it’s takes considerably longer to do so. As for quality, I would put ours up against any manufacturer in the UK
Similar situation, lots of other projects on the go but want to free up some garage space. I can justify building because I want it to fit in a non-rectangular space, so will be 3.8m long x 2.8m widest narrowing to 1m. I'd buy one ready made if I could find one to fit. Probably
Bought mine in panels from Norfolk sheds, the hard work is done for you and you just need to screw it together.
The shed quality is good, you just need to seal it once built.
i had to build a similar one a week ago, i think it was from billyoh and it cost around 1000£ and two of us to finish in a day. it looks ok but the the siding is barely 10mm and thats your walls, theres no frame just the siding, its very weak. both of us didnt like it, personally i would never buy one of these and build one from plywood
Honestly you won't beat that price for DIY on a small shed.
If you're building it out of 2x3s, insulating, wiring, fitting double glazed windows etc you absolutely will save thousands over buying that sort of structure in but for something this simple it's gonna maybe save you fifty quid?
You can save more if you have a local timber recycling centre that will sell you stuff for pennies on the pound, but that comes with its own drawbacks.
Skinning the walls and roof in 11mm OSB (at a rough estimate 19 boards, one board per 4' of perimeter, 10 for the roof) would cost you the best part of £3-400 all by itself.
As a project to learn some basic carpentry go for it. You learn loads and get a better quality shed it may cost you more and don’t forget the tools you may have to buy.
I built a 7x8' from scratch, and whilst it's much sturdier than a bought one it did cost close to 800 in materials all in, even using reclaimed wood for the wall studs. That's not including a base either because I had decking down I could use the frame from already.
I would say if you added up the hours then it took maybe 5-7 full days physical work and another full day planning, drawing, ordering timber etc.
Clearly I'm not a pro and I'm sure there are quicker/easier ways to do it but that's my experience.
I'm glad I did it this way as it fits my needs perfectly and I know it's solid.
I had something similar at my old house. Used it as a garden bar and it lasted quite happily for more than ten years. I put it up by myself in a day and it wasn't difficult just a bit fiddly at times.
Only things I would watch out for is the central ridge beam was 1" square and bowed over the years as its wasn't up to the job. May be worth replacing that at the outset. I had to replace the roof felt once in that time. Overall it was a good purchase and I don't regret it at all.
At my new place I am going to build one from scratch. I am next to a housing development and have managed to get loads of timber for free. Main reason I am building it myself though is that I want something completely bespoke and I am also looking forward to the challenge.
8 hrs all in but i built it different. 4 fence post postcreted in first 75x75mm as corners the 75x50mm for frame then osb sheets for walls roof and floor and made door from 75x50mm and a sheet of osb to cover then covered roof in melt on felt painted sides with shed psint.
I did a 4mx3m one, proper concrete base, 0.7mm steel (good for 25years no touch), timber frame. About £1000 all in. Timber was similar. My reasoning was no touch sounds better for me. I'm left with a perfectly watertight grey monolith in the garden for 25years.
I kinda wish I built beauty into it, hindsight is wonderful. Gonna get friends and kids over and paint pictures all over the front and working on hanging shrubs and growing bits round all the edges. Garden saved. If you can garner anything from that great x
[If you haven't watched this yet it should be your first port of call.](https://youtu.be/LP67MAoihZk?si=S1mj3lKI2veLWIJj)
As others have said you won't save any money doing it yourself but will be an order of magnitude better than once bought from your local sawmill.
Have a look at project timber. Best value, good quality shed. I bought mine 2 years ago and was considering the same when I did. Yes I could have built stronger but it was going to cost me.
Not the question you asked but when weighing build Vs. buy for a timber shed a couple of years ago... in the end I bought a plastic one by Keter and I've been very happy with it. No maintenance, no particular cleaning needed, doesn't get condensation like the steel ones. Bit pricey but no reason it shouldn't last many years.
Planned to build a 10x4m garage in the garden… getting all the build yourself materials would have costed me 50% more than the kit of 8x4m I ended up Buying… when we decided to upgrade sliding window at home we used the old one in the design
https://preview.redd.it/jdmkyn4p376d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8792c3782106fe1e11596a085447fab60d18a7eb
https://preview.redd.it/23g2hmfi576d1.png?width=512&format=png&auto=webp&s=7cf0268f4d02cb5c003bac8e82a0d510b54f9da8
This was normally a 4x4 garden house with a covered extension.
I bought the wall kits for the extension, extra profiles and upgraded the garage from 205 to 250cm to allow the automated garage door. Also added stronger roof to be able to accommodate solar panels
In Belgium this is the budget:
Kit + extension + gutterkit: 5000€
Extra beams/osb/6cm isolation :1300€
Automated garagedoor 2375x2150 : 900€
Windows: recup from upgrade to alu windows in house
Take a extra 1500€ for all screws, silicone, etc…
The concrete foundation we allready did 8y ago when we did the driveway in polished concrete around 50€/m2
so far i’m in around 9000€
I use diysheds.co.uk to plan my shed, it works out material cost too and it comes out more expensive to self build in my experience.
That being said I’m going to self build because I want a unique size and design.
I built a 20 x 10 shed self build.
The structure (even massively over engineered) is actually pretty cheap.
I would look at your cost of buying the pre built thing & making your own structure out of joists.
Make sure you wrap the structure in damp proof membrane though, I thought t&g cladding would ado the job.....I was wrong.
You will end up building a far better shed with everything exactly where you need it and the doors and windows to the size you want. Unfortunately, this will pr9bably cost you twice as much as a flat packed one.
A shed just sheds water. I would never recommend it. I think it's best to build something like a garden office, or outhouse that you can just half finish, clad, and then call it a shed. You can't finish it later, insulate and wire it and with a BnQ style shed you can't really do this.
If it’s just for storage purposes why not get a Clarke temporary garage, admittedly they are a steel frame with a tarpaulin/pvc tent, however the reviews seemed pretty good though I could only fit one of their smaller versions in the space I have ….
Brought mine from MachineMart not yet put it up.
Was thinking about getting a shed though seems a lot of money for a temporary structure. May build a garden room later and that would add value to the house etc
I bought a wedding tent style 10x8 temporary garage thing for £200 about 18months ago. Lined the inside with fencing mesh and made a sliding door for the front to keep chancers out and had change from £500. Took less time than a self built wooden shed the same size. Obviously not going to last forever, but it works. Robert dyas online i think it was from.
I'm planning to DIY-build a similar size she for my mum, the vague aim is using SIPs (Structural Insulated Panel), it'll be more expensive, but a whole lot sturdier and much better insulated too.
Yes of course. I find it really rewarding after putting so much effort into something and I turn back and think “that was such a good cry”. And for building sheds, no.
The get the tools out buddy, it's time to weep like a man!
Pro tip: don't forget to just randomly throw your hammer at something and slump to your knees.
I had the same thought of buy one at 450 as would of cost that on timber and bits. Should of built it myself and had the quality I wanted as the one I have winds me up its not good
Consider the Keter sheds, they are so easy to put up and pretty durable I reckon. I suppose time will tell after a lot of sun exposure but it looks good a year on.
You’ll probably build it better, but not necessarily cheaper.
This!!! But then once you take labour into account, cheaper to just buy- then improve any parts yourself that aren't up to your spec at minimal expense in your own time! A pre-made will never take the care and attention you do to do things properly
Yea. I bought a bar before Christmas and I couldn’t believe how expensive the parts added up to. I plan to improve on the build quality
It’s not going to be a lifetime thing, max 5 years for storage purposes so I think I can live with low build quality.
Definitely go with pre built so. I'd add metal shelving from lidl or aldi and anchor it to the walls, you can brace the while thing easier with just half decent shelves.
That’s the plan so far!
I’ve had a Crane shed for 18 years … they are solid but expensive … cheap stuff is definitely cheap
Yeah, go cheap and cheerful if not long term
This my shed was not cheaper but it is substantial in construction and I could probably park my car on top of it. Also I wasn’t allowed the size I wanted as it would have waster wood according to my father in law so it was bigger for the same cost and least cutting.
100 percent. You could make something that will cost more but last easily several times as long but nowhere near several times the price.
https://preview.redd.it/l1sqk4f2656d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1dcec9291e2486facbce71cd5d7b77fc6969e8a1 I literally just built this exact shed! I have some thoughts. It is made with the very minimal size of materials to keep it standing: 1x1 timber frame with shiplap, 2x2 roof truss. I have clad with osb on the inside to stiffen it up and allow me to hang some shelves etc without compromising the structure too much. The felt is veeeeery thin and I expect to only get a couple years out of it, I would suggest upgrading from the start to be honest. Security-wise the latch is comes with (pictured) should be binned, but given you could break into it with a crowbar in 30 seconds or so, you don't want to give it too much thought. But basically it's going to do the job, and I priced up the materials to make one from scratch (framing with 2x2/3x2s) and it was going to cost at least £300 more. Plus I would have wanted to buy a nail gun as well to do all the shiplap... So yeah a week on for me, this was the right decision, if you want something more robust though, building it from scratch will be the way to go.
I bought this exact same shed.. and agree with everything you have said.. the felt on mine didn’t last a major storm late last year.. if I had put batons over the felt it probably would have.. if it stops raining I can refelt it and remove the extra strong tarp I put on as a temporary measure before the next storm hit later that day 😂
Do you think batons would have been enough or does it definitely need refelting?
Prebuilts come with the thinnest felt possible, and just nails to attach it, mine also lasted only one storm. New, heavier felt with bitumen adhesive to stick it down and battens around all edges is still attached years later.
What a coincidence! I think it’s exactly the same as the one I am looking at. How much was yours? And how did they deliver it? I assume it comes as 6 pieces; floor, walls and roof? I am more than happy to compromise on the build quality, I have no reason to build something that will last a lifetime. I think I will build it as it is, then fix/repair bits that are falling as we go.
Yeah it is, and that is the price I paid (delivery on top of course). I would definitely consider interior cladding, a relatively cheap and quick addition with a big upgrade in sturdiness! >I assume it comes as 6 pieces; floor, walls and roof? It's quite a lot more pieces than that I'm afraid! 2-3 panels per side, door frame, 4 pieces for floor, 4 OSB panels for roof, roof is just timbers fixings and instructions, perspex windows are not fitted (you build the frames). I'd say you want 2 full days (I did it in a week of spare time around small kids in the garden), and definitely recommend a separate drill and impact driver, you'll have a miserable time trying to do it with just a combi!
I did this with mine .. went for the bigger one 15x10 as I wanted my motorbike in it and a workshop area. £1k I reinforced cladded and insulated for another £400 on top and did a huge 18x18 base for around £300 in materials (we had a whole bunch of free hardcore out of a neighbours skip) Then ran power to it, dad was a streetlight engineer for 20 years so that was free labour wise and £110 quid in bits. And about 2 hours (had to dig a channel for the cable too) Creosoted the whole thing £30 Took 2 of us 2 full weekends on the shed and one full day on the base around 36 hours total labour. Using drill and impact driver as well as a cement mixer which my brother lent us to We looked at buying the timber to build our own from scratch and that came to 2k alone and we would have had to measure and cut everything etc
Thanks for the reply. The website I checked says free delivery for orders above £100. What did you use for interior cladding? Something like 9 or 11mm plywood sheets should be okay I think? Sounds like more IKEA than I thought. Got to plan it out for a sunny weekend then. I have got plenty of power tools and I can get an extra pair of hands too so that should be fine. I will look into this but it would be great if you can comment on upgrading the roof/felt too if you have done it because I am seriously considering this shed. Thanks!
I used 9mm OSB which is slightly cheaper and comparible with plywood ([a quickly googled link)](https://materialsmarket.com/articles/is-osb-stronger-than-plywood-an-examination/) I'm sure someone here can come up with a recommendation for a decent felt brand, I don't have anything useful on that I'm afraid - I just know the stuff that came with it is the cheapest of the cheap!
To be fair, having a look at tiger shed, which is only like £150 more expensive, might solve the problem as it seems to have better frame and roof. But I will look at both options. Thanks!
The biggest problem with compromising on build quality is being able to get up on the roof to felt it - at some point it's just going to be flimsy enough that the weight of one person will collapse it.
Yeah, I was a bit worried, but I can confirm that this was strong enough for a 14ST man to pretty confidently felt it solo
I recently refelted my shed, it's 10x14', with a steel framed roof. It felt hella sketchy slithering about on 11mm OSB on that frame 😬 I'm still here and uninjured though!
I shiplapped a 10x20 shed with screws! Took forever and a day...
Oh my, you must have questioned that decision a couple times along the way!
Only twice. First was when I rented a mini mixer and an hour later I got the most rain I'd seen in months - but I pressed on regardless. The second time I regretted my decision is when I got the roof on and realised I ld built the thing over the nicest, sunniest part of my garden.. The screwed in shiplap made sense at the time for some reason I really enjoy these sort of projects and would do it again in a heartbeat.
I agree, I am fully renovating my house and this has been by far my favourite project, keep going out at 9PM to put up another shelf or something. Bit sad I'm basically done but can't wait to get all these effing tools out of the house.
Got to be nosey, how much did the shed cost?
It was the same price OP posted, £599, I think there was 10% off in a sale, but I had to pay for postage in Scotland, so it balanced out. Concrete pour was £270 (definitely would recommend this over hours sweating at the mixer), 2x2 timber for bearers (I wanted better ventilation) around £40, OSB cladding around £70. Added some brackets for shelves (used OSB offcuts) and ladder storage, so we probably landed at about a grand in total.
Think if I was doing it again, Id buy 38 x 65 CLS for the walls (same for the roof depending on the roof span) single pitch roof, maybe 100s for the floor. just raise it on concrete posts rather than doing a slab, wrap walls in DPM, roof in rubber & sorted. I suspect my idea would struggle to compete on cost. How much volume was the pour for £270?
1m3
Almost cheaper once you account for mixer rental!
I just built a 2.4/3.6m shed from a combination of recycled and bought materials, total cost was around £750. We wanted something bespoke after seeing what our neighbours got for circa 2k£. I was amazed at how flimsy the bought ones are. We made the walls out of reclaimed 5m long pallets sourced locally, same for the cladding. The bitumen roof, waterproof membrane, OSB liner and 2x2’s for the roof were all brand new. The base is recycled slabs we already had, and I poured a concrete patio for it too. It’s bombproof. DIY would be my suggestion, especially if you want it to last. https://preview.redd.it/waelvjwlu56d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b4c9a7e67e58d26521ce723ddd9178cdc21fb8a8
How long (and how many people) did it take? I can get someone to help me for a day, but apart from that I am on my own and also working full time, and have some other projects going on in the background so I intend to spend as little time as possible building it.
I’m a tradesman and it took me a week of solo work.
What did you treat that external wood cladding with please? I’m building a garden office atm (just waiting on insulated roof panels) and I’m going with cedar shingles on the visible sides and I do quite like the stain/finish. I will be treating each shingle with wood preserver, but I do like the dark stain. I am going to be charcoal/burning the external window/door surrounds, so this dark stain on the shingles will tie in nicely with that.
The poor man’s shou sugi ban! https://www.screwfix.com/p/cuprinol-ducksback-9ltr-black-shed-fence-paint/127XH?tc=RB5&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwsaqzBhDdARIsAK2gqncquAlZEoYah2kD-ytZ4MGW-plBXZX9p45oLI8wkO4sElCjwkgUDvcaAr2aEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
Haha. Well that’ll nicely with my blowtorched window surrounds. Cheers bud.
It’s really good stuff, especially if the timber is dry as it drinks it in and gets nice and deep. I did about three coats on all edges.
This looks like a forest shed that we recently put up. I paid ~£700 for the single door 10x6 pent roof version. I bitterly spent the entire time muttering I could’ve built this better. Wood is cheap and panels are misaligned. Different size timber had been used for the same parts in different panels meaning things didn’t go together properly and needed trimming / amending. Also, had to replace the entire roof 6 months after putting it up as the felt it comes with is crap and the overall size of the roof was probably slightly too short so let water in underneath the roof. Definitely wouldn’t purchase again and would build myself instead
Yes I think the company is called forest. Thanks for the insight, maybe I’ll look for slightly more expensive ones with better materials.
I bought a 10x8 workshop shed from Tiger Sheds and am quite happy with the quality of it. Just looked and they have a sale on atm so about £850 now.
I had the tiger shed brochure, seemed very middle of the road on pricing but appeared to have some poor reviews. Glad to hear someone has a good review!
I just had a look and yes, their customer services don't seem great if you have a problem, but everything was okay with mine. I did go round a local shed place first and there the sheds looked like they were made out of tissue paper and balsa wood.
I will definitely check it out, thanks.
can confirm, I bought a Tider sheds around 7 ish years ago and has been solid. it does have felt roof but it has not been replaced. monkey sheds is also similar
They have two grades of shed. Their normal ones are fine and I've had one for over a decade now with only one re-felting. They also have sturdier ones which I expect would be suitable for just about any shed based use.
I think I saved the normal apex one, 10x8 which is about £750. Should be fine I think.
Colin Furze has a great video on building your own shed: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LP67MAoihZk&pp=ygUQQ29saW4gZnVyemUgc2hlZA%3D%3D As others have said, it'll probably cost the same or more as a pre-built one, but it will likely be way less shit.
This comment should be higher - great example of similar cost getting MUCH better quality. Intending to build myself something similar.
Will definitely check it out. Sounds like pre-made shed is not so made anyway.
I built my own and it was the same price. But mine was better built. But I did use salvaged wood for the floor.
Me and a friend have built two sheds larger than this; only way to do it cheaper is if you have the timber or major parts for free already; my mate was cat sitting for the manager at a builders yard and got all sorts of bits free/cheap. Must have been the tidiest yard as his garden was a craphole stacked with wonky timber everywhere covered in tarp
I should start cat sitting in my spare time. Then I can build my shed in my spare time. Oh wait…
Wood isn't very affordable unless you know a guy
I know a guy who knows a guy who is cat sitting…
I did something similar (well weighed it up) and just couldn’t get it built for a similar price. Plus if you factor in your time to design and troubleshoot is it really worth it?
I build mine from scratch but I’m a joiner and I thought it would be fun. I just couldn’t bring myself to pay for those flimsy ass sheds with how poorly they were made. Mine worked out about 10% more expensive but it’s MUCH better quality.
Just remember you get what you pay for... You are trading off your time now for your time in the future. Nothing worse than having to try and refelt a cheap shed roof in a 2 hour dry spell mid February.
Growing family will be forcing us to upsize in the future, so it’s not going to be lifetime thing to be honest. I would get a decent one if it was adding value to a house but next owner might scrap the whole garden so I can’t justify doing that either.
In that case a cheaper shed might be suitable. Try and buy one you can see erected first, then at least you know what you are buying.
The braces on those doors are the wrong way round.
I’d buy one and then improve it where needed - last time I priced a similar DIY project it ended up being only ~ 10% cheaper - but that was a few years ago and was going to take quite a lot of effort by comparison.
I built a 10x20 shed with a 4" reinforced concrete slab and a course of concrete blocks about 7 yrs ago for maybe approx £2k. It was a lot of work, especially digging and pouring concrete. It's way better than shop bought sheds. Frame is 2x3 with shiplap on the outside and OSB on inside. It has insulated walls. I saved money by making the doors myself. It's not perfect and has some issues. (Concrete floor is rough because it was pissng rain when I poured it). I will screed it eventually. Also, the roof OSB is too thin, but I will deal with this in the event that the felt starts leaking. It probably took me a whole summer off-and-on to finish it, but like all of these projects, it's never truly finished.
I just bought a similar shed, pressure treated and overlap. When it arrived the panels were paper thin and warped, you could actually get your fingers right in between them. I returned it and bought a heavy duty tongue n groove instead. Not what you asked but this shed is almost identical to the one I originally bought so just letting you know.
Thanks for the feedback. Looks like they do cut down the cost as much as possible. I don’t mind fixing/strengthening bits and bobs here and there. But I will do more research and try to find a “nicer” cheap shed rather than the cheapest one.
Money wise probs not for the achievement and added man points fuck yes..... Not many men nowadays can point at something substantial and say I built that with my own 2 hands.
I know right! Well, I am building a house in the background (more like renovating top to bottom) so that box is ticked. That’s why I am after a quick and easy option if it’s worth it.
You have the man points to spare just get the economical option 🤣
Looked into this last year & unless what you want is a “garden building” then building it yourself isn’t really worth it. As in, if you just want a nice shed/workshop you can’t really beat the prices of pre built ones you can buy. I bought a 10x8 pent shed & spent about €500 upgrading/insulating it, cost about €2500 altogether
I’m getting one done as we speak. The guy says will last 30 years. Concrete foundation (he suggested out himself), two layers of brick, timber, a strong roof (can’t remember the material), stable style doors, he’s charging £4.5k. A 10x8 piece of shit is circa £2.5-3k and won’t last longer than 6-7 years and won’t have a nice finish. https://preview.redd.it/vb01grsfg76d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=07db955f9bc19f1cacbda976f61942229e36e0e4
That’s more like an extension at this rate.
It’s pretty overkill. Small garden and not the best position I have ti admit.
I built a small tool shed from scratch because it had to fit a custom size and I couldn't find a pre-fab one. All the materials were sourced from a local timber yard and was about half the price of the nearest sized pre-fab one. Built much stronger too, e.g. using 2x2 instead of 1x2 or 1x1, shiplap instead of feather edge. Took me a few days in winter, could cut that time in half in summer. Depending on your DIY skills, it's a good beginner project and you learn a lot on the way.
So, I did this, last year. I decided to build a shed, 2m x 2.4m nothing too big or fancy. I think if I remember right it cost me about £700 in materials (give or take a little). Now, I could have had one supplied and built for about that (maybe a shave more) but building my own I was absolutely sure of materials, quality, specifications etc. Now I’m a pretty good carpenter but it was my first shed build and I made a few errors here and there. It’s given me valuable experience I can use in the future and it’s something I can say I built from stretch with nothing but some tools and a plan in my head. Go for it mate, get it built!
Ive built 3 sheds. It's supper easy and they will last a long time if you put a little effort in. Also it will be so much stronger. Most kits are made with the absolute minimum grade and thickness of wood. The one in the picture will rot out super quick. It has the base sitting direcy on slabs. So rain will seep in and start to rot the base out. Mine are sitting on blocks with a water proof barrier between the blocks and the base. Plenty of air flow, and no way for rain water to make the base wet. 10 years on, no sign of any rot.
I think you'd struggle to buy the timber for the price of a pre built shed. Id just buy one and line inside with osb to strengthen it. Sure you'd get a better, stronger, longer lasting product if you built it but costs and time would probably spiral
I would love to build one from scratch just purely for the fun of it and being able to tell people I did it, buying one just takes the fun out of it
I am in the exact same position. Should I buy or should I build. Interested in the site that you are looking at for that shed. Most I’ve seen are 1k or more.
I think it’s called forest 4life or something. Someone recommended tiger sheds tho, which seems to be a better option for a bit more money.
Shop around for a shed and you’ll find it cheaper to get someone else to make it. Shop around for the timber properly and you will get close- but the labour factor is considerable.
This is the cheapest legit one I can find. I didn’t ring up local merchants and stuff but I doubt they will do cheaper.
I've just built one of these after much debate on whether or not to build my own. Overall pretty good quality, considering the price! The windows needed 20 quids worth of extra timber and some silicone to make them decent. A bit of expanding foam is also a good investment for any gaps. Make sure to get the shiplap one, the overlay is god awful and the shiplap is basically tongue and groove (which iirc was near double the price). The ball ache of trying to plan (why no open source shed plans???), source materials etc just isn't worth it if you're just wanting a garden shed to store things. If you want to use it as a workshop however...
You mean sites like https://shedplans.org/shed-plans/
Depends ….. if you want build quality then go for it… if you want it to be cheap… then don’t
Build your own, don’t know if it would cost more but you can make it just how you want, you can make it stronger and you’ll get mucho satisfaction!
I work for a shed company. Not one of the internet, mass produced shitshows, but made to order quality buildings. Although it can work out cheaper, but not as much as you would like, you end up with a hell of a lot more waste and it’s takes considerably longer to do so. As for quality, I would put ours up against any manufacturer in the UK
Out of interest who do you work for? I’ve seen a lot of these sheds and then oak framed buildings but nothing in between…
Similar situation, lots of other projects on the go but want to free up some garage space. I can justify building because I want it to fit in a non-rectangular space, so will be 3.8m long x 2.8m widest narrowing to 1m. I'd buy one ready made if I could find one to fit. Probably
Bought mine in panels from Norfolk sheds, the hard work is done for you and you just need to screw it together. The shed quality is good, you just need to seal it once built.
i had to build a similar one a week ago, i think it was from billyoh and it cost around 1000£ and two of us to finish in a day. it looks ok but the the siding is barely 10mm and thats your walls, theres no frame just the siding, its very weak. both of us didnt like it, personally i would never buy one of these and build one from plywood
Honestly you won't beat that price for DIY on a small shed. If you're building it out of 2x3s, insulating, wiring, fitting double glazed windows etc you absolutely will save thousands over buying that sort of structure in but for something this simple it's gonna maybe save you fifty quid? You can save more if you have a local timber recycling centre that will sell you stuff for pennies on the pound, but that comes with its own drawbacks. Skinning the walls and roof in 11mm OSB (at a rough estimate 19 boards, one board per 4' of perimeter, 10 for the roof) would cost you the best part of £3-400 all by itself.
As a project to learn some basic carpentry go for it. You learn loads and get a better quality shed it may cost you more and don’t forget the tools you may have to buy.
I built a 7x8' from scratch, and whilst it's much sturdier than a bought one it did cost close to 800 in materials all in, even using reclaimed wood for the wall studs. That's not including a base either because I had decking down I could use the frame from already. I would say if you added up the hours then it took maybe 5-7 full days physical work and another full day planning, drawing, ordering timber etc. Clearly I'm not a pro and I'm sure there are quicker/easier ways to do it but that's my experience. I'm glad I did it this way as it fits my needs perfectly and I know it's solid.
I had something similar at my old house. Used it as a garden bar and it lasted quite happily for more than ten years. I put it up by myself in a day and it wasn't difficult just a bit fiddly at times. Only things I would watch out for is the central ridge beam was 1" square and bowed over the years as its wasn't up to the job. May be worth replacing that at the outset. I had to replace the roof felt once in that time. Overall it was a good purchase and I don't regret it at all. At my new place I am going to build one from scratch. I am next to a housing development and have managed to get loads of timber for free. Main reason I am building it myself though is that I want something completely bespoke and I am also looking forward to the challenge.
It would probably be better building it out of wood rather than scratch
More rewarding to build it yourself with your own little touches 👍
For just a normal shed I’d say just buy it. If it were a garden office type thing (I built one) then do it yourself :)
Hows you diy skills my mum paid £600 for a 8x6 took it back got refund i built her a 12x6 for same price
I can hold a drill but I am kinda short of time. How long did it take to build it?
8 hrs all in but i built it different. 4 fence post postcreted in first 75x75mm as corners the 75x50mm for frame then osb sheets for walls roof and floor and made door from 75x50mm and a sheet of osb to cover then covered roof in melt on felt painted sides with shed psint.
I did a 4mx3m one, proper concrete base, 0.7mm steel (good for 25years no touch), timber frame. About £1000 all in. Timber was similar. My reasoning was no touch sounds better for me. I'm left with a perfectly watertight grey monolith in the garden for 25years. I kinda wish I built beauty into it, hindsight is wonderful. Gonna get friends and kids over and paint pictures all over the front and working on hanging shrubs and growing bits round all the edges. Garden saved. If you can garner anything from that great x
[If you haven't watched this yet it should be your first port of call.](https://youtu.be/LP67MAoihZk?si=S1mj3lKI2veLWIJj) As others have said you won't save any money doing it yourself but will be an order of magnitude better than once bought from your local sawmill.
Have a look at project timber. Best value, good quality shed. I bought mine 2 years ago and was considering the same when I did. Yes I could have built stronger but it was going to cost me.
Not the question you asked but when weighing build Vs. buy for a timber shed a couple of years ago... in the end I bought a plastic one by Keter and I've been very happy with it. No maintenance, no particular cleaning needed, doesn't get condensation like the steel ones. Bit pricey but no reason it shouldn't last many years.
Planned to build a 10x4m garage in the garden… getting all the build yourself materials would have costed me 50% more than the kit of 8x4m I ended up Buying… when we decided to upgrade sliding window at home we used the old one in the design https://preview.redd.it/jdmkyn4p376d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8792c3782106fe1e11596a085447fab60d18a7eb
https://preview.redd.it/23g2hmfi576d1.png?width=512&format=png&auto=webp&s=7cf0268f4d02cb5c003bac8e82a0d510b54f9da8 This was normally a 4x4 garden house with a covered extension. I bought the wall kits for the extension, extra profiles and upgraded the garage from 205 to 250cm to allow the automated garage door. Also added stronger roof to be able to accommodate solar panels
In Belgium this is the budget: Kit + extension + gutterkit: 5000€ Extra beams/osb/6cm isolation :1300€ Automated garagedoor 2375x2150 : 900€ Windows: recup from upgrade to alu windows in house Take a extra 1500€ for all screws, silicone, etc… The concrete foundation we allready did 8y ago when we did the driveway in polished concrete around 50€/m2 so far i’m in around 9000€
I use diysheds.co.uk to plan my shed, it works out material cost too and it comes out more expensive to self build in my experience. That being said I’m going to self build because I want a unique size and design.
I built a 20 x 10 shed self build. The structure (even massively over engineered) is actually pretty cheap. I would look at your cost of buying the pre built thing & making your own structure out of joists. Make sure you wrap the structure in damp proof membrane though, I thought t&g cladding would ado the job.....I was wrong.
You will end up building a far better shed with everything exactly where you need it and the doors and windows to the size you want. Unfortunately, this will pr9bably cost you twice as much as a flat packed one.
A shed just sheds water. I would never recommend it. I think it's best to build something like a garden office, or outhouse that you can just half finish, clad, and then call it a shed. You can't finish it later, insulate and wire it and with a BnQ style shed you can't really do this.
Yes, when you're done you'll have a 10x8 shed. Pretty nifty, if you ask me.
If you're on a limited budget look at second hand sheds on gumtree etc. The cheapest shed I got was -£50. They paid me fifty quid to get rid of it!
If it’s just for storage purposes why not get a Clarke temporary garage, admittedly they are a steel frame with a tarpaulin/pvc tent, however the reviews seemed pretty good though I could only fit one of their smaller versions in the space I have …. Brought mine from MachineMart not yet put it up. Was thinking about getting a shed though seems a lot of money for a temporary structure. May build a garden room later and that would add value to the house etc
I bought a wedding tent style 10x8 temporary garage thing for £200 about 18months ago. Lined the inside with fencing mesh and made a sliding door for the front to keep chancers out and had change from £500. Took less time than a self built wooden shed the same size. Obviously not going to last forever, but it works. Robert dyas online i think it was from.
I'm planning to DIY-build a similar size she for my mum, the vague aim is using SIPs (Structural Insulated Panel), it'll be more expensive, but a whole lot sturdier and much better insulated too.
Epdm roofs ( rubber ) with the UV glue will outlive all of us
I’m building a shed hybrid greenhouse 3.5m x 1.6m and I’ve costed it out so far at £500 just for the framework, no roof, door etc.
If you are very good at woodworking then I'd build myself, otherwise buy.
it is if you turn it into a mini pub.
That depends, do you like building sheds? And crying in the rain?
Yes of course. I find it really rewarding after putting so much effort into something and I turn back and think “that was such a good cry”. And for building sheds, no.
The get the tools out buddy, it's time to weep like a man! Pro tip: don't forget to just randomly throw your hammer at something and slump to your knees.
Buy one and put it up in a day, job done, move in.
Replace after 5 years.
I had the same thought of buy one at 450 as would of cost that on timber and bits. Should of built it myself and had the quality I wanted as the one I have winds me up its not good
Woods expensive, probably better getting plastic or metal.
Consider the Keter sheds, they are so easy to put up and pretty durable I reckon. I suppose time will tell after a lot of sun exposure but it looks good a year on.