As a nation of storage fanatics, us Brits do love a shed.

With an eclectic mix of habits ranging from the solitary man cave to those of us who love to throw bunting and fairy lights at it, the typical British shed is a versatile garden essential.

Renowned for accommodating miscellaneous paraphernalia and the odd gathering of teenages, the trusted garden shed is the protector of all things from fishing and furniture to bikes and barbecues and of course the obligatory swingball set’.

So once we have set our heart on getting our perfect shed, how on earth do we go about getting one delivered before the next millennium? It would appear that choosing a shed is the quick and easy part yet getting it requires an exceptional level of patience.

Well fear not… to serve those of us who are not in the realms of waiting, our love for forward planning should see you right for a shed this side of Christmas! We stock and store sheds, and, if we don’t have sheds, we can make sheds. Simple.

Totally bored of waiting?, but really, why does it take so long to get a shed?

Well, this is because most sheds are manufactured outside of the UK, commonly within Scandinavia, so waiting lists and shipping are often the key factors to such an arduous wait. On average shed availability for the most popular sizes can range anywhere from 42 days to 16 weeks.

A new garden and storage facility will spark joy in most of us however with timescales utterly excruciating at the moment, that void where the new shed should be is leaving us feeling slightly bereft and unfulfilled.

So why as garden construction specialists have we dipped our toe into the Shed Business? Well that’s easy, simply because of a continuous stream of heartfelt woes and frustrations about timescales, assembly and ground preparation.  

It goes without saying that as hard landscapers, anything directly associated with the ground preparation for your new shed, is indeed an added benefit, because getting your ground level is more important than you think.

Now I appreciate that there is lots to consider when thinking about sheds… you know things like cost and prices, timescales and delivery, what type of wood, is it treated, is it low maintenance or does it require continuous upkeep, what style, what size, which is the strongest, how do we build it, what is shiplap, overlap, tongue and groove and of course the pricing phenomenon – well let us discuss…

Basically the quality and price of most sheds is pretty standard across the board as they are all mass produced for bulk buying. The price difference comes with the treatments of the timber during production as well as the construction style itself, so let’s talk some more about the differences and why prices can vary so much. A shed is a shed, surley? Well no, because that would be too easy wouldn’t it.?…

And you may have heard the phrase ‘Time or Money’ so let me clarify the finer points on this in relation to our precious sheds.

Firstly the most cost effective method is dipping. Again less money, more time with added maintenance. Once the shed has been assembled into panels or pieces, the timber is dipped into a chemical treatment. This is a more speedy process and therefore reflected in the price, however do bear in mind that it will involve annual treatments to keep the wood protected. The wood is often darker in colour post dipping, however because the treatment does not soak all the way through the timber then the colour will fade and and the upkeep with regular maintenance is required.

Tanalised timber on the other hand goes through a pressurised treatment with a mixture of chemicals before it is constructed into panels. Tanalised timber is less likely to succumb to fungus and wood eating insects and is more hardened to adverse weather conditions and rotting. This  treated timber is often guaranteed for upto ten years without the need for additional maintenance. This time, more money but less time. It all depends on your budget and personal lifestyle.

Overlap cladding is often a lot thinner and is more susceptible to the elements however this is reflected in its cheaper price.  

Tongue and Groove is strong because of the way that the timbers interlock however does not have the superior water run off that shiplap does.

Shiplap cladding is thicker wood and designed to assist with water run-off as it has small grooves to help disperse water and keep it protected against moisture so therefore slightly more expensive.

Something to last the test of time…

As we have mentioned the different types of construction with mass produced sheds, let me give a brief insight into the handmade approach with a more sturdy application. Introducing the Mango homemade shed.

So, how safe do we need our shed to be? Seeing that the principle purpose of the shed is to store our belongings, and let’s face it, we often have a lot of value squirreled away in these timber boxes, we are prepared to lovingly create your homemade shed which will be more secure and robust, but it comes at a price.

We use only treated timber from a local specialist timber merchant. Options to upgrade to hardwood or the ultimate composite shed are indeed available however this will most likely blow the shed budget out of the water, but the security shouldn’t be an issue!

The type of wood we use here is much thicker than the standard planks used for overlap with a contrast of using a minimum thickness of 16mm plained instead of the minimum 7-10mm of overlap. The floor we will be fitting beats the common plywood flooring on the mass produced sheds by being 25% thicker using OSB (woodchip) which is more moisture resistant and actually more cost effective that ply too, so a double win. This shed will be more heavy and therefore will need to sit on a solid concrete base. Whilst this is more of an investment than an off the shelf option, it is indeed a solid piece.

Anyway, I could talk all day about sheds but I hope I have addressed some of the questions to help with the process of considering what shed is best. If you would like to talk some more and find out about stock, availability, bases and installation then please click the button below to contact us.