Sheds: Lean-to type and metal ones

[cskrimshire]

Hello all,

My daughter has had an extension built, leaving a new windowless brick wall and a bit of ground inside her boundary, where she would like a shed for b ikes and lawnmower etc.

I thought a lean-to shed, sloping away from the wall, might be the best use of space. So far we haven't found an off-the-peg lean to shed of the right dimensions. So I wondered how straightforward it would be to custom build one, also considering that good quality sheds seem quite expensive.

Has anyone done this and been glad, or regretted, taking it on? Another po tential advantage of a lean-to shed might be that we could use the house wa ll as one side of the shed, albeit with some sort of wooden framework. One issue I can foresee is how to do the interface of the roof felt and the wal l - maybe lead flashing would be needed? Are there any other snags to consi der?

Then, I got to browsing metal sheds. These seem to be quite cheap, at least the simple ones, without windows. What are the main disadvantages of metal sheds? Difficult to fix shelves? Condensation? Flimsy construction?

Any useful thoughts gratefully received.

Chris

[tabbypurr]

ll and a bit of ground inside her boundary, where she would like a shed for bikes and lawnmower etc.

se of space. So far we haven't found an off-the-peg lean to shed of the rig ht dimensions. So I wondered how straightforward it would be to custom buil d one, also considering that good quality sheds seem quite expensive.

potential advantage of a lean-to shed might be that we could use the house wall as one side of the shed, albeit with some sort of wooden framework. On e issue I can foresee is how to do the interface of the roof felt and the w all - maybe lead flashing would be needed? Are there any other snags to con sider?

st the simple ones, without windows. What are the main disadvantages of met al sheds? Difficult to fix shelves? Condensation? Flimsy construction?

NT

[harry]

ll and a bit of ground inside her boundary, where she would like a shed for bikes and lawnmower etc.

se of space. So far we haven't found an off-the-peg lean to shed of the rig ht dimensions. So I wondered how straightforward it would be to custom buil d one, also considering that good quality sheds seem quite expensive.

potential advantage of a lean-to shed might be that we could use the house wall as one side of the shed, albeit with some sort of wooden framework. On e issue I can foresee is how to do the interface of the roof felt and the w all - maybe lead flashing would be needed? Are there any other snags to con sider?

st the simple ones, without windows. What are the main disadvantages of met al sheds? Difficult to fix shelves? Condensation? Flimsy construction?

Make a timber frame and sheet it over with this stuff.

YhoaAl3cEALw_wcB

Zero maintenance, lightweight, easy to cut.

[Bill]

In message , [e-mail] writes

All of the above, at least wrt the metal one I got from Homebase. It has no floor, so I made a base of plastic pallets with ply laid on top. This is slightly larger than the footprint of the shed and there is no provision for guttering. When it rains the whole floor gets soaking wet, adding to the condensation. It is also very dark inside. I wouldn't buy a cheap metal shed again.

My large wooden shed is now over 25 years old and still mainly fine. A small amount of decay where I have not maintained it. Concrete base with foam insulation on top covered in ply and in places, carpet. Has power,

4 x 6ft fluorescent lights and windows.

My plastic shed came with a base. It is dry inside. The roof has some clear panels, so it is not dark inside in the day. I notice that where garden tools have fallen against the walls, in one place the panels have separated and been pushed out. The panels are still there, but there are gaps. The plastic hinges on one door broke. The repair with epoxy has held up well.

[Bill Wright]

There was a young lady of Wantage Of whom the Town Clark took advantage Said the Borough Surveyor "Of course you must pay her You've completely altered her frontage!"

Bill

[Brian Reay]

Find a local specialist shed company, rather than one of the DIY places, and see if they will do you a 'custom' one. Chances are, they have some standard designs they can modify to fit your space. I know some who did this for a normal shed and he reckoned it was, pro-rata, no more expensive than 'off the shelf'.

We used a local shed company for a new shed and the quality is far better than one from the DIY stores.

Another option, which one of my daughters uses for bikes, is a large metal bike box. It must be 6'long, 2' deep, 4' high or so. It is pretty solid- not the flimsy thin metal normally used in sheds. I think it holds 2 bikes, may be 3.

[tabbypurr]

use of space. So far we haven't found an off-the-peg lean to shed of the r ight dimensions. So I wondered how straightforward it would be to custom bu ild one, also considering that good quality sheds seem quite expensive.

rather than build your own however you want at a fraction the cost. If there's anything the article I linked to doesn't cover let us know.

NT