Unusual question here Which shed do you guys prefer - metal or wooden? I'm planning on getting a new one, old one is falling apart, previous house owner left it in horrible condition. I want to build a new one, so I can do my mods in it I live in Scotland, so it rains here pretty often I'm not sure how metal one could keep up with this weather - should I get wooden one instead? I'm worried about humidity inside (summer time too), don't want to find my tools covered with rust after one season. What would you guys suggest?
In Scotland... A bunker.. a concrete lined bunker. In all seriousness, I would suggest something brick and block more than wood or metal. Given the manic weather you guys get up there I think anything else would end up being scrap by autumn. This all depends where you are though, for instance when I was in Skye in the summer a few years back nothing short of a bomb shelter weighed down by goats and sheep would survive. I think there's a good reason they don't tend to build anything 'semi-permanent' up there..
Wooden one is your best bet. Reasons: wood sheds are easy to repair They are cheaper Easier to install Some metal sheds suffer from noise in high wind and will annoy you and your neighbours bare metal sheds can suffer from condensation and I'm sure you don't want your stuff to get wet Wooden sheds are naturaly insulating so they keep the weather out and should keep it realitivly warm Be British be wooden! Didn't notice your in Scotland lol I agree with above you need something sturdy as a house Here's some helpful q&a on sheds http://www.shedbaron.co.uk/faqs.asp
What size do you need and what's it going to be used for? Personally I would go with wood for the reasons Rhydian gave. You can buy plastic ones but they are pretty ugly.
This. If you want to be modding out there, bricks and mortar will be your safest bet. Easiest to insulate so you can actually stay out there for extended periods without freezing, safest to have mains electricity running to. It'll be a little more costly but it'll last a lot longer and be far more appropriate for what you want it for.
Where I live it pretty much rains all the time, I used to have a container really cold in the winter and boiling hot in the summer wouldn't recommend it, Tbh got to be block / brick, You should look for a 2nd hand concrete garage they are easy to take down and make great sheds / workshops
Personally I'd always go for a wooden shed with a plastic layer covering the roof to help with bad weather resistance (for those days when the weather goes to hell). We get pretty bas weather down in Cornwall as well (thought winds and cold weather isn't as bad), in my last home we had a pretty solid wooden shed that me and my neighbour built. The shed was made with two wooden layers and a sheet of insulation material in between them, a big thick slab of wood in a diagonal angle which had a fair bit of overhang towards the garden hedge and a sheet of clear acrylic placed on the top (so all rain water constantly flows down and away from the structure.
Go for wood, insulate it, get vaporseal and an automatic moisture fan that kicks in when the humidity gets too high. Moisture will be your biggest problem, even with a house, you would get damp if the central heating was turned off all year round. Get some WD40 spray.
Wooden as your next post after buying a metal one will be "how do I empty 3' of condensation out of my shed"
Just make sure to have a sturdy foundation and possible some form of drain. You don't want to go out to your shed after a heavy storm and find half a wall buried in the ground because the ground got too wet and sunk.
my father hasnt long put a metal workshop shed in the garden after it was on sale in argos, he regrets not building a wooden one now, the amount of condensation was stupid, he spent another £100 sorting it out
Pressure treated lumber and hardi-plank siding if you can get it. I live in a bog too, I should know. Just make sure it wont sink, or that any lumber going into the ground is covered in concrete well above the flood line.
I've had a metal shed for, ooh, something years and I can concur it does suffer from a little condensation - only a small amount though, nothing to worry about - it just gathers up a bit on the roof. It's bolted to paving slabs so would need some serious weather to shift it. It's certainly been wooly enough to send fence panels careening through the air in the past.
Once you get your shed, because we know it's going to be wooden take a look at this page about maintaining the shed because like all things natural wood can decay. http://www.hintsandthings.com/garden/shed-maintenance.htm
