So I’ll be needing to replace the wooden shed due to the floor sort of falling out. Our tortoise lives in it and I store a few choice bike bits. The new shed could be bigger so the tortoise may have to share with the bike overflow. I have something in the back of my head that a mate stored his motorbike in a steel shed and it rotted due to the shed not breathing. Anyone have real experience of storing animals / bikes in sheds (I’m favouring plastic at the moment)….,.
Ta

Brick of course.

😆

Can you imagine the bikes I could buy on the money saved by not building in brick???

Aye, but imagine what I could do if I huff and I puff…..

Cheap metal is terrible, quality farm grade with anti condensation treatment on the roof is very good.

Edit to say it’s not the breathing it’s? the condensation that builds and then drips onto everything. My cheap metal yardmaster was breathy as the top of Mt Everest, Metal conducts heat too well. The treatment I have stops the formation of drops and works.

footflaps is probably the fella you want to look up for this, his shed thread from a few years ago was great! Though more of an extra room than a shed mind you! 😆

Wood if you want to minimise damp inside.

Avoid cheap metal – I sent one back it was so crap – even the supplier didn’t argue with how crap it was..

OK, that’s metal out. Anyone house a tortoise and bikes in a plastic shed???

What no plastic shed owners???

Isn’t a plastic shed just a Wendy house?

footflaps is probably the fella you want to look up for this,

I’m offended you call this a shed!! 😉

[url=https://flic.kr/p/k8M3p9]Looking down on Workshop[/url] by Ben Freeman, on Flickr

and the thread you referred to: http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/rate-my-brickie

Concrete? I’m currently debating one of these over brick.

Have you got a plastic shed in mind? Linky?

Am interested as may be rebuilding my shed at some point, but haven’t costed brick vs custom built (by myself) wood yet – I did wonder about farm building material suppliers though as an alternative for the back and sides with a wood or brick face (you can only see 1 side of it really).

If it was the base of your shed that went, it sounds like there wasnt decent drainage below it.

Isnt a shed (of any sort) too hot in the summer, and too cold in the winter for an animal?

Please, please, please do not put up a plastic shed.
the more people that do, the more they will make these ****’ horror shows.

to answer your question

Wood
and not these pieces of tat you get from Homebase/B&Q

Is wood better than single skin brick then? I’ve only got bikes not tortoises but I guess the op would also like to know and I don’t want to hijack his thread..
Does would ‘breathe’ better and than brick would even with airbricks in place? Never built a brick wall but always fancied a go 🙂
I have 2 walls of my current shed that are in a corner of the patio with neighbours brick wall and neighbours fence close behind so these faces are un-maintainable. Like the op I wondered about plastic for the back face but haven’t managed to source anything decent so wondered about brick rear faces ( or even an entire brick shed ideally) as a more long-term solution to wood. I havent costed it though as a ball-park how much is a brick wall per sq m?

Wood. Preferably built yourself.
Here’s mine:
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/shed-build-%e2%80%93-things-i%e2%80%99m-learning

Thanks Alex, looks like loads of useful info in there. That is my evening’s reading sorted then 🙂

Is wood better than single skin brick then? I’ve only got bikes not tortoises but I guess the op would also like to know and I don’t want to hijack his thread..
Does would ‘breathe’ better and than brick would even with airbricks in place? Never built a brick wall but always fancied a go
I have 2 walls of my current shed that are in a corner of the patio with neighbours brick wall and neighbours fence close behind so these faces are un-maintainable. Like the op I wondered about plastic for the back face but haven’t managed to source anything decent so wondered about brick rear faces ( or even an entire brick shed ideally) as a more long-term solution to wood.

Wood will generally breath better than brick. Even with a few air bricks there will still be damp areas if you fill the shed with stuff. If you only have a couple of bikes in there and plenty of room for air to circulate then it is less of an issue. In terms of life, brick is better but modern pressure treated timber is very good. If it is allowed to dry, eg doesn’t have stuff stacked against it, and the base drains so it isn’t sat in a puddle it’ll last for many years without maintenance.

tallmart10 – Member

Thanks Alex, looks like loads of useful info in there. That is my evening’s reading sorted then Be sure to ask me what I’d do different now that I’ve lived with it 3 years 🙂

Thanks nickjb, the issue I have is that my house is on the west side of my shed and has a 6′ brick wall on the south side and and a neighbours fence on the east so gets very little direct sunlight. The current (B&Q-style) shed is gradually collapsing at the back and I can only shore it up from inside. Perhaps I should put the new one on wheels 🙂

Thanks Alex.

So tell me, what would you do different? Make it out of brick? 😆

Ketter 8 by 10 plastic here
Replaced sodden wood 8 by 10 in a dark, shaded corner

Very pleased, not noticed any condensation(has vents),gets an annual wipe down and does the job

My only low mark would be security, also you can’t put shelving on the walls (we use racks) alsoit needs a full solid base (see plastic click tile bases as an option)

🙂
BTW since that thread I now have a pegboard tool wall, a workbench and mains lighting

Things I love:
The transparent roof. It’s a wonderful place to be.
A bit loud in the rain, but amazing amount of light.

Thick 2×4 construction. I rang timber yards and got it all for the same price as much smaller non-tanilised timber from wickes. Only paid 20% more than 3×2 from the same place and it’s worth it. Feels like a building rather than a shed. Easy to mount anything to and it’s rock solid for hanging bikes. Workbench is fastened to it and doesn’t move a mm when sanding/chiselling/planing/etc.

Proper fire door with proper heavy duty hinges.

Things I’d consider differently:
Because of the roof, I don’t really need as many windows. There isn’t a view really, so I’d probably make them smaller (more secure) and maybe openable. I’d still retain something at eye level though.

Some moisture is still slightly tarnishing some vulnerable surfaces in winter. One option would be to build a membrane into the floor, or maybe under the hardcore. Another is ventilation. It’s not a massive issue. I’m trying a couple of those B&M bargains dehumidifier things to see if it makes a difference. They are filling with water in about 6weeks so not sure (and it’s summer now anyway).

I would probably char the larch deeper. It’s lightened quite a bit.

I probably didn’t need tanilised 2×4 as it’s all hidden from the elements by the larch.

Things I’d definitely change:
Nowt

Keter it is then……

Have a look at Costco if there is one near you they sometimes do a deal

http://m.costco.co.uk/view/p/keter-factor-8ft-5-x-11ft-26-x-33m-shed-163887

Concrete block and a nice render finish

Towzer, nice but we have only got a space wide enough for 5′ x 8′, which no one makes, so 4′ x 6′ it’ll have to be….