Gardening-Tools-Guide.com

Metal Sheds...Better than wood??

by Tony
(Cheshire)

HI. 1st , what a useful site, My better half found you via her search for herbs (keen cook and wants to make everything from scratch) so thanks!

My question is which is better wood or metal for a shed?? I'm paranoid about theft, but some metal sheds I have looked at are the best part of £1000 and most blogs I have found on the subject are owned by a shed company, so not all that helpful


Doug says it's partially about aesthetics - which do you like the look of? I lean towards wood in that regard - you can paint it to blend into the background - or decorate it up to be a garden feature all by itself. Or leave it alone.

Having said that - with a wood shed - as soon as you paint it you have a maintenance issue to keep up.

Construction skills - if you're building a wood shed, then you can fudge the measurements or level by a bit because you can easily drill holes to match the way it's built. You "shouldn't" have to but the reality is that it does get done. With a metal shed, the shed has to be dead-level or you're asking for problems with how the doors operate, how it all goes together. One small 1/8 inch out on one side can throw half the screws out on the other.

There is no "better" in that sense - it really comes down to which you like the look of - which you can build or assemble easiest.

If you're concerned about security of tools in it - then you're going to have to get a good solid shed so the doors and locks can be substantial. And yes, this means there are some serious costs involved in building or buying one.

Hope that helps a bit - there is no right or wrong answer on this one - what you like the look of, what's easiest to build/assemble and the cost you want to pay are the variables here.