Garden workshop recommendations

[Hard-Drive]

Picking up the keys to our new house today...super excited!

Although it has a lot of storage (detached double garage) I want to put a shed in the garden, or more to the point a bicycle storage/workshop/mancave unit. We've got 6 bikes, and I'd like to be able to store them easily, have a bench and workstand permanently set up, some shelving for storing parts etc, and ideally a space for a turbo trainer/Zwift setup too. I suspect it will need to be quite big, probably around 20x10.

I'm happy to buy a basic-ish tongue and groove building, and then convert it for my own use. I'd probably get some insulation on the walls and then either ply line or plasterboard it to make internal walls, get some rubber flooring down, and perhaps fit a "proper" opening double glazed window and a proper door, and obviously get some power in there too.

I'm looking for recommendations of suppliers for the basic workshop building that will provide a solid base for my own requirements. I don't want to spend an absolute fortune, but I do need something that isn't going to fall apart in a few years, and I also need to look fairly attractive too. This will probably sit at one side of a large patio area and may also form one end of either a pergola structure, or a "sail" sunshade arrangement.

Project Timber come up a lot, but they do seem to have some awful reviews (although I take any reviews with a pinch of salt)

Any experiences?

[xyz123]

We got ours from passmores and very happy with it. Though we only use it for storage and not any workshop type work.

[kryten22uk]

If it is as big as 20x10, can you really justify a 'basic-ish' T&G building? I'd want it to be somewhat more sturdy for all those applications. Particularly if you think it is going to form one end of a pergola/sunsail structure. Anything preformed from panels or the like will be insufficient.

[PositronicRay]

If you're close enough, worth taking a look here.

https://www.earlswoodglc.co.uk/

The websites pretty useless but I was impressed with the buildings on display. I think they'll do bespoke stuff too.

[Doofus]

I don't know what "Midlands" means in your profile, but Warwick Buildings in Long Itchington are worth a look. They've done me a couple of garages and a summerhouse thing in the past. They don't officially do bases, but the installation guys do.

[Tesco]

I can highly recommend this lot. They'll build pretty much whatever you like (I designed my own summerhouse / shed combination) and the grade and thickness of timber used is / was excellent. They cover a pretty wide area too, Iive in North Norfolk and they delivered and constructed it.

http://www.nordictimberbuildings.com/

[Joelonghair]

Tuin.

[RZ1]

Joelonghair said:

Tuin.

Agree with this, my workshop is from tuin and I have just bought another to use as a home office.

[ThumperMc]

RZ1 said:

Joelonghair said:

Tuin.

Agree with this, my workshop is from tuin and I have just bought another to use as a home office.

Pretty much the same here.

[Hard-Drive]

Thanks for the replies all.

I think something like this (or another one from their website) looks pretty good. Thinking harder about this, it really does not have to be top grade...proper "workshop" stuff will be done in the garage, this really might just be glorified bike storage...with the odd twiddling of gears etc happening in there. This still looks fairly easy to insulate/line and customise if I want to though when time allows. Thoughts?

https://www.dsbuildings.co.uk/product/barton-timbe...

[TimmyMallett]

Hard-Drive said:

Thanks for the replies all.

I think something like this (or another one from their website) looks pretty good. Thinking harder about this, it really does not have to be top grade...proper "workshop" stuff will be done in the garage, this really might just be glorified bike storage...with the odd twiddling of gears etc happening in there. This still looks fairly easy to insulate/line and customise if I want to though when time allows. Thoughts?

https://www.dsbuildings.co.uk/product/barton-timbe...

From that site, it seems it might breach permitted development rules without planning permissions?

"Ridge height from – 2648mm to 2956mm"


Also, I'm assuming the existing house garden etc is big enough so you don't breach the 50% of total area around the original house? 20x10m is pretty big

Edited by TimmyMallett on Tuesday 27th October 10:02

[Hard-Drive]

TimmyMallett said:

Hard-Drive said:

Thanks for the replies all.

I think something like this (or another one from their website) looks pretty good. Thinking harder about this, it really does not have to be top grade...proper "workshop" stuff will be done in the garage, this really might just be glorified bike storage...with the odd twiddling of gears etc happening in there. This still looks fairly easy to insulate/line and customise if I want to though when time allows. Thoughts?

https://www.dsbuildings.co.uk/product/barton-timbe...

From that site, it seems it might breach permitted development rules without planning permissions?

"Ridge height from – 2648mm to 2956mm"

Also, I'm assuming the existing house garden etc is big enough so you don't breach the 50% of total area around the original house? 20x10m is pretty big

Edited by TimmyMallett on Tuesday 27th October 10:02

I think I'm OK on this. It will be more than 2m from the boundary, so could be up to 4m if it's a dual pitched roof. Oops, I meant 20'x10' not 20mx10m!

[SiH]

I put one of these up in the garden just over a year ago and it has been really good so far. My only gripe is that the end door isn't quite the same height as the orifice once the pressure treated timber is taken into account so there was a bit of a gap that we had to take care of. Additionally the length was 15ft so when the small door is closed the face of the workshop flexes a little but again, it's not really much of an issue.
My advice, for whichever one you go for, is to spend time on the internet looking for different prices. I ended up buying mine from Screwfix as it came in about £300 cheaper than going direct to Shire or to any other supplier.
https://www.shiregb.com/product/bradenham-log-cabi...

[MDMetal]

Joelonghair said:

Tuin.

Jesus these look amazingly priced and the designs actually look interesting!

[Nico Adie]

The most important thing if you want it to last is to get it raised off ground level by at least 15cm. Whether you do that by casting a concrete slap or by laying lintels or stacking slabs or whatever (cast concrete slab is best!). Otherwise it'll start rotting from the bottom up from the moment it's put in place.

[RZ1]

MDMetal said:

Jesus these look amazingly priced and the designs actually look interesting!

Yup they are great

[MDMetal]

RZ1 said:

MDMetal said:

Jesus these look amazingly priced and the designs actually look interesting!

Yup they are great

Very nice, how long did it take you to build? (assuming you did it yourself) I've been thinking of building my own to get something nice but these are great and certainly at a price I'd not fuss over. The ones that look like a dull version of this but cost 6 grand wind me up.

[Hard-Drive]

Joelonghair said:

Tuin.

Wow just had a proper look. Those really do look good, thanks!

[BobSaunders]

Wow. Am not looking at these as a solution for my working from home problem and considering putting one in the garage to work in. A wendy house so to speak.

[RZ1]

MDMetal said:

RZ1 said:

MDMetal said:

Jesus these look amazingly priced and the designs actually look interesting!

Yup they are great

Very nice, how long did it take you to build? (assuming you did it yourself) I've been thinking of building my own to get something nice but these are great and certainly at a price I'd not fuss over. The ones that look like a dull version of this but cost 6 grand wind me up.

It took me 2 and a half days to build, I did it on my own.
End of day 1 I had the structure up



End of day 2 and I had fitted the roof and had managed to fit the shingles to about a third of the entire roof.



Got the roof finished by early afternoon on day 3