20′ x 10′ Traditional Deluxe Wooden Garage

Shed Type, Roof Size

We liked the fact that this large garage adheres to a traditional, almost rustic design, which means that it will look good in any garden environment. That’s just one of the reasons that we can picture it being used as a spacious garden shed or workshop, even though it’s designed to be used as a wooden garage.

At the top of the garage sits an apex roof, and we were pleased to see that it has the same high quality cladding as the walls, even though on this occasion it’s covered by a tough mineral roofing felt. It’s height was one of the first things that caught our attention, and it creates an overall ridge height of 2.67m and an eaves height of 1.85m. This eaves height being in excess of six feet comes in very handy for taller people who plan to use the building as a workshop. The overall width of the garage is 3.05m, and it’s twice as deep at 6.10m.

Cladding, Frame and Floor

We always like to see tongue and groove cladding used on high end wooden buildings, as the interlocking design is very good at keeping water out. Not all tongue and groove is the same, however, and so we were pleased to see that this garage uses PAR cladding. This means that it’s very smooth and very tough, and so whilst it has a standard thickness of 12mm, this is the equivalent of 16mm of normal cladding. The frame too is thicker than many we see used on the wooden garages we review, measuring 44 X 44mm. It means that it feels very stable when assembled. As with all garages, there is no floor supplied, even though this model comes with a base support rail on which a floor can be supplied. Ideally it needs to be affixed to an area of level concrete that measures at least the dimensions measure above with an extra foot of space on each side.

Treatment Requirements and Warranty

The reason that an extra foot should be left on each side is so that it becomes easier to treat it. Unfortunately, the treatment requirements are one area in which we feel this garage could have done better. We’re used to seeing timber workshops and garages that have been pressure treated, and that don’t specify and retreatment program. On this occasion, however, a basic dip treatment has been used, which means that the owner not only has to treat it themselves every year, they even have to add a treatment of wood preserver six weeks after installation. This basis pre-treatment used by the manufacturer is also the reason that the garage comes with a mere one year warranty against rot, when we are used to seeing ten or even fifteen years provided as standard.

Doors and Windows

We liked the double hinged doors at the front of this garage for two reasons. Firstly, they’re fully braced and therefore reassuringly strong; secondly they are very tall and wide. The width of 2.13m and height of 1.88m are both more generous than we usually find on the garages we review, which is good news if your car or van is a little larger than average. It was also good to see that a single hinged personnel door is also included, and that this can be fitted on either side so that it suits the owner’s particular garden layout.

Whilst windows may not be essential for a garage, we feel that they are very important for workshops as they allow natural light in. That’s why we were pleased to see that three windows had been included with this building, and especially so as the middle one is opening to provide an easy source of ventilation.

Security Features

We were glad to see that it’s not only the braced doors that are tough, as the windows all feature horticultural glass. This may look like normal glass, but it’s actually significantly tougher and more shatter resistant. If this adds to overall security, the lack of padlocks detracts from it. Both doors are padlockable so we feel it would have been sensible to include them as standard, but instead it’s left up to the customer to source them and fit them.

Optional Extras

Although padlocks are not available to purchase with the shed, other optional extras are and we were glad to find that one of the most potentially useful customisations is actually free. At no extra cost, the building can be supplied fully boarded and without windows. If the building is to be used solely as a garage, this can greatly increase security by preventing anyone from seeing what kind of car is stored inside. If, however, the customer wants to use it as a workshop, we like that one of the fixed windows can be converted into an extra opening window for a cost of £31.99; a very useful way to bring in more ventilation if machinery is being used. At the rather more substantial price of £269.99 there’s the option to use a professional installation service, and we can imagine this being a popular choice for those who are short on time or don’t like the thought of self-assembly on such a large scale.