Expert Advice

Small garden shed sizes measured: a 3×6 pent is 88.5cm wide inside, a 6×4 gives 2.15m² of floor. What fits, which roof, the base and planning limits.

A 6×4 garden shed is about 182cm x 118cm inside with a door as narrow as 59cm. Real sizes, what fits, pent vs apex, the base and planning rules.

An 8×6 garden shed often has a 236 x 182.6cm floor and a 59cm door, yet needs up to 252 x 205cm of space. Real sizes, base, headroom and planning checks.

A corner summer house within 2m of a boundary must stay under 2.5m tall. Sizes, shapes, Building Regs, the base and the gap to leave behind it.

Wooden garden sheds can rot in a few years or pass 15: the 7 specs that decide it, from cladding joints and board thickness to treatment, floor and base.

Metal garden sheds never rot but do condense. The base, vents and roof lining that keep one dry, what rust guarantees cover, and planning limits.

Plastic garden sheds suit tool and bike storage if the base is level and anchored. Six checks before buying, plus how they compare with timber.

A garden workshop needs a stronger floor, its own circuit and dust control. Sizes by use, the Part P rule and the 2.5m height limit explained.

Composite garden sheds will not rot, but the panels creep under load, sweat in cold weather and need a dead-level base. Six checks before you buy one.

Insulated garden shed build-up, step by step: 25mm air gap, PIR or wool, a taped vapour barrier, floor and roof methods, and the size rules that apply.