Thank you for visiting our store!

Our small team here at Pro-Sheds collectively have around 100 years’ experience in selling Garden Buildings of all kinds, so we thought it might be of help if we share some of our thoughts.

The choice of garden building will depend upon many factors including, Purpose, Budget, Space Available and the Style and Presentation in your garden. Pay particular attention to the Eaves and Ridge heights of each of the buildings, particularly if you are tall! 

Garden Buildings are available in Timber (Wooden), Metal or Plastic / PVC. Each choice of material will have its advantages and some drawbacks.   

In the UK the vast majority of garden buildings are manufactured from Northern European Softwood or for more economical buildings, home grown, lower quality timber might be used. The reality is that the further north timber is grown, the slower it grows and the density and quality increases. Nearly all of the buildings available in this store will use timber that is grown above a latitude line of 60 degrees North (e.g. Northern Scandinavia) ensuring only the highest grades of wood. All of our wooden buildings will be subject to independent FSC certification ensuring the highest standard of sustainability. Every tree cut down is replaced with at least one sapling.

Please be aware that Timber is a natural material, it is subject to some swelling due to moisture in winter and some shrinkage in dry summers, some easing of windows and doors might be required from time to time, manufacturers will not offer this service as part of the guarantee. Loose knots and some surface cracks or “shakes” are a natural feature of timber they do not affect the performance of the building and are not considered to be faults.  Also please understand that whilst we do try to make the photography as realistic as possible shades of stain and colours may vary from that shown.    

Whilst quality and specification vary, wooden garden buildings fall neatly into Two categories.

Overlap Panels

Sheds, Storage Units and a limited number of Summerhouses use this method of construction. It is important to understand that this is the entry level or budget part of the market. The buildings are constructed using a simple frame clad with approximately 6mm thick, rough sawn boards simply lapped, one over the other to deflect the rain. Products in this category will generally have Oriented Strand Board (OSB) roofs and floors. This has the appearance of chipboard but is resin bonded so as to give considerable protection from water ingress. The thickness of the framing for these buildings is very important as this adds considerably to strength and rigidity. The overlap buildings in this store all feature 34mm square framing which is up to 45% larger than much of the competition.

With the exception of a very high-end machined overlap shed that can sometimes be purchased, all buildings (from any manufacturer) in this category will be subject to some warping of the
boards, between very wet or very dry conditions. They do, however, still represent outstanding value for money,    

Shiplap or Tongue and Grooved Panels.

Used for better garden sheds, summerhouses, garden rooms and playhouses, this method is a step up from overlap construction, here all of the cladding boards will be 11 to 12mm thick (nearly twice the thickness of the cladding on overlap). In this store the timber will all be very high grade Northern European Pine unless otherwise stated on the product. Each cladding board will feature a tongue section on the top and a groove along the bottom, so each cladding board locks into the next, giving outstanding weather protection and resistance to warping. Roofs and floors may still be OSB but often buildings in this sector will feature fully tongued and grooved panels. With this higher specification, buildings will also often feature joinery standard windows and ledge and braced doors.

 

Interlocking Log Panels

Other construction methods include traditional log cabins. These buildings follow the tongue and groove or shiplap principle but will offer you a much thicker cladding board, from 19 mm up to 44mm sometimes even 75mm (3” inches thick). The building will have a lovely frameless wall but be aware that log cabins come in separate log lengths so can look daunting when you first unpack the parts! However, follow the detailed instructions carefully and once you start, construction is a straightforward and very rewarding experience. Log cabins are untreated so get the wood treated as quickly as possible.

Treating Your Wooden Building

All Timber buildings need initial treatment immediately on assembly (inside and out) and then regular treatment thereafter with good quality preservative to maintain the guarantee, ensure the longevity of your building and preserve its appearance. Even if your building is pressure treated when purchased we still recommend that you apply regular coats of good quality treatment. We recommend Thorndown Wood Treatment and Wood Paint for all of our timber buildings.

Metal Garden Buildings

Buildings in this category are mainly constructed from roll formed galvanised steel. It is essential to ensure that the building you buy is “hot dip” galvanised to prevent rusting on the edge of the building. They represent great value for money and are popular where fire resistance is vitally important, (Caravan Parks for example). These sheds and storage units are generally considered to
be less visually attractive than timber alternatives but require little or no maintenance once erected. Please be aware that self-assembly of these buildings can be a slow and somewhat tedious process, please wear gloves at all times and allow plenty of time. When buying a metal shed, please check the thickness of the metal used, some imported sheds are very thin indeed. You should also be aware that Metal sheds are more prone to condensation than other methods of construction. These sheds are often sold without a floor so always check what you are ordering.   

Plastic or PVC Sheds

An increasing number of plastic sheds are now sold in the UK, they are constructed from moulded plastic sheet or for a little extra they are made from box section PVC. There is a huge spread of quality in this sector with sheds being imported from Europe and many middle and far east locations, good ones are not cheap but offer a maintenance free future. Most are UV stable but some fading is likely to occur over time. They are relatively light and prone to tipping in the wind so particular attention should be made to the attachment of ground anchors. 

Installation  

The most important issue here with all buildings is that the base you propose to erect your building on is flat, level and dimensionally accurate. If the base is not level the building will go out of square and the doors and windows will simply not fit.

Whether you use a proprietary base kit, Concrete slabs or even pressure treated timber bearers to prevent your building sitting on wet ground, the surface must be flat and level. The dimensions for all buildings are given on the product pages and your base should ideally be the same size as the outside wall dimensions of the building, you can make it bigger if you wish but please ensure that excess water running from the shed roof can drain away.  

When laying your base and erecting your building please ensure that you have access to all sides for subsequent periodic treatment and air circulation to allow for drying.