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INSTALATION AVAILABLE Mercia 7 x 5ft Overlap Apex Timber Shed
First Added - February 27 2022
Last Updated - August 4 2022 - 10 Data Points Updated - 3 Data Points Added
Reviewed & curated by a panel of garden building experts. Using methodology 1.1
Product ID: SKU: 263259
Size: 7' x 5'
Merchants Checked: 12
Available From: 1
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Our verdict on the Mercia 7 x 5ft Overlap Apex Timber Shed
The Mercia 7 x 5ft Overlap Apex Timber Shed comes with an apex style roof, holds a 10 Years guarantee, is treated using a dip treated process [1], and makes use of fsc® materials. The 2 windows used on this particular 7′ x 5′ use a styrene [2] glazing material (Thickness was not specified).
Base material: wood
Certifications this product meets:
FSC certified timber[3]
Our experts say this has 1 stand out feature. A stand out feature is something found on over 70% of the top 10% of products in a particular category or is an exceptionally good feature as rated by our panel of experts.
1. The mineral felt roof covering found on this shed is rated to be one of the best by our experts.
Below is a brief overview of how some of the key points of this shed fairs across the market.
Cladding
The overlap board cladding(walls) used here is the worst form of construction for shed walls out of the 4 types [4] we’ve identified on same-size sheds, that you’ll also see getting used on 8% (357 of 4,360) of all sheds analysed [5], as well as being used on 3% (12 of 436) of the top 10% of sheds [6]. You’ll also find the overlap board cladding showing up on 13% of 7′ x 5′ sheds (51 in total) [7].
The walls are 7mm thick and we rate this one of the worst thicknesses out of the 10 found on same-size sheds [8]. It is used on 3% of all sheds [9] and is also used across 1% of the top 10% of sheds [10] we analysed. 6% of 7′ x 5′ sheds (23 in total) use 7mm thick walls [11].
Read full analysis for cladding.
Roofing
Mineral felt is used as the roof covering, and out of 3 types identified on same-size sheds [12], is said to be one of the best roof covering materials. It comes fitted on 22% of sheds and used on 49% of the top 10% of 7′ x 5′ sheds. Even though the Expert Score of this particular shed is below the average 7′ x 5’s cover their roofs with mineral felt (70 vs the average of 89), with it being on 49% of the top 10%, this should give you confidence in its quality. 35% of 7′ x 5′ sheds (132 in total) make use of a mineral felt material as a roof covering.
Read full analysis for roofing.
Window
Styrene windows come installed on this shed. As a glazing option, we rate it the worst out of the 7 glazing types found on 7′ x 5′ sheds [13]. This particular type of glazing is used on 6% of all windowed sheds and 1% of the top 10% of sheds with windows we analysed. 6% of 7′ x 5′ sheds with windows (14 in total) use styrene windows.
Read full analysis for window.
Height
The height of this shed is 1921.0mm (6′) which is 6% less than the average 7′ x 5′ shed, giving you 107.0mm (0.4′) less headroom.
Read full analysis for height.
You Might Also Consider
We found 11 7′ x 5′ sheds with comparable specifications. The Mercia 7 x 5ft Overlap Apex Timber Shed has an Expert Score that is 6% lower than average and is £96 less expensive than average. If you are looking for the best value or highest expert scoring sheds out of the 11 with comparable specifications the following might be of interest.
Best value – If you are looking for something comparable that costs less, then you could save £1 with this 7′ x 5′ Forest Overlap Dip Treated Pent Wooden Shed. It is priced at £450, this is 2% more than this and has an Expert Score of 70, 0 points equal than the Mercia 7 x 5ft Overlap Apex Timber Shed.
Highest Expert Score – With an Expert Score of 80 vs 70 for this product, the 6′ x 6′ Shire Overlap Double Door Wooden Garden Shed is the best 7′ x 5′ shed with comparable specifications, and is priced at £530, that’s £90 more than the Mercia 7 x 5ft Overlap Apex Timber Shed.
High Wind Area – If you live in a particularly exposed or high wind area then having a shed with a thicker cladding and higher than average frame thickness can be preferable. We found at least 3 sheds that have a combination of features that can make them more suited to higher wind areas.
Oren 8′ x 5′ Shiplap Pent Bike Shed
Redlands 6′ x 8′ Shiplap Modular Pent Bike Shed
5’x7′ Tiger Bike Shed
Coastal Consideration – If you live in a particularly wet or harsher environment such as by the coast then you might want to consider something with a more robust pressure treatment or something made from metal or plastic, both materials that are particularly suited to such harsh environments. We’ve found at least 3 sheds that have a combination of features that can make them more suited to higher wind areas.
6’8 x 6’6′ Yardmaster Green Metal Shed 66GEYZ
6′ x 6′ Lotus Anthracite Grey Apex Metal Shed
6′ x 6′ Sapphire Apex Green Metal Shed
Public-Facing – Extra security measures might be more of a concern if you’re placing your building in an area that is more public-facing than a garden. Features such as security windows or even having no windows at all, and the ability to lock all opening doors are usually much more important when you have something that is more public-facing. We found at least 3 sheds that have options that you might find a better fit if this is a concern you have.
6′ x 6′ Lotus Anthracite Grey Apex Metal Shed
6′ x 6′ Sapphire Apex Green Metal Shed
6’8 x 6’6′ Yardmaster Green Metal Shed 66GEYZ
More Child Friendly – If you have children and you are looking for something that has that little extra in terms of durability then tougher glazing options might be a better option. Here we have at least 3 other options that will fill those needs.
Redlands 6′ x 8′ Double Door Shiplap Modular Apex Shed
Oren 7′ x 5′ Shiplap Modular Custom Pent Shed
Oren 7′ x 5′ Shiplap Modular Custom Apex Shed
Product Details
Comparisons of Similar Sheds
Sources
Merchants Checked
12 different sources were used to research information on this product, and 1 contained information that we were able to use to compile the data used on this page.
The following merchants were checked on the 06 August, 2022 to see if they stocked this product.
Wickes – 19576 products checked, found 1 match.
Waltons – 231 products checked, found no matches.
B&Q – 78905 products checked, found no matches.
ManoMano UK – 922302 products checked, found no matches.
Wilko.com – 21232 products checked, found no matches.
Homebase – 35509 products checked, found no matches.
Buy Sheds Direct – 1635 products checked, found no matches.
sheds.co.uk – 1999 products checked, found no matches.
BillyOh – 1244 products checked, found no matches.
Garden Buildings Direct – 1284 products checked, found no matches.
Shedstore – 1373 products checked, found no matches.
Tiger Sheds – 635 products checked, found no matches.
1. Dip Treated: Dip treating is a temporary protective base coat treatment that is mainly designed to help protect the building during transit and for around one month after it is assembled. This water-based treatment is the least time-consuming and cheapest type of wood treatment. It involves dipping the wood in a protective water-based preservative and then leaving it to dry. The action of dipping is where ‘dip treatment’ comes from.
A dip-treated garden building is not considered fully treated with wood preservatives; it’s vital to re-treat your dip-treated building, preferably with a solvent-based (or oil-based) wood treatment. Then re-treat it on an annual basis using a solvent-based (or oil-based) wood treatment.
If you don’t want to treat something on an annual basis then a pressure treated wooden building might be a better option, this is where the wood undergoes a process called tanalisation (pressure treatment) during production. This is where the timber is submerged in specialist wood preservatives (such as Tanalith E, this is actually the origin of the word ‘tanalisation’), the wood then goes into a high pressure vacuum tank to draw out excess moisture and air and force in the preservatives. This deep penetration of the exterior wood protects it from the elements and all forms of insect attack. Wood treated this way can last many years without being re-treated. The Wood Protection Association has a good article/video on this. ↩
2. Styrene (Polystyrene (High Impact) HIPS): Styrene as it is commonly known or High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS) is a very versatile form of plastic. It has a very wide range of uses but for garden buildings styrene is typically used as a budget option for windows.
Styrene is a shatter-resistant material, which is why it is ideal for situations where safety needs to be considered, such as playhouses. This benefit can be offset by a few other drawbacks, unfortunately styrene has a tendency to yellow over time (the technical term is Photoyellowing and it is caused by prolonged exposure to UV Light), the degradation of its polymers over time also causes it to become more brittle.
Another drawback of styrene is its thermal coefficient of expansion (it is 80 x 10-6), this is higher than most other glazing options. This means that as the material heats up and cools it can contract and expand more than other glazing options. This cycle can lead to a loose fit of windows over time.
According to data from the British Plastics Fedaration the physical properties of Styrene (Polystyrene (High Impact) are that it is not very good when exposed to high heat with a maximum continuous use temperature of between 60 to 80 °C. This is coupled with the fairly low range the Notched Impact Strength data shows of 10.0 – 20.0 Kj/m². ↩
3. FSC Certified Timber: The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international organisation that is “dedicated to promoting responsible management of the world’s forests.” When you see the FSC certification it means the forest where this wood was sourced from is being managed in a way that preserves biological diversity, while ensuring it sustains economic viability. FSC-certified forests are managed to strict environmental, social and economic standards. FSC certified timber is comparable to Certified Timber. ↩
4. Cladding types identified: overlap board, shiplap tongue & groove, timber, tongue & groove, wood ↩
5. Global cladding data sourced from: All overlap board sheds ↩
6. Top cladding data sourced from: Top 436 overlap board sheds ↩
7. 7′ x 5′ cladding data sourced from: 378 7′ x 5′ overlap board sheds ↩
12. Roof covering types identified: heavy duty mineral felt, mineral felt, polyester felt, sand felt ↩
13. Glazing material types identified: acrylic, horticultural glass, polycarbonate, polyethylene, security windows, single glazed, styrene, toughened glass, toughened safety glass ↩