If you’re using your shed for anything other than storage, such as converting it into a games room or using it as a workshop, it’ll be far more comfortable with a little boost to the temperature letting you use the shed any time of the year. It can also be cheaper to insulate your shed than to wire it up with electrics to run a small halogen heater, which would cost a lost to run because without insulation, heat would be lost.

It’s estimated that up to 40% of heat in a shed is lost through the floor alone. For that reason, it’s worth considering underfloor insulation which will need installed when you’re laying your garden shed base. The easiest to install is damp-proof membrane and a layer of carpet over the top of it. However, if you are using carpet, be cautious as they can become damp if the membrane fails so it’s a good idea to use quality membrane that’s thick and perhaps double layer it for added protection.

Insulating the Walls of Garden Sheds

The cheapest insulation for the walls on garden sheds in Glasgow is bubble wrap. Plain, simple and cost-effective. The bubble wrap will need cut to size to fit over each post on the shed’s framework. Do not staple or tack the bubble wrap directly to the cladding because there needs to be an air gap to prevent damp problems. Using a stapler, attach the bubble wrap to the framing.

Once it’s installed, it won’t look pretty but it will do the job of keeping more heat in your shed. To improve the appearance, you can panel off the walls using MDF to cover the bubble wrap. Like before, the MDF needs cut to size and attached to the framework.

A higher quality material is foil-based bubble wrap. This takes advantage of bubble wrap and tin foil so you could DIY this if you wanted as it’s essentially two sheets of tin foil with bubble wrap sandwiched between them. Unlike traditional bubble wrap that needs an air gap between the cladding, foil-based bubble wrap can be cut to size and fitted directly onto the cladding with no air gap.

Another insulation option that’s a little more expensive but more effective is to use Celotex insulation wall lining for timber building. Different Celotex insulation panels are suited to different parts of your shed. Some can be installed on the floors (under or over slabs) in the panels between the shed’s framework, including for lining the ceiling.

For more Information on Celotex products, you can download the guide at: https://www.celotex.co.uk/assets/handy-guide_nov18.pdf

Fiberglass Wool Insulation for Timber Garden Sheds

Fiberglass has the added advantage of keeping humidity levels lower in timber sheds, which can be helpful for storing more delicate items that could be affected by high humidity levels. You will need to wear protective gear when working with this as it is made of tiny bits of glass. If you touch it with your bare hands, the itchiness is torcher. Cover your hair face and hands if you’re going to install fiberglass panels or glass wool as it’s sometimes called.

Treat Your Interior Wood Before Insulating the Walls of Garden Sheds

This is important because once your insulation is fitted, you won’t be able to get to the cladding without ripping out the insulation. Before you apply any insulation, treat the walls with an anti-fungal treatment or pesticide to prevent any damage. The higher quality the better because you don’t want to be taking your insulation out regularly to treat your timber. Some products are wash on treatments, others are paints and lacquers.

Shedman.co.uk are experts in workshops and garden sheds, Glasgow-based and handmake all our timber outbuildings with the highest-grade timber imported all the way from Sweden.
View our garden shed ranges here.

Garden Shed Base: Why You Need One and How to Build It

A garden shed base serves a few purposes. Without one, the shed won’t last. The base is needed to support the weight of the shed, to level the ground and to allow for air circulation. You also need to work out where you are going to build your base in the garden.

You won’t achieve all three objectives by laying down some planks of wood to erect a shed on as that won’t give it nearly enough support. In addition, while the ground needs to be prepared for a base, it also needs to be elevated slightly above ground level to allow for rainwater runoff, otherwise, water damage could become problematic. Sheds will shift when they’re sitting too close or directly on the surface of soil or grass because as the ground gets wet, the shed will slope and slant. The purpose of the base is to provide a consistent level base that doesn’t change with ground conditions because the base keeps it off the ground surface.

Types of Bases

There are three materials you can use to build a garden shed base. Wood, concrete and plastic.

Concrete Garden Shed Bases

Concrete includes using paving slabs to cover an area for the shed to be built on. Laying these takes the longest but it does provide the most stable and longest lasting secure base for your shed.

To build a garden shed base using concrete or paving slabs, you’re going to need sand and aggregate to lay on the ground first. If you’re using paving slabs, you’ll need to account for the depth of the slabs and adjust the depth the ground is prepared for. Most will need the turf removed to a depth of 100mm, then a layer of aggregate spread and levelled, then another layer of sand around 30mm thick spread and levelled before laying the slabs.

Using concrete or paving slabs as the base for garden sheds is time-consuming and messy. If you aren’t a DIYer or aren’t comfortable working with construction materials, it’s probably best to hire out the laying of a concrete shed base to a local contractor, either a handyman service or a local landscaping company.

Wooden Shed Bases

A wooden shed base is easier to install but it’s only suitable for smaller sized sheds. A kit will include pressure treated timber strips and galvanised steel brackets. It’s best to put the components together where you’ll be building your shed because it’s heavy once constructed due to the number of timber planks used. A rectangle is formed around the outer of the base, then the inside fitted with bearers to provide additional support. If you are using a wooden shed base, you are going to need level ground. This can require additional prep work before you can install the wooden base. If your garden is unlevel, it may be easier to install a concrete base as that’s easier to level rather than having to make alterations to the ground to make your wood base sit level.

Once the framework is ready, steel ground pegs/spikes are then used at each corner of the shed base to secure it into the ground.

Plastic Garden Shed Bases

Plastic garden shed base kits are made of tiles of interlocking grids that secure together but require a pre-base of builder’s sand and pea gravel to level the ground first and fill the spaces within the grid once laid. These are the easiest to install as it’s only joining tiles together, locking them in place with pegs supplied then filling the spaces with pea gravel for added strength. The trickier part is getting the ground level.

The strongest and longest lasting is to use a concrete base or a base built with paving slabs. However, that’s only if you know you want a permanent garden shed installation. If you think you’ll move home and want to take the shed with you, then a wood or plastic garden shed base are options that let you take your shed down, pack the base up and move it to your new home.