Tiger Overlap Apex Shed – Show Site Review

The Tiger Overlap Apex Shed is one of those garden buildings that doesn’t pretend to be anything it isn’t — and in many ways, that’s its greatest strength.

The version we reviewed in person was the 6×4 model, inspected at the Otley show site, and it’s worth saying straight away that this shed exists firmly at the budget end of Tiger’s range. That’s not a criticism — it’s simply a matter of positioning. Tiger also sell shiplap sheds, loglap sheds, pressure-treated sheds and security sheds, all of which sit above this in both price and specification.

This is the shed for someone who says: “I just want a shed.”

Where overlap construction really sits in the market

As a construction method, overlap cladding sits near the bottom of the wooden shed hierarchy. It’s cheaper to produce, quicker to assemble, and structurally less sophisticated than shiplap tongue-and-groove or loglap.

Instead of interlocking boards, overlap sheds use horizontal planks laid over one another and nailed in place. That immediately introduces a few compromises:

• It’s easier to pry panels away if security is a concern
• Fixings don’t always bite as deeply into framing
• You can’t really treat the walls as load-bearing for shelving or racks

So yes — overlap is objectively weaker than shiplap or loglap.

But context matters.

First impressions at the Otley show site

When we first saw the Tiger Overlap Apex Shed at Otley, the reaction was fairly straightforward:

“This is… fine.”

And I mean that in a good way.

If you’re looking for a basic, no-nonsense garden shed, this is exactly what most people picture in their heads. A classic apex roof, timber walls, a couple of windows, and enough space to store tools, a mower, and general garden clutter.

It’s the shed equivalent of someone who just wants a car — not leather seats, not adaptive cruise control, not a panoramic roof. Just a car that starts, stops, and does what it says on the tin. Think of those modern budget cars: MGs, Vauxhalls, functional, perfectly usable, and sensibly priced.

That’s this shed.

Price vs quality: where Tiger quietly outperforms DIY chains

Here’s where the Tiger Overlap Apex Shed starts to separate itself from similarly priced sheds you’ll find in large DIY retailers.

On paper, you’ll often see competitors advertising things like:

• “Pressure treated”
• “Tongue & groove construction”

And you’d be forgiven for assuming they must be better.

But dig a little deeper and you’ll often find OSB floors, OSB roofs, thin framing, and plastic glazing — and that’s where everything falls apart.

OSB, once water gets into it, behaves exactly like soggy Weetabix. The resin bonds break down, the material swells, and structural failure becomes inevitable. We’ve seen countless sheds where the felt has blown off, rain has got in, and within a year the roof has collapsed.

That doesn’t happen here.

Why Tiger’s “cheap” isn’t cheap in the usual sense

Despite being a budget shed, the Tiger Overlap Apex uses tongue-and-groove boards for both the roof and the floor — something many competitors simply don’t do at this price point .

That single decision massively improves long-term durability.

Good timber can get wet, dry out, and recover. OSB can’t.

We’ve driven past gardens where sheds have lost their roof felt entirely and are still standing years later purely because they used proper timber boards. We’ve also seen OSB-based sheds collapse in under two winters.

So while overlap cladding itself is budget, Tiger haven’t cut corners where it really matters.

Security: let’s be honest about what this is (and isn’t)

If you’re looking for something bombproof, this is not the shed for you.

Overlap cladding is inherently easier to defeat with a crowbar. And on the shed we reviewed, you could clearly see evidence of that weakness: the door catch had been screwed into the overlap board, and at some point someone had tried to force the door shut, ripping part of the overlap away and stressing the hinge fixings.

That’s not ideal — but it’s also exactly what you’d expect at this level.

Importantly, this is not marketed as a security shed. Tiger do sell security versions with reinforced bars and upgraded locking systems, and they also sell shiplap apex sheds in far more sizes for people who need more strength.

This shed is for low-value storage, not high-value protection.

Doors, framing, and internal feel

Despite the overlap construction, the door itself is well made, fully boarded, and framed properly. The hinge arrangement is weaker than on shiplap models because screws don’t pass directly into the framing in the same way — but again, this is inherent to overlap design rather than a Tiger-specific failing.

Internally, the shed felt solid and dry. The floor in particular impressed us — no bounce, no flex, no softness underfoot. We had no concerns walking around inside it.

The roof, too, felt sturdy. The apex construction uses the same timber methods as Tiger’s higher-end sheds, just scaled down.

Size and headroom: noticeably more compact

One thing that stood out immediately after inspecting other Tiger apex sheds was how much smaller this felt.

I’m 6 foot tall, and this was about the maximum comfortable height for me. In Tiger’s shiplap apex sheds, I usually have plenty of space above my head. Here, that margin is gone.

That’s not necessarily a problem — but it reinforces the point that this shed is not intended for extended use or workshop activity. It’s somewhere you step into briefly, grab what you need, and step back out again.

Windows, light, and intended use

The windowed version does exactly what you’d expect: it lets in a bit of light, enough to see what you’re doing without opening the door.

But again, this isn’t a workspace. You’re not fitting benches. You’re not hanging racks. You’re not spending afternoons in here.

It’s storage — and it does that job very well.

Maintenance, longevity, and the 20-year guarantee

Tiger back this shed with their 20-year guarantee, which tells you a lot about how confident they are in the materials — even at the budget end.

That guarantee does, of course, rely on proper installation:

• A solid, level base
• Annual treatment inside and out

Do that, and there’s no reason this shed should fall apart. From everything we’ve seen across Tiger’s range, the timber itself won’t be the weak point.

Final thoughts: who this shed is really for

If you want a shed that:

• Is cheap but not disposable
• Is better built than most DIY-store alternatives
• Uses proper timber where it matters
• Isn’t going to be used often
• Isn’t storing anything particularly valuable

Then the Tiger Overlap Apex Shed is genuinely one of the best options on the market at this price point.

It’s not fancy.
It’s not secure.
It’s not a workshop.

But it is honest, well made for what it is, and significantly better than much of the competition pretending to be something more.

If we personally needed a fire-and-forget garden shed — something to store tools and a mower, used a handful of times a year — this would be very high on the shortlist.

It’s a decent shed. And sometimes, that’s exactly what you need.