Shed recommendations

[Manx Cat]

Need a shed.

Other half has told me to research them. Prices on island are horrendous, and mostly the sheds are thin tacky bits of junk to boot as well that need replacing every 3 years or so.

Can anyone recommend a good shed company. I know its costly to transport to the island, but we may be able to collect ourselves. Looking for new not second hand, as sheds often dont go back together that well, and security is important.

Ohhhhhh, my own shed! Its to house about 5 bikes. And maybe even Chas's electric one as well. I can do the services and repairs in the kitchen. (cos its MY kitchen ) Be great to have somewhere to keep all teh bikie gear in as well. Currently the bikes are kept outdoors in a very small car-port next to the cottage. But its getting very cluttered, and to be honest its not that dry either.

Mary

[thirdcrank]

I can't help with sheds but one good idea for security - I think I first saw it suggested by CJ - is to fix some sort of strong securirt anchor into the ground before you erect your shed, then put your shed over it. It makes it much less accessible to attack and anybody trying to work on it is fighting their own weight.

[random37]

If you fancy a challenge, I have a book called "The Amateur Handyman and Home Mechanic", published in about 1930, that has plans for a shed to house 5 bikes in its woodworking section. The section on repairing bikes tells you how to make a hub!
Ready made sheds are generally a bit poor, although occasionally B&Q does 6' x 4' ones for £25, which I guess you can't complain at.

[gilesjuk]

This is why my house is full of bikes. Can't see a wooden shed being much security. Plus there's rarely alarms on them, so they're a soft target.

[eileithyia]

Mary, have you considered some of the bike locker options, especially if you are not intending to use the shed to do bike repairs,
http://www.asgardsss.co.uk
http://www.cyclesafe.com

There are lots of others, I just put bike lockers into google, some are very much designed for work place storage but could be used at home, though it is not cheap if buying more than one.

As well as the new garage I have an 8x6 shed originally bought for the bikes until I could get the garage sorted, so far it has lasted 5 years and is still in decent condition, but obviously a wood shed is not as secure as other materials.

Does anyone do a small concrete type garage that can be used as a bike shed?

[thirdcrank]

A wood shed, especially the kit type from a DIY shop, offers little security, but nothing is completely invincible. Most modern garage doors are very flimsy and their large size makes them vulnerable to being rived about to force them off the runners etc. The only concrete garage I ever bought (40 years ago) had a corrugated asbestos roof, which could have been cracked open like an eggshell (although the thief might have contracted mesothelioma ) Windows are another weak point. We once had a newly-built house where a bird became trapped in a cavity containing built-in pipes. Brickies were still working on other houses on the site. I had a word and one simply cut out a couple of bricks, released the bird unharmed and replaced the bricks as good as new. A woman in Bradford was murdered by her ex who removed tiles from the roof of the house and climbed in - easily done but very rare in domestic burglaries.

I think the main points are that reasonable precautions will deter most casual thieves, but nothing practical will stop a truly determined one. (As in JCB diggers being used to rip hole-in the-wall machines from their hole in the wall.) A thief will not be impressed by the strongest bit of your fortifications but will exploit any weaknesses. Most thieves also have no inhibitions about incidental damage.

Alarms can be a deterrent, but they are often ignored when they go off. Visual supervision is one of the best forms of security because time to work is usually important for thieves. Anything secluded and infrequently visited is more attractive to a thief than standing in the public gaze jemmying a door although some are brazen enough to try anything. A few years ago I had a legitimate visit from a roofer while I was out. He scaled my gate to get round the back. His tranny pick-up (of a type known round here as a gypo-wagon was around the front.) Several days later, one of my neighbours asked if everything was OK because he had seen a suspicious looking character climbing over my gate ....

[travelling]

Perhaps if you check out some of the motorcycle secure parking sheds?

this is just an example http://www.trimetals.co.uk/motorcycle-s ... hp?m=3&g=8 and there are plenty more that do them..also try the motorcycle news (mcn) for a load more manufacturers/suppliers

Also on a fixing point, most of us will have a u lock that we have lost the key to, what I did was use the one I had lost the key to and bought another 2 cheapies then dug holes in the shed base around the inside edge on 3 sides then set the locks in so the top of the hoop was showing about 3 inches then filled the holes with cement.

Being around the edge means less chances of tripping over the hoop, it also gives you enough space to pass a hefty chain through but close enough to the ground and to the side of the shed to make it very difficult to get quick access for the nasty people

[patricktaylor]

Much the same as travelling's suggestion. Something like this maybe? Erect it yourself - great fun. There are smaller cheaper ones. If it was me, I'd have a concrete or solidly flagged base with an underground power supply (fitted by a qualified electrician) for lighting, heat, and sockets. I've just finished building a greenhouse along those lines. The base materials cost around £350 and the same for the electrician (including materials). Done properly, I would think of the whole thing as an investment.

[hubgearfreak]

here's mine



it's made from 3/4" WPB which is £35 for an 8'x4' sheet. the windows are reclaims, and the doors are oak. check out skips and freecycle for those items.

a competent joiner should be able to knock you one up quite quickly

http://www.wickes.co.uk/Sheet-Exterior- ... nvt/110037

[NukeThemAll]

Thought about a metal shed? We have one - size for size, a lot cheaper (normally) than a wood variety. Delivered 'flat-packed' and needs (ideally) a good concrete base. Takes some time to build (power screwdriver helps enormously) but once done is virtually maintenance-free. Secure the sliding doors with a decent exterior-grade padlock and you can also lock the bike to an anchor set into the base if you wish. I fitted a wooden floor but it would be perfectly possible to drill through this to fit additional security 'furniture' (although if the thief has got this far......)

[byegad]

I built a shed for my QNT. Only 3'6" high and the trike fits in it with no room to spare. As it's mounted on concrete a ground anchor bolted to the floor and a good U lock around the cruciform mean it would be impossible to get the thing out even if you could get in to disassemble the trike.

[pigman]

Does anyone do a small concrete type garage that can be used as a bike shed?

yeah, a company called lidgett concrete. google them.
I've got 10ft x 12ft and its great, with a steel door cost about £900. But you do have prepare a proper concrete base, not just a few slabs which may cost as much again, mainly in labour.. Lots of digging, levelling and a readymix delivery meant I did it myself. And they do need access for a lorry nearby and the ability to trolley-in the concrete slabs, which cant be lifted and carried.
you design it yourself, ie you decide what lenght v width, what windows/doors and where.
Very competent and very helpful people.

[garybaldy]

Not for everyone, because of the price, but I have just got a concrete garage from Compton. As Pigman says Lidgett also do them. Had the up & over door replaced with a steel 2'6" door. For me its perfect. Its 16' X 9' and a local shed company wanted a similar price for a wooden shed that you could have put your foot through! Of course you will need a concrete base but that can be done DIY, but I'm a GSI sort of man ( Get someone in!) It weighs over three tons, so no chance of it blowing away and no maintenance.

[steve_m]

Can anyone recommend a good shed company. I know its costly to transport to the island, but we may be able to collect ourselves. Looking for new not second hand, as sheds often dont go back together that well, and security is important.

I was very happy with the two I bought from Oakenclough sheds. (Looks like they might have changed their name - Oakenclough isn't big enough to have two companies like that!) I only bought the second because I moved house. If I need a shed here I'd get another from them. They do deliver to IoM but you'll not be surprised to find it's in the most expensive delivery zone. Collection might be an option for you as they are located not too far from Lancaster.

To enhance security on my two sheds I added steel bars across the windows and also added protruding metal bars on the inside of the door; they interlocked with the inside of the door frame and prevented a wood-be thief from opening the door by removing the exposed hinge pins.

[MarkC]

+1 for Asguard sheds and bike lockers.