5 Best Garden Sheds | Australian Buying Guide 2024

What is a Garden Shed?

For me, a garden shed is far more than a place to store my tools, it’s a place to write, earn a living, plan ahead and start my annual food production journey.

Every year I spend at least two weeks in spring staring at a makeshift calendar on the shed wall with a pack of multicoloured pens, drawing up plans for each of the veggie beds, and for the most coveted additions to the flower borders (this year it’s gypsophila - a reliable plant that I’m hoping will line the path and create a bright white evening runway between the pond and the sheds).

Fundamentally though, a shed is four walls, a roof, a door, and whatever you make of it. Every shed comes with its own limitations, but whatever amount you’re looking to spend, it’s all about how you make it your own afterwards that really counts.

How to Install a Garden Shed

Any shed needs proper footing and depending on the shed you buy, there are a few different ways to make it work but, fundamentally, you want your shed to be on solid ground, and in some cases, raised above it to prevent water ingress.

Timber sheds usually come with pretty poor quality flooring so you’ve got a basic barrier between your tools and the earth, but it’s best to install them on top of concrete or paving slabs and raise them up on breeze blocks to stop them rotting at their base.

For all self-build sheds though, it’s best practice to add some basic foundations to anchor them in against high winds. Some simple posts set in with quick-set concrete will attach to most sheds easily

Benefits of a Vertical Garden Shed

For many home gardeners space is becoming a premium commodity. While you may have been accumulating all those garden tools over the years, having somewhere to store them means parting with garden beds – and that ain’t gonna to happen!

This storage facility can easily fit under the eaves of your dwelling – a location where growing plants is almost impossible anyway – and can be kept tucked out of view away from the garden you want to display.

While the garden shed is still the ideal and there are ways to organise your garden tools without a shed, both have problems. The former takes up space while the latter may, over time, ruin your tools.

So a vertical garden shed seems to fit in the middle of these issues and presents a genuine option to remedy the situation. Depending on how much eave space you have may dictate how large a vertical shed you could accommodate. The larger the shed the more tools you can store.

Regardless of size, these sheds are perfect for storing the basic garden tools: hoes, rakes, shovels and spades, a mattock, plus a spot for your garden tool belts, garden tool storage organisers, and even your garden clogs. Even the smallest of these vertical garden sheds could house a small push mower if you have a postcard lawn to tend.

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These sheds are so versatile you could even locate one next to your allotment, if that’s how you garden. They can be locked via padlock-able doors and secured to a concrete base through a few well-placed dyna-bolts.

They offer gardeners many more options than constructing a garden shed and are much more portable should you need to vacate your allotment or rented premises.

What to Look for When Buying a Vertical Garden Shed

• Weather and Climate Tolerance – these sheds are predominantly constructed from high-density polyethylene which offers some great benefits when it comes to weathering the extremes of our climates. However, there are some cheaper alternatives made from less durable materials that won’t give you the longevity you need.
• Vertical or Horizontal? – while vertical garden sheds are very versatile, opting for a horizontal alternative may give the extra benefit of combining a garden seat at the same time.
• Actual usable storage space – if you get a vertical garden shed that is too short for your long handled tools then storing them at angles will take away some of your usable storage space. Check to ensure your tools will use this space as efficiently as possible.
• Colour – these sheds come in a range of colours so check to ensure that your preferred model gives you a colour range to match your home.
• Securability – does the shed offer lockable front doors and a way to secure it to the ground. The latter point is very important in areas where high winds can be a problem.

Alternative Uses for Garden Sheds

When you’re buying a shed you need to take some time to think about exactly why you’re buying it. Are you getting a new shed because you need somewhere to hide your tools, or are you also wanting a space to sit and work?

Maybe start on that book you’ve always wanted to write? Or possibly, you just want a space to sit with a beer at the end of the day or a full-blown yoga studio at the end of the garden?

There’s only one choice for me when it comes to multi-use sheds - double doors. Any shed with double doors gives a sense of generosity and purpose in a garden. All you have left to do is decorate it to suit you.

Even a crowded wall full of neatly displayed tools can look beautiful if it’s kept tidy, so don’t be afraid of throwing off your centre in the middle of yoga.

If you embrace the garden as part of your practice you’ll feel even more connected as a result - after all, gardening and yoga are both intended to connect us to the earth and make more of our existence.

Should I buy a Metal, Timber, or Plastic Shed?

If you want to really splash out on a shed, you can go all-in with brick, and build your own garden room or summer house, but most of the time, when choosing the right material for your shed, three choices always come out on top for practicality, durability and cost; timber, plastic and metal sheds.

Timber Sheds

Timber sheds have always been a firm favourite for gardeners, but they come with visual limitations - usually supplied with classic orange treatment that stands out like a sore thumb in the garden, but they are adaptable and can be stained or painted to suit you and your garden.

They sit in the middle of plastic and metal sheds in terms of durability and lifespan, and we all know the challenges of keeping timber sheds secure from pests and vermin, but there are ways to secure their defences on a budget.

The only added work when buying a timber shed is that the foundations are much more important. Timber rots so it needs to be elevated above the ground, while other options are usually okay placed directly on paving slabs.

Plastic Sheds

Plastic sheds have traditionally been the least appealing to most gardeners, using virgin plastics to create cheap flimsy sheds, but modern plastic sheds deserve another chance in my humble opinion.

Usually made from recycled plastic and manufactured into durable solid battens, they are often more durable than metal or timber these days.

Plastic sheds will, of course, always look like plastic sheds, but for environmentally conscious gardeners, they are a great way to use recycled plastic and keep it out of the ocean - just make sure it's 100% recycled materials used in manufacture before you buy.

Metal Sheds

To most gardeners, the image conjured by those two words, metal shed, is an agricultural tin construction, usually resigned to the allotment, but there are some truly beautiful contemporary sheds available online that would make any garden neighbours green with envy making these in my opinion the best garden sheds.

The other benefit of metal sheds is that most are built from highly resilient materials that are highly resistant to rust and warping, unlike old fashioned corrugated steel builds (although there’s something heartwarming about the image of a corrugated shed with a fire pit out front and an ice bucket of beer on the decking.

The Best Types of Shed Roof

Tin Roof

Tin roofs are supplied with timber, plastic and metal sheds, and are incredibly waterproof. The name ‘tin roof’ can be misleading, as most are stainless steel or coated aluminium, but as you’d expect they can get incredibly hot in full sun. 

If you do buy a tin roof for your existing shed, or a new shed with a tin roof, make sure it’s white to reflect at least some of the sun’s heat, otherwise, you’ll simply not be able to sit in the shed in the height of summer.

Felt Roofs

Felt roofs are the most common roof supplied with timber sheds. they’re also the most likely to get damaged by weather, come apart at the seams, and wear down with time.

If you are buying a shed with a felt roof, ensure it’s either one full sheet covering the entire garden shed roof, or that it’s properly overlapped and sealed at all joints to prevent insects and water from getting in or damaging the edges.

Plastic Roofs

Plastic roofs on sheds are surprisingly resilient, but composites are usually the best choice as thin plastic will easily crack and age in the sun. Thick recycled plastic composite roofs are much longer-lasting and help to insulate the shed from extreme heat and extreme cold.

The only disadvantage of a plastic roof, or plastic shed for that matter, is that you won’t be able to have a stove in there for obvious reasons.

One of our neighbours (who shall remain nameless) bought a composite shed recently, and thought it was a great idea to cosy it up with a wood-burning stove. Within an hour he’d melted a hole in the corner of the shed.

How to Make Your Shed Your Own

Metal and plastic sheds are quite limited in what you can achieve, but nothing is impossible. Think about positioning, making sure you get the maximum amount of light coming in through your shed windows, and then it’s all down to the decor.

The essential garden shed accessory for any practical gardener is a pegboard. The universally accepted organising tool. Invest in a decent pegboard and you’ll easily keep your shed tidy.

For timber sheds though, the world is your oyster. There’s a big fashion for dark colours at the moment, with black sheds said to blend into the garden better, but if you’re going for a nautical themed garden, why not go all out on a blue and white stripe? Or dive into the forest with a rich green matched to the plants around it. 

There’s one shed opposite our allotment plot that I’d happily live the rest of my life in - it’s bright white, with a dual fuel generator, cooker, chimney and bookshelf. So think about colour, think about position in the garden, and don’t be afraid to show off your shed.

How to Secure a Garden Shed

When you buy a shed, whether it’s for storage or recreation you need to consider security. It’s easy to forget how valuable the contents of a shed can be, with everything from secateurs to lawn mowers stored in there, typically valued at around $1000 worth of garden kit for the average home.

For serious security garden shed alarms are essential, but most gardeners will be ok with a good quality shed padlock. For more information read our full guide to garden shed locks and security where we go into detail on some of the best options to keep your tools and garden kit safe and secure.

1. Wallaroo Garden Shed with Semi-Close Storage

Size: 6ft x 8ft

Sliding doors and a generous veranda make Wallaroo’s entry onto our list one of the most space-efficient sheds on the market. Not only is this simple shed incredibly easy to construct, it is great value, well-ventilated and pest-proof.

For small or medium-sized gardens where swinging doors can be a problem, but you don’t want to compromise on storage, this offers extra space, as well as an open seating area with a little bit of shade.

The ventilated walls and rust-resistant panelling mean you can store tools, harvests, or garden furniture in the shed without worrying about damp or freezing conditions harming its contents.

2. YardStore Slate Grey Spanbilt Large Garden Shed

Size: 5.9mx2.8mx2m

Bigger isn’t always better, but in this case… well, look at it! This behemoth of garden sheds could easily be called a stable. It needs foundations, and a solid floor for full installation, and you’ll need planning permission before you buy it in most of Australia, but imagine all that space!

The things you could do with nearly 15m2 or floor space!

3. vidaXL Garden Shed with Rack

Size: 205x130x183cm

vidaXL have made a name for themselves with good value, good quality garden tools, so I’m pretty sure this shed would last a lifetime. Its sliding door gives easy access, alongside an inbuilt external racking system that gives you space to beautify your storage shed with pot plants and garden ornaments.

My only problem with it is that it doesn’t have any windows. On a practical note, fewer windows = more storage, but I can’t imagine installing a shed I couldn’t see out of.

4. Giantz Galvanized Steel Garden Storage Shed

Size: 1.9x1.2x1.8m

With double sliding doors, this is an incredibly secure shed. It’s more lightweight than the vidaXL and easier to install with a single pitch roof and air vents installed in the galvanised fascia board.

Obviously, it’s on the smaller side of garden sheds, but for small gardens to store tools in a subtle way without wanting to bring focus to your garden structures, it’s an easy way to keep everything tidy.

5. vidaXL Garden Shed with Extended Roof

Size: 3.4x2.7x1.8m

If you’re going to buy a garden shed with the sole intention of sitting outside it with a beer and bbq, this is pretty perfect. It’s got a sort of industrial beach vibe to it, that I can’t get over.

If it had windows I’d be raving even more. The ample storage and sturdy build make this a really practical garden building alongside its open options for domestic use. 

I prefer timber sheds, but the subtlety of the black galvanised steel helps this blend into the background and gives all sorts of options for adding trellis and hanging baskets to add a personal touch.

The 6*8ft Wallaroo Garden Shed is spacious, easy to assemble, and incredibly budget-friendly too. If you’re after a simple garden shed with quick delivery that seems to have more space inside than it takes up outside, this is it.

The panelling is great quality and rust-resistant, with sliding doors that help to maximise storage and minimise space in the garden. If you’ve got a small space, with awkward paths, the simple doors mean you’re never squeezing in and out of the shed, and with a handy log store that doubles up as a veranda, you can sit out in comfort through summer too.

We’ve got a similar shed at home (admittedly not quite as impressive as this) and the best thing we find with it is that it regulates its temperature well. So, if you’re storing harvests and need to keep them cool, dark and dry, there’s no better place. Ours is considerably smaller and fits plenty in. Imagine how much you could pack into this!

Yardstore sell their garden workshops in a range of colours so the usual fear when buying metal sheds is taken away, knowing you can adapt to the rest of your garden - especially with such a gigantic monolith of a shed like the YardStore Slate Grey Spanbilt Workshop.

There aren’t any other sheds this big in a similar price range online, so you get amazing value for money. I’ve lived in houses smaller than this, so you certainly won’t be short of space, and the fully galvanised steel means it’ll hold up to the elements too.

Garden Shed Frequently Asked Questions

What type of garden shed is best?

There’s no ‘best garden shed’ that someone can advise because it comes down to taste, and ultimately, what looks good in your outdoor space. However, for longevity, recycled plastic composite sheds will be the most long lasting. Metal and timber sheds have a unique appeal though, and a much wider range of designs.

What’s the right price for a garden shed?

An average shed will set you back around $500, with bigger sheds coming in at up to $3000-4000 depending on build quality materials, and size. The more you spend, the more you get though.

Sheds are one of the few products where prices really do equate to quality. For timber sheds in particular, more expensive sheds use better quality timber.

What size shed will require planning permission?

Garden sheds with a floor area larger than 10m2, or over 2.4m tall will need planning permission in Australia. Any garden building over 10m2 floor area, or over 2.4m tall automatically requires planning permission, and you should always check local planning restrictions before planning even small sheds for your garden.

What kind of foundations do sheds need?

Garden sheds need solid foundations. For basic sheds, this can be as simple as providing a flat bed of hardcore, topped with paving slabs, but for larger buildings burying their corners into the earth and setting in concrete is essential so prevent rocking, and subsidence (one average bag of quick-set concrete per post).