Garden sheds are traditional, timeless buildings that add a special element of hominess to any garden.
An outdoor garden shed is an investment that should last you a lifetime, but with modern manufacturing practices, it can be difficult to tell what is or is not worth your money.
Beyond that, there are so many varieties of garden sheds on the market that it can be difficult to determine what is best for your needs.
Do you need a small shed to store your gardening tools, or do you need something a little larger to accommodate landscaping machinery, or to act as an additional storage room to your home?
Find the right garden shed for your backyard and so much more on WhatShed, the #1 resource for garden sheds in the UK.
Why WhatShed?
WhatShed is the UK’s leading review site for all garden sheds for sale, covering all your outdoor storage needs. We combine professionally crafted reviews with user feedback to give you the best source of information for your garden shed purchase.
If you’re looking for expert advice on garden sheds for sale in the UK, then you’re in the right place. WhatShed’s sole aim is to provide you with the best FREE and impartial buyer’s guides to the perfect shed or garden building for your outdoor space.
Online shopping never stops, no matter what season it is, which is why our reviews are frequently updated to give you the best options no matter the time of year. Browse everything from plastic sheds to metal garden sheds with vinyl siding, log cabins, and log store sheds for over-wintering your cut firewood.
Sheds come in so many shapes, sizes and materials to accommodate a range of gardens and purposes. You deserve a durable garden shed that lasts a lifetime. Let us help you find the perfect match for your needs and your backyard.
WhatShed is dedicated to clearing up the confusion and providing a complete UK buyer’s guide for garden sheds. If you can’t find what you want from our comprehensive reviews and guides, we also offer a tele-support line where a WhatShed expert will help you find your perfect garden shed match.
Our UK Garden Shed Reviews
When you purchase a garden shed, you don’t just want it to last. You want it to be durable, weather-proof, and look good while doing it.
At WhatShed, our outdoor storage experts provide helpful guides with the help of relevant purchaser feedback. The result is beautifully crafted Top 10 lists and in-depth reviews for every shed type and material. Every guide and review on our website is frequently updated, ensuring you get the most up-to-date, relevant information available in the UK today.
No matter what type of outdoor storage you want to install, WhatShed can help you find it.
Below are some of the popular sheds for sale in the UK that we review:
Wooden Sheds
If you are wondering what type of garden shed is best for your backyard, then you might want to consider purchasing a wooden shed.
Wooden garden sheds are, without a doubt, the most popular type of outdoor shed sold in the UK today. WhatShed has hundreds of in-depth reviews and expert guides on every wooden shed sold online in the UK, making us the #1 source for wooden shed reviews.
Wooden sheds are popular because they are considered one of the most durable materials to use when building a shed, and they retain the tasteful, classic look of old English architecture.
Of course, in the modern world, classic may not be what everyone wants. Shed manufacturers have risen to meet this demand. Sleek, contemporary wooden shed designs can make your garden stand out while still retaining the natural appeal of wood.
At WhatShed, you’ll find the best, most in-depth buyers guides and reviews to purchasing a wooden shed in the UK. We stand by our Top 10 choices, frequently updating our reviews to reflect the latest relevant feedback from the WhatShed community.
Every shed we review is analysed for its durability against the harshest British weather, tested for longevity, and critiqued on design and sustainability.
Plastic Sheds
Plastic sheds are quickly rising in popularity in the UK. These sheds might not look as timely as wooden sheds, but they serve their purpose well.
These sheds have come a long way from where they started, with durable, thick walls built with durable polymer materials. Large plastic garden sheds come with steel reinforced framing to ensure your shed will last years to come. This added strength means that plastic sheds can stand up to almost the same amount of wear and tear as metal or wooden sheds,
Because they are more affordable, they are easy to assemble and their durability, it’s no wonder why plastic sheds have made their way into many UK residents’ backyards.
The experts at WhatShed have carefully selected the top plastic garden shed choices available online today for each of our reviews. If you are still on the fence, we have a buyer’s FAQ guide based on the community’s popular questions about plastic sheds.
For a plastic shed to compete in the market as an exceptional outdoor building, we believe it should be just as durable as metal sheds, look just as good as wooden sheds, and perform with the same, time-tested performance that we all love in a well-built and maintained shed.
Metal Sheds
Manufacturers who began building metal sheds were the first to take a revolutionary step away from the classic wooden shed.
Metal sheds were an easy solution for many UK residents who did not want to battle with shed maintenance but still needed a strong, durable building to store their tools in.
For what metal sheds used to give up in looks, they gained in practicality. Today, many metal sheds still compete with other materials in aesthetics with the help of vinyl siding and plastic applications.
If you are in the market for a shed that can provide more durability with reinforced galvanised steel framing and solid steel or aluminum sheet walls, then you have come to the right place.
Learn everything you need to know about buying and owning a metal garden shed with our buyer’s FAQ page, and never settle for subpar craftsmanship again. Learn about feature options, size recommendations, and much more.
WhatShed is the UK’s #1 resource for metal garden shed reviews, providing a unique buyer’s experience through our buyer’s guide and Top 10 product ranking lists. Verified customer reviews are considered in these updates, ensuring that you get the most accurate and unbiased information possible.
Log Store
These structures are perfectly designed shed additions dedicated to storing your firewood over the changing seasons, keeping the wood dry and ready for use. These storage areas may be used inside a shed or outside, attached to the wall of your shed.
Log stores are commonly exposed to the elements. Their goal is to store firewood, providing a cover so the store remains dry and usable throughout the season, whether you are faced with the dry Summer heat or moist Winter snowfall.
Seasoning logs inside a log store is an important step in ensuring your firewood does not spit or create excess smoke when you burn it in the fireplace.
Many log stores are made from FSC approved sources, or pressure-treated timber, to ensure they remain resistant to rot and last against the harsh British weather.
WhatShed has dedicated time to reviewing the most popular firewood storage additions for your shed, providing in-depth analyses of the best choices and top materials that keep maintenance low while providing the most longevity.
Each review is tempered with purchaser feedback from the WhatShed community, keeping our log store reviews unbiased and authoritative.
Garden Shed FAQs
No matter if you are looking for a large shed for larger maintenance items or just a small shed for your gardening tools, WhatShed is your ultimate resource for in-depth reviews of the best garden sheds for sale in the UK.
You should never have to settle between utility or elegant appearance. A good garden shed should house everything you need and should add to the overall value and appearance of the garden.
A good garden shed when placed properly can tie an entire garden together. Small sheds provide ample space for storing small tools, supplies, and other items while tidying up your backyard oasis. Large garden sheds are suitable for larger landscaping tools, lawnmowers, and additional storage space outside of the home.
There are hundreds of garden sheds on the market today. This can be overwhelming to new buyers who are unsure of what material or size is best. Where is the proper placement for a shed, and how do you best ensure your garden shed stays in peak performance years from now? When should you consider an upgrade from your current shed?
At WhatShed, we have answered some of the popular questions UK buyers ask before finding their perfect garden shed match:
Do You Need a Foundation for a Garden Shed?
In almost every situation, you will need a proper foundation for your garden shed. A solid foundation will prevent the shed’s frame from warping over time, extending the total lifespan of your garden shed.
A warped frame is difficult to fix, causing all sorts of problems from sagging doors and windows, to bowing walls. This will prevent a secure fit when the doors and windows are closed, causing drafts and exposing the contents of the shed to the elements. A solid foundation prevents these future problems from the very beginning.
Even small sheds can encounter these problems a few years after purchasing if a foundation is not in place at the beginning.
WhatShed’s experts recommend laying a foundation before you purchase a shed, but only once you have one picked out. Before you lay a foundation, however, you should know what size garden shed you will need and where to place it.
The best material for a foundation is typically a concrete slab, but this might not be necessary for some small sheds. Instead, you can often purchase an “easy foundation kit” that consists of a pre-made base set on spikes, or a mesh-like kit that can be put underneath the shed and filled with ballast.
If you want your garden shed to last a lifetime, a concrete slab with a sub-base is the most ideal option. Most UK manufacturer guarantees are only valid if the shed is laid on a solid concrete slab.
Is a Garden Shed a Good Investment?
A well-maintained garden shed of decent size can help improve the value of your home and property. Property Wire states that 82% of surveyed individuals have said the feature that adds the most investment value to a garden is a beautiful garden shed. (1)
At WhatShed, we believe that a garden shed does increase the value of the property, becoming not just a place where you store your tools and supplies, but a part of the backyard’s overall aesthetic.
Your garden shed should be both beautiful and practical, laid on a solid concrete slab and sub-base. Without this foundation, the shed is likely to deteriorate over time with bowing framework, eventually causing a sharp decline in the property value as the shed’s quality depreciates. No one wants a run-down shed, and the best way to keep a shed maintained is to lay a foundation before it is ever installed on the lot.
What is the Best Time of Year to Buy a Garden Shed?
It is true that online shopping never stops, but sheds are still considered a seasonal commodity. We seldom visit our sheds in the colder months, perhaps with the exception of log store sheds, but Spring and Summer bring us outdoors, working tirelessly in the garden and wanting a place to store our tools.
UK manufacturers operate at full capacity from April to August, meaning they will seldom offer discounts in the warmer months.
WhatShed’s experts have tracked the price of thousands of sheds across several years, and our data shows that retailers increase their prices between 10 and 20 percent during these peak months.
If you are looking for a real discount on a garden shed, you need to plan ahead. Purchase your garden shed when manufacturers are trying to drum up more sales with discounts and price cuts. In the UK, this is between November through February. Our data shows that typical manufacturer prices are reduced during these months by up to 20 percent!
This means that, even if manufacturers are at capacity, you can still plan ahead to purchase your shed during the wintertime, and you may even get a discount out of the deal.
Will My Insurance Cover My Garden Shed?
Whether your standard insurance covers an outdoor garden shed depends greatly on the type of insurance you have on your home, as well as your insurance provider. You should ensure that your insurance covers the shed, the contents inside the shed, and the shed’s immediate surroundings in case of an accident or theft.
Many homeowners assume their insurance covers every building on the property, but in most cases, this is far from the truth. Outdoor garden sheds may be exempt from pre-existing policies unless outdoor structures are specifically stated as covered in the contract.
If your garden shed is covered by your insurance provider, you should ensure that it is comprehensive in what it will cover. It should cover theft, fire, weather damage and flooding.
Your insurance may also require that any electricity in the shed is installed by a licensed electrician, otherwise, you might be left liable for any damages.
Find Your Top UK Garden Shed Today
There are so many types of sheds on the market that it can be difficult to filter through the noise and discover whose product is best for your needs.
WhatShed is the UK’s #1 review site for garden buildings, featuring professional independent reviews with the help of our experts and relevant purchaser feedback from our community.
Our buyer’s guides and Top 10 shed lists are updated year-round to give the best information on garden sheds in the UK, no matter the style or material. Learn everything you need to know about sheds, from the right time to buy, to getting the foundation poured, and much more.
If you are considering adding a garden shed to your backyard oasis, make the journey with WhatShed. Read our free in-depth reviews and have your questions answered by the experts with our buyer guides and Top 10 lists, teaching you everything you need to know about garden shed ownership.