The best sheds: from traditional wooden to maintenance-free metal

Not all properties come with a garage. And if yours does happen to, it may not have enough space for your car and your entourage of the best DIY tools, foldaway garden furniture and the lawn mower. However, if you have the space in your back garden to spare, a garden shed is the ideal solution, and thanks to their standard sizing, you don’t need planning permission to park one up, making it a no-brainer when it comes to protecting your gear from the great British weather.

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Buying the best shed: a guide

A garden shed no longer has to be the rickety, half rotten structure that festered at the bottom of your childhood back garden. In fact, even wooden sheds these days are pressure treated to prevent rot from taking hold. If reapplied regularly, a wooden shed can last just as long as a metal and plastic combination structure. 

While metal sheds are more resistant to a life outdoors, they aren’t as authentic in their appearance. However, if you’re looking to store away something valuable, such as your prized mountain bike, you may be able to place more trust in a combination structure, such as our fifth pick, the Keter Apex Plastic Beige & Brown Garden Shed, rather than one that is made entirely out of wood. 

Sheds that are completely made out of plastic are the cheapest option, and certainly work if you’re looking for a quick fix that you can put up and take down when required. While a plastic shed lacks the authenticity of real wood, our second pick, the Keter Store It Out Midi Outdoor Plastic Garden Storage Shed, has been finished with a wood grain effect so it naturally blends in with your outdoor environment.

When it comes to purchasing the best shed for your garden, make sure you take into consideration its size and construction. Would you like your shed to have windows? Or would you like your shed to provide no indication of what’s inside it? No matter what your needs are, we’ve consulted a range of retailers including Wayfair, John Lewis, Wickes and Argos to provide you with the best selection of garden sheds around. 

With ample space for garden furniture, lawn mowers and the like, this spacious shed is the ideal buy for generously sized back gardens. In addition to the interior space, the end of the shed has a recess, providing an easy-to-access log store, ideal for wood burning stoves or, alternatively, garden paraphernalia such as pots, tools and the odd bag of compost. With six neutral, earthy colours available, this National Trust inspired shed will make an authentic addition to your garden. 

This little store away is ideal for small gardens, or if you’re looking for a shed that you can tuck away unobtrusively. It’s large enough to fit a foldaway lawn mower or a BBQ, with leftover space for various garden tools. Made with weatherproof materials and featuring double lock doors, you should be confident that this small shed will keep your number of garden tools safe and dry, and the best news is, it won’t set you back too far, either. 

Bigger than our second pick but not quite as space-hogging as our first, this wooden bike shed is a happy medium if you’re looking for a decent amount of storage room without compromising too much on your garden space. Large enough to fit two bikes or more, or alternatively the BBQ and the lawn mower, this pressure treated bike shed should keep all of your belongings protected come rain or shine. 

If you’re looking for a small, discreet storage solution, this rattan style steel chest is ideal. While it’s by no means the biggest storage solution on our list, it should provide ample space for fold-up garden furniture, cushions, pots and watering cans. With Wickes promising a fire- and rot-resistant finish, this is a reliable garden chest that won’t require any maintenance from you. 

Just the right size for medium gardens, this traditional shed benefits from modern construction and a heritage finish. In similar fashion to our first pick, the designer has taken inspiration from National Trust sites around the UK, and as such, has created a strong and durable garden shed made from Scandinavian redwood. 

Before you buy, you need to bear in mind that this shed features a wooden bottom, which requires a concrete base to prevent water damage. Even so, it's cheaper than our first pick, so if you can compromise on the log store, this is one is much friendlier on the pocket. 

Made from a combination of resin and steel, this shed is a reliable, low maintenance alternative to a traditional wooden structure. It’s similar in size to our fifth pick, but costs a fraction of the price because it’s not made from real wood. The shed itself comes with a floor, however it is recommended that the structure is placed on a patio or concrete base to protect it from water damage. With a wood-like texture and appearance, it’s far more sympathetic to the traditional shed design than a plastic option.

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