A man's castle is his shed (Garden Sheds in General)

Member Name: johnt

Product:	Garden Sheds in General
Date:	06/10/00 (1412 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: cheap storage,very usefull

Disadvantages: none

Sheds have an unhappy association with the sort of man who smokes a pipe and wears a cardigan. They are supposed to be full of gardening bits, a quiet retreat.

I've had my shed for about 2 years now, bought secondhand as a home for my collection of paints, screws and man other bits that I'll probably never use. Men tend to like hoarding these things and hate to throw anything out that may turn out to be usefull, one day.

My shed is 8 x 6 ft, it has a pent roof, ie it slopes backwards rather than meets at a point and it is made of shiplap boarding.

Anyone buying a shed should try to avoid the sterling board type floor, this will over time soak up moisture and therefore rot. Similarly the wood used should be tounged and grooved rather than close boarded. This is more weather resistant due to the closer fit between the boards, also it is harder to break into as close boards can be relatively easily prised apart.

The base should be either concrete, slabs or wooden bearers. Where a concrete base is used it should be slightly smaller than the shed. This will allow water to run off the shed into the soil rather than gather under it. All wood should be treated, particularly the floor and it's bearer rails, once down these will be inaccessable.

Shed security also needs to be taken into account, with mowers, tools etc the contents of a shed can easily be worth over £1000. The locks provided on the doors tend to be far too basic to rely on, I put strengthening bars behind the door and the door post. This allows for a strong rasp and padlock to be fitted. Shed alarms can also be bought quite cheaply, these go off when the door is opened if not turned off with the key promptly. Position the shed where it can be seen from the house and install a pir type light to pick out anyone approaching it.

Check your household insurance to ensure that shed contents are included, some policies don't cover them or impose st
rict limits on the value of the contents.

Once down enjoy your little retreat, or fill it to the roof with clutter as I do.

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