We think we make the best garden shed.

Just like any industry, there are tricks of the trade in the garden shed business that you need to be aware of to ensure that you get the best deal on your garden shed that you are looking to buy.

1. Check the weight.

Garden sheds are made out of galvanized steel. The construction of sheds is pretty similar across all makers. So you would think that a garden shed of a similar size would weigh in at similar weight. Not so. Check the table below.

In the above weight comparison you can clearly see that choosing the right brand of shed would give you between 33% and a whopping 73% more steel for your money. So how do they make similar sheds but not use as much steel. The secret is in the steel thickness. Thinner steel means less weight, thicker steel means more weight. Looking for the best shed, then look for the heavier sheds, you get more steel for your money.

2. Check the warranty.

If you make a shed with less steel, does this mean it is weaker? This does not really follow. The structural integrity of a shed is largely based on the design and construction. So you can make a strong shed out of thin steel. However a shed made of thin steel will dent more easily than one made of thicker steel, and it certainly won't last as long in the Australian weather conditions. So sheds made out of thin steel will have a shorter warranty than those made from thicker steel. Looking for the best shed then look for a warranty that is as long as possible.

3. When is free delivery not really free?

Many shed makers headline free delivery, then in the small print indicate that this is free delivery to a transport depot only, not to your home. You then need to arrange delivery to your site. This can add up to an additional $75 to your cost. Looking for the best shed, then look for free home delivery, or check that any additional charges for delivery to you site are reasonable.

4. Bolt Down Kits or Brackets.

Every garden shed needs to be secured to the ground in some manner. Very few shed makers include the bolts to bolt down your shed. This is because some customers are bolting to concrete, some to timber and some just to the bare ground. So they would need to include three different fixtures and you would throw 2 away. However some shed makers have removed the bolt down brackets as well and packaged these as an "optional" extra. "Optional" bolt down brackets that everyone needs can cost up to an additional $60 for some sheds. Looking for the best shed, then look for the shed that has the bolt down brackets included, then all you need to do is buy the type of bolts you need.

5. Ease of Assembly.

Would you believe that some DIY shed kits actually do not have the holes pre-drilled? In the average garden shed there are hundreds of parts and hundreds of screws. Not having holes pre-drilled leads to more mistakes and adds hours to the assembly time. Looking for the best shed, then look for one with pre-drilled holes.

As mentioned in the previous paragraph, there are lots of parts in a garden shed and some of them look very similar so unless all of the parts are clearly labeled and you have an instruction manual written in plain English you will spend hours trying to identify what part is what and what goes where. Looking for the best shed, then look for clearly labeled parts and an instruction manual written in plain English.

Conclusion

In Australia it is pretty hard to buy a bad garden shed, however you can pay too much and not get really good value for money. If you focus on the above 5 top tips you will end up buying the best garden shed. Check out more detail about Sheds4less sheds and how we make buying and building a shed easy.