Cost of Shed

How Much is a Shed?

For this section, we will discuss the costs associated with installing various types of sheds based on the material used and size of the shed.

We will break down such costs using average cost ranges. The following cost breakdowns include the cost of shed materials alongside the tradesmen costs.

Let's get straight to it...

The installation cost for an average wooden garden shed will probably come to around £500 to £5,050. To have a metal shed of an average size installed will likely cost you between £300 and £2,200. Having an average-sized plastic shed installed will probably set you back between £345 and £3,200.

A garden shed is a great way to add some additional storage space to your property.

For a shed that is 6 foot x 4 foot, installation will likely cost around £500 to £1,950, for an 8 foot x 6 foot shed, the installation price range rises to about £565 to £2,750 and for a shed of 12 foot x 8 foot, you’ll likely have to pay around £875 to £5,050 to have it installed.

Some smaller sheds may cost less than £300 to have installed while having a more expensive type of shed installed, such as a large wooden workshop could come with an installation cost of over £2,000.

What else can change shed prices?

The cost of installation may also vary depending on ease of access to your garden and where in the UK you are located.

Those based in the London area can expect higher labour costs than those based in other parts of the UK.

Garden Shed Prices

What are the Supply Costs of Building a Shed?

We will now look at the supply costs involved in having a shed installed. We will lay out the supply costs based on the different types and sizes of shed. Such costs exclude installation expenses and the tradesmen cost of building a shed.

For a 6 foot x 4 foot shed, the supply costs will probably come to about £300 to £1500. The estimated supply costs for an 8 foot x 6 foot shed is about £365 to £2300 while for a 12 foot x 8 foot shed, you can expect the supply costs total to end up somewhere between £675 and £4600.

When it comes to a wooden shed, you’ll probably need to spend about £300 to £4600 on supply costs. For a metal shed, the cost of supplies will likely come to about £200 to £2000 while for a plastic shed, the supply costs will probably end up somewhere around £245 to £3000.

As with the cost of installation, supply costs can vary greatly depending on the quality of the shed material.

What are the Additional Costs of Building a Shed?

We will now discuss costs that are additional to the price of a shed that you may choose to avail of.

Cost of Painting a Shed

After having a garden shed installed, one additional job you may choose to pay for is to have your new shed painted.

With a professional charging about £160 per day, a shed taking 1-2 days to paint and the supply costs likely totalling around £30 to £50, you should budget for somewhere between £190 and £370 to have an average-sized shed painted.

However, such costs can vary significantly depending on where in the UK you are located, thus the aforementioned cost estimate is just an average.

An alternative to having your shed painted is to have it stained, which will cost you about £100 to £200.

Fence Painting Cost

How much it will cost to have your fences painted will vary depending on the number of panels you wish to have painted and the size of the panels in question.

To have 10-20 average-sized fence panels painted could take between 1-2 days and the material costs will come to about £15 to £60. Factoring in these costs alongside the daily charge of a professional means that to have 10-20 fence panels painted will probably cost you somewhere in the range of £175 to £380 in total.

Garden Maintenance Cost

The cost of garden maintenance can also vary greatly. It will probably cost you between £12 and £50 per hour to have garden maintenance undertaken.

A two hour minimal charge will also likely apply meaning that you can expect to pay at least £24 to £100 in total.

Garden Waste Removal Cost

Garden waste removal will take about three quarters of an hour and will probably cost between £10 and £15. However, it really depends on how much waste you want removed.

It may only cost you about £10 to £15 if you wish to have 70kg of waste removed while it could cost you between £80 and £100 if you want to clear 900kg of garden waste.

Tradesmen Costs to Build a Shed

The focus of this section is specifically the labour and installation costs involved in getting a new shed installed. The labour costs of having a wooden shed installed will likely end up being around £200 to £450.

The same expense for a metal shed will be lower as it will probably take no more than a day of work for the installation to be complete. In this case, it may come to somewhere between £100 and £200. For a plastic shed, the cost will be around the same range.

However, there are some smaller metal and plastic sheds which may take as little as 1 to 2 hours to install.

With these installations, the labour costs may be as low as £50 to £100. When it comes to a 6 foot x 4 foot shed, you can expect the labour costs to stand at between £200 and £250.

For an 8 foot x 6 foot shed, the cost will likely end up around £250 to £315 and for a 12 foot x 8 foot shed, the cost to build a shed as set by paid professionals will land somewhere between £350 and £450.

How Long Does It Take to Install a Shed?

How long it will take to have a shed installed will vary depending on the type and size of the shed in question.

For this section, we will break down the estimated durations for a metal, plastic and wooden shed and lay out the estimated time it takes to build sheds of varying sizes such as those that are 6ft x 4ft, 8ft x 6 ft and 5ft x 3ft.

As you can see, the duration it takes to install a shed depends on the size and type of the shed. Another factor that could influence the time it takes to install a shed is ease of access to your garden.

Types of Shed

We will now break down the various types of shed that exist. In this section, we will also lay out the pros and cons of each type of shed.

The total cost of having any of the shed types discussed below installed will vary depending on the size of the shed. Additional factors that will influence the price include whereabouts in the UK you are based and how accessible your garden is.

Metal Shed Cost

Metal sheds tend to be made of steel or galvanised aluminium. This type of shed is also usually the most affordable with a price range of around £300 to £2200. The labour costs will likely stand between £100 and £200 as included in the aforementioned total.

Pros:

• Most metal sheds are cheaper than the average plastic or wooden shed.
• Often come with a long warranty
• Usually do not require a foundation
• Do not come with the same fire-hazards as say a wooden shed
• Offer better security than a plastic or wooden shed

Cons:

• Not as easily modified
• Susceptible to corrosion
• More vulnerable to rusting
• May not provide the most aesthetic appearance

Plastic Shed Cost

A plastic garden shed is usually made of a vinyl material. Sometimes they are made of resin or composite materials. The installation cost of a plastic shed usually ends up between £245 and £3200 which includes labour costs that will stand around £100 to £200.

Pros:

• Plastic sheds are usually cheaper than wooden sheds
• Has a long life expectancy
• Easily assembled
• Will require little to no maintenance

Cons:

• The average cost of a plastic shed is higher than that of most metal sheds
• Lacks the strength and security of other types of sheds
• Not easily customised
• Unsuitable for extreme temperatures

Wooden Shed Cost

Most wooden sheds are made of cheap softwoods like spruce or pine. Some higher-end wooden sheds are made of wood-types such as cedar. Wooden sheds tend to be the most expensive type of shed. The associated installation cost with a wooden shed is around £500 to £1950. The included labour costs will likely come to about £200 to £450.

Pros:

• Strong and rigid
• Wooden sheds have great insulation
• Wood is the material of traditional sheds
• Can offer great aesthetic value

Cons:

• More at risk of catching on fire
• Will require maintenance
• Wooden sheds are more susceptible to pests
• More prone to rot
• Wooden sheds tend to be the most expensive type
• Not as secure as a metal shed

How Much Does Repairing a Shed Cost?

In this section, we will discuss the cost of common shed repairs. We will look at what type of shed repairs are common, how these issues are fixed and how much such repairs may cost based on both labour and supply costs.

Common repair expenses include repainting, replacing a shed door and the refelting shed roof cost.

Re-Painting

To achieve this, a painter or another paid professional will need about 5 litres of paint to cover an entire shed. This process may involve 1-2 days of work. The total cost of having your shed re-painted will probably end up around £190 to £370.

The supply costs of a full re-paint should end up around £30 to £50 while the labour costs will end up around £160 to £320. On the other hand, you may simply need some specific parts of the shed to be repainted, in which case you can expect the total cost to be lower.

Replace Shed Door

In order to replace a shed door, the old one will first need to be safely removed by first unscrewing the hinges. The remaining metalwork associated with the old door will then be removed before a new door can be fully installed.

To replace a garden shed door will probably end up between £140 and £290. The supply costs of a shed door will likely end up around £40 to £90. The labour costs will probably come to between £100 and £200.

Refelt Roof

In order for a roof to be refelt, it may be possible to go over old felt such as if it is a 3 layer system.

However, if it is not then your old felt may need to be taken up entirely. In most cases, the cost of refelting a roof will come to about £140 to £280 with the material cost being about £80 to £140 and the labour costs landing around £60 to £140.

How Much Does a Shed Roof Cost?

We will now consider how much it costs to purchase a shed roof. In this section, we will also look at the pros and cons of different types of sheds. A shed roof may cost between £60 and £120.

The cost will vary depending on the type and size of the shed roofing you wish to have installed.

Dual Pitched Roof

This type of shed roofing is very common and is also known as a gable style roof. It has two adjoining sides that tilt upwards, usually with a slope rating of at least 4 in 12. The cost of this type of shed will likely end up between £60 and £120.

Pros:

• Offers extra space beyond the ceiling such as for storage
• Easily sheds rain and snow can easily be removed

Cons:

• Strong wind may cause damage
• A low-sloped dual pitched roof may have problems due to snow load

Flat Roof

Another common type of shed room is that of a flat roof. A flat roof shed isn’t necessarily entirely flat, but it should have a pitch of no more than 10 degrees. This type of shed roof tends to be easier and cheaper to have installed than a dual pitched roof.

Pros:

• Makes it easier to avoid surpassing the height limit for a shed
• Easier to visually analyse so that you can spot problems sooner

Cons:

• Snow and rain are not cleared off as easily
• Offers less head room than say a dual pitched roof
• The roof’s felt may not last very long

Slanted or Pent Roof

A slanted or pent roof shed slants and extends from a short wall to a taller wall on the other side. The cost for a slanted roof may prove cheaper than that of a dual pitched roof.

Pros:

• Ideal for solar panels
• Rain and snow can shed relatively easily
• Comes with a profile that is lower than say a dual pitched roof

Cons:

• You may need to use tar paper or a roofing membrane to protect this type of shed roof
• Strong winds may damage this roof
• Has less top storage space compared to a dual pitched roof

Pyramid Style Roof

As the name suggests, this type of roof comes in the form of a pyramid shape. It lacks a ridge and sees four sides come together at a meeting point at the very top. A pyramid style roof will likely prove more expensive to have installed than most types of shed roofs.

Pros:

• Stable in very windy weather
• Rain runs off the roof very easily
• Snow can easily be removed, if it doesn’t fall off by itself

Cons:

• Difficult to repair or perform any work on the roof due to its slope
• The roof can end up quite tall, so you need to ensure that it does not go beyond height limits before the point that you’ll require planning permission
• It may prove more difficult and expensive to have this style of roof installed

How Much Does a Shed Concrete Base Cost?

For this section, we will discuss the cost of a shed concrete base. We will also look at when a shed will need a concrete base and the factors that could influence the cost. Such a base is laid on the ground for structure to be built on top of it.

The concrete will likely consist of 5 parts ballast, which is made of aggregate and sand and 1 part cement. You should use a concrete shed base for particularly heavy sheds or if you want your shed floor to be installed closer to the grade.

It is also an ideal base if you intend to store machinery and tools in your shed that may have become wet such as due to being used in the rain.

The installation cost for a shed concrete base may end up anywhere from £400 to £900. The cost will depend heavily on the size of the base you wish to have installed. The total cost will also be influenced by ease of access to your garden and where in the UK you are situated.

How Much Does It Cost to Remove an Old Shed?

We will now consider what the average shed removal cost is. You may choose to have an old shed removed to free up space in your garden, because it has rotted and corroded beyond repair or due to it being of no suitable use among other possible reasons.

To have an old shed dismantled and removed will likely come with a labour cost of somewhere between £50 and £200. A 4-5 yard mini skip should suffice for waste disposal and will probably cost about £100 to £260 to hire.

A large cage skip which may cost several hundred pounds may be required or another large skip if your shed is quite big. On average, it will probably cost you somewhere in the range of £150 to £460 to have a shed removed between the labour and waste disposal costs.

You can dispose of an old shed with a skip or through another waste disposal service such as Rubbish.com.

FAQs

Q: How big can I build a shed without planning permission?

A: To avoid planning permission, a shed should be one storey high with its eave’s height no greater than 2.5 metres for a flat roof, 4 metres for a dual pitched roof or 3 metres for any other type of shed roof.

Q: What is the best lighting for a shed?

A: Ideally, you should first maximise the access of natural light to your shed through well-placed windows. You can also effectively light your shed with a 240 volt fluorescent light or by installing solar lighting.

Q: What shed type lasts the longest?

A: A high-quality metal shed is probably your best option in terms of maximum longevity.

Q: How can I secure my shed?

A: Ways to increase your shed’s security include improving its lock, replacing the door hinge or by fitting an alarm.

Q: How often will I need to paint my wooden shed?

A: Preferably, you should paint a wooden shed once a year.

Sources

1. https://www.anikasdiylife.com/how-to-paint-shed/
2. https://www.somerlap.co.uk/blog/much-shed-cost/
3. https://www.lifetime.com/customerservice/tipsandsolutionsdetail/194/which-shed-material-is-best-for-you
4. https://zacsgarden.com/how-to-build-a-shed/which-one-do-i-need/what-type-of-shed-is-best/pros-and-cons-of-metal/
5. https://www.trimetals.co.uk/2014/10/wooden-plastic-sheds-vs-metal-sheds/
6. https://garvinconstructionpa.com/construction-metal-roofing-news/lean-to-shed-plan-roof-pitches-and-different-roofing-materials/
7. https://www.hanson.co.uk/en/ready-mixed-concrete/technical-information/how-to-lay-a-shed-base
8. https://www.waltons.co.uk/_imagesWT/blog/waltons-guide-to-planning-permission-for-sheds.pdf
9. https://www.gardenbuildingsdirect.co.uk/resource/how-to-build-a-shed-roof/

Author: Dean M

I have a Bachelor's Degree in Creative Digital Media, I'm a freelance writer and I've worked for clients such as the British Blockchain Association and I have experience in writing articles, YouTube video scripts, online guides and newsletters. I have written and produced many short films as well as a web series and feature film. I am also currently working on a novel.