Garden Workshop Sheds – Things To Consider Before Purchasing

At Crane Garden Buildings, all of our Garden Sheds are adapted to fit your particular needs. These needs can be based on the size and style of garden, not to mention your shed's intended use. With our bespoke construction skills at your disposal, it's up to you to decide how you want your shed. To help make those important decisions, we've put together a list of some of the most important criteria for a high quality garden building. We decided in this article to focus on sheds that are used as workshops, as customers who opt for new workshop spaces will be spending a lot of time in their shed.

Size

One of the golden rules of designing a structure like a garden building, is to never underestimate the size required. Remember that you will always be able to make use of extra space, whereas there's not much you can do to help a space that's too restrictive. Most workshops will not require planning permission for your shed (there are exceptions to this rule), but, there are restrictions around the maximum size workshop that you can install. This size restriction is relative to the space that you have available on your property. We strongly recommend that you read more about planning permission in our related article: Planning Permission for Garden Buildings and take advantage of our Planning Permission Calculator. 

Use

What you are going to use the workshop for will determine its design. Windows are a great example, if you intend to use it as a craft or hobby room windows will bring in all the light you need to concentrate. Conversely, if you require a lot of storage space, windows would not be as helpful as shelves for instance. A partition will separate any workshop and maximise the use - storage on one side, work space on the other. 

Quality

The quality of your building is a choice that should be carefully considered. Opting for a budget price timber garden building may seem like a good idea initially, but the likelihood of wear and tear could dramatically reduce the amount of time you are able to stay in it. 

We strongly believe in investing in quality, which can be seen in features such as:

• A Good Solid Base - An uneven or unsupportive base can lead to severe alignment issues, which will cause problems with doors and windows opening or closing. Any additional stress can be placed on joints, leading to cracking or breaking which may even invalidate any warranty. 

• A Strong Floor - Frequent use or storage of heavy items may put undue stress on a weaker floor, and you may find yourself having to make costly replacements much more frequently than you had anticipated.

• Heavy Duty Cladding - The right cladding will make for a strong and secure building - not only will this make the space more comfortable in the Winter months, it will protect your tools and equipment, not to mention deterring would-be thieves.

• Joinery Made Doors and Windows - Finding your perfect fit for doors and windows is certainly worth the effort, as it will help with both insulation and security.

• Quality Guttering - With our Garden Buildings, guttering works in tandem with our roofs to protect the timber from rainwater. This will dramatically reduce damage to the exterior over time.

• Lining and Insulation - If you intend to use your workshop all year round, lining and insulation is definitely an investment worth making. If you want a premium work space that could increase the value of your property, we also recommend you look into getting one of our electrical packs with a heater.

• Roof Material - Our garden buildings are usually lined with heavy duty felt, which makes them extra waterproof. However, we have a range of options that can add longevity, as well as visual interest, to your roof. These include a sedum 'living' roof made from plant life, and cedar shingles that will eventually silver with age.

Security

If you have tools and equipment of any value that will be stored in your workshop, you should take all the precautions necessary to ensure they are as secure as possible.

Our security pack offers:

• Toughened glass
• Integral window bars to prevent thieves from climbing through
• A heavy duty, anti-pick, anti-crop lock
• Anti-vandal screws to prevent an uninvited guest removing the door completely

At Crane Garden Buildings, we want all of our customers to have peace of mind that they are making the right decision. We're always on hand to answer any questions. You also get the opportunity to get first hand advice from the team by visiting one of our UK Show Centres, where our entire collection of garden buildings is available for you to view.