We truly believe that there is a perfect shed for every garden. All you have to do is find it.
In this blog, we’re going to pick out some fantastic sheds for the budding new gardener. Whether you like cutting your grass on a big ride-on mower or perfecting your flow bed borders, these sheds can give you a little extra storage or working space. Perfect for a climate as surprising as ours!
Let’s get started!
Do your research
Okay, first things first, you’ve got to understand what you’re looking at. If you’re unsure where to start your research, check out our Ultimate Shed Buyers Guide.
It covers everything from sizing and materials to treatments and cladding. Check it out here.
Once you’ve read through our beginner’s blog, it’s time to think about the fun stuff and decide out what shed style is right for you.
Shed Styles
Sheds come in all shapes, sizes and materials. However, a shed that’s designed to store a lawnmower probably isn’t the best choice for a potting shed and vice versa.
In the sections below, I’ll cover four common shed styles and explain where I’d recommend each.
Apex
An apex shed is basically a box with two panels laid on top and raised in the middle so they form a point. It’s super simple, super reliable and a good choice for almost every garden.
Its flexibility and robust design means the apex shed has become the garden shed in the UK. If you open a dictionary and turn to the entry for shed, there will be a picture of an apex sitting in a pretty garden.
It’s just that iconic.
There’s good reason for its place at the top of the garden shed hierarchy, too. Apex sheds boasts good internal floor space and great headroom down the centre.
The triangular roof shape on an apex also gives this style excellent rigidity and strength, helping apex sheds weather the unique Scottish climate.
All in all, apex sheds are pretty decent choices for whatever you plan on using it for.
Apex Inspiration
Apex sheds are good all-rounders, offering a robust construction, good internal space and decent central head height. We’ve seen apex sheds used for general garden storage, household overflow storage and as cosy potting sheds.
Pent
Pent sheds are way less common than their apex rivals but don’t let that put you off. The mono-pitched shed style (a fancy way of saying its roof is made up of one sheet and no point) can be a great choice for your garden.
Pent sheds are in their element when they sit up against a boundary like a wall or fence. Unlike apex sheds, where the headroom drops at the sides, pents boast super consistent headroom all throughout shed.
Pent Inspiration
Pent sheds tend to have great head height at the front of the shed. Combined with a wide front-facing window, this makes pent sheds a great choice for workshops and potting sheds. Just place a bench under the window and get going.
Workshop
Normal garden sheds are great for storing bikes and potting plants but when you’ve got bigger plans, you might have to look at a workshop style shed.
Workshop sheds are basically heavy duty pent sheds built on a larger scale. Ours, for example, feature big double doors, shiplap cladding and quality 19mm tongue and groove flooring.
When you need somewhere super weatherproofed and secure, there aren’t many better choices.
In the past, we’ve seen workshop sheds used as outdoor offices, massive gardening HQs and, of course, workshops.
If you’re just making your first foray into gardening, however, this probably isn’t the shed for you. Once you get super serious about sunflowers, you can always upgrade to a more meaty shed style.
Workshop Inspiration
Workshops are a good option for the serious gardener as they have huge amounts of internal space. This means you can do anything from potting to pruning and sowing to storing all under one roof.
Garage
Some styles of shed are super flexible, offering a basic structure that can fit a million different purposes.
Garage-style sheds, on the other hand, are a bit more specialised.
With big, full-width doors and heavy duty constructions, garages are built for access and security. Unless you’re driving some huge Land Rover, a garage shed should make an ample home for most motors — and you’ll have enough room to walk out comfortable.
If you have a ride-on lawnmower, you might want to consider investing in a garage style shed. It’s wide entrance means you’ll roll in no problem and you can use the remaining space for general storage.
Garage Inspiration
Big double doors make garage sheds the perfect choice for one thing: Parking your motor. Whether it’s a fancy ride-on mower or your beloved commuter car, a garage shed will keep it nice and cosy.