We bought my wife a garden chalet, or shed in the common tongue. We have an IKEA leather sofa and a few throws in it along with a coffee table and a chair or two. So, with the sofa and some fabric, I’m worried that it will get damp in the winter, so I figured we’d need to think about some kind of heater to keep the damp out.

I wondered about a little oil filled radiator on a timer so that it heats the shed every day for half an hour. B&Q does a small one for £19. The alternative is a normal fan heater and just use it when we’re in there, but that could be sporadic, especially in winter. I’m worried that the oil filled jobby wouldn’t give an instant blast of heat when we decide to pop out for half an hours tranquility. But I’m worried that a fan heater used infrequently wouldn’t keep the damp out.

What does the greater consciousness of STW feel from their vast experience?

I run a dehumidifier in my shed as it gets damp and tools were getting surface rust on them.

As long as you go for the dessicant type they work down to low temperatures and keep the damp down. The air in my shed feels noticeably drier than outdoors when walking into it.

Get one with a continuous drain option and just leave it running.

If you need to heat it to use it then a fan heater for a few minutes to boost the temperature. An oil filled radiator will take a long time to get it up to a comfortable temperature.

If you want it to feel warm quickly get a IR radiator style heater rather than a convection type.

There’s an old sofa in my garage, been there ages with no notable deterioration. Condensation only happens if there’s excess moisture in the air, so as long as there’s no damp in the ‘shed’ and it’s warmer than outside it should be OK. The garage is warmer than outside because it’s on a big concrete slab.

It may actually be dryer in winter than summer because the airs cooler, the absolute humidity is always low so you get less swing between day/night.