Where to start?

HomeFAQWhere to start? Achieving your Garden Building vision.

Top 10 Tips Before you start

1. It's all in the planning

A small amount of planning at the beginning ensures you get what you want, we will help guide you through the process. Questions such as, what size building do you want? Where will it go? Is there a suitable base? How many windows do you want? And where are they and the door to be located?

This will save you a great deal of time and effort in the long term, there can be no substitute for fully researching your needs at this point.

2. Is the building's quality or price the deciding factor?

As with all things low price often mean low quality and short life. Some of the cheapest prices come from the internet, Catalogues or superstores. Their life expectancy is usually 1-3 years. Things to consider here are; time and labour spent replacing a shed always costs more than paying a small premium at the start for quality workmanship and materials even before you add in the risk of damage caused by poor construction to the contents of your garden building. The old adage “do it right first time” bodes well.

Buying from a Catalogue or internet can be risky especially when you cannot view the actual product. A picture may be worth “a thousand words”, but it is a poor substitute for actually standing inside a shed. Costs can vary from £300 right up to £3000 & more. So a small amount of research and a visit to a dealer can make your decision a far easier and less worrying process.

3. What type of Roof?

Do you want an Apex (Double pitched) roof or Pent (single span) roof, How tall are you, will you be spending more than 5 minutes a day in there? Do you need standard felt or the longer lasting Heavy duty version?

4. What species of Timber?

For a long lasting building it is recommended that it is manufactured using Redwood from Scandinavian sources in all the exposed areas rather than the less durable White-wood or Deal.

5. What type of Cladding?

Shiplap and Loglap finishes with an extended overlap to account for greater expansion and contraction of the timber. It is also worth checking the thickness of the timber cladding. Too thin and the building will soon be showing signs of wear.

6. What's security features do I need?

Are your contents secure in the building? The doors should be ledged and braced for added strength, lipped and seated in the door frame with an adequate security bolt. For extra security there is an option of fitting non removable screws or security door bars.

7. Are you getting what you envisioned?

Having researched your needs Are you being offered the exact size of building that you want for your site? Or are you having to compromise? Doors and windows should be where you need them at no extra cost. What is the height of the building? Are you comfortable standing and working in the building?

Some manufacturers will cut costs by reducing the overall height. If you are spending more than a few minutes a day in the building and you are 6ft tall or more then it may be worth going for the extra headroom to ensure back comfort and posture. How much do they charge for this? Titan’s shed roofs tend to be 6ft at the lower end (or eaves) and 7ft at the higher end (or apex).

8. What's included in the price?

The price quoted should include the floor, the glass, standard roofing felt as well as treatment, delivery and VAT. Are there hidden extras? There is no harm in checking that you are getting what you think you are paying for.

9. What's covered in the warranty?

A good building will be covered by a comprehensive material and labour guarantee. Check the small print to see what loopholes and get out clauses are on your order form. Is it a genuine guarantee? Or do they offer one at all?

10. How long will it last?

The fittings, fixings and nailing should be well coated to protect against rust. Chipboard, OSB board, particle board and Sterling board should never be used. These materials are really not suitable for outdoor use. As a minimum the walls and floor of any building should receive a full immersion in a high grade timber treatment. This provides total panel protection and ensures that the whole panel is treated against rot, insects, bugs and the weather.

11. What is the Manufacturers reputation?

It’s also worth looking at the manufacturer’s background. How long have they been in Business? Do they have effective quality control? Do you want to make sure you have the right tradesman attending your house? Are they subcontractors or are they permanently employed by the company?

Planning Permission

Basic Information

While there are many factors that contribute to whether or not you can build a cabin in your garden, there are some general factors to consider.

As a general rule, most sheds and some cabins do not require planning.
Planning will be required if the building comes within any of the 6 conditions stated below.

  1. Not in front of the house.
  2. Outbuildings must not cover more than 50% of land around original house.
  3. Not to be used as separate living accommodation.
  4. Must be single story. Eaves height max. 2.5 meters. Pitched roof max. height 4 m. Flat roof max. height 3 m.
  5. If within 2 meters of boundary, no part to be more than 2.5 m high.
  6. Planning permission may be required in Conservation or housing development areas, and for Listed buildings.

Visit our dedicated Planning Guidance Page, for a more detailed explanation, here.

If in doubt or you need further advice – we can provide experienced expert guidance, free of charge.

Call 01483 224 186 or Contact us.

Detailed Information

Outbuildings are considered to be permitted development, not requiring planning permission, as long as the following conditions are met:

  • The outbuilding is not forward of the principal elevation of the original house. The term ‘original house’ means the house as it was first built, or as it stood on 1st July 1948 if built before that date.
  • Sheds, other outbuildings, and extensions, must not exceed 50% of the total land area around the original house.
  • Any new outbuilding must not constitute separate, self-contained living accommodation, and must not have a microwave antenna.
  • Outbuildings must be single storey, with a maximum eaves height of 2.5 metres and maximum overall height of 4 metres with a dual pitched roof, or 3 metres in any other case.
  • If an outbuilding is within 2 metres of the property boundary, the whole building should not exceed 2.5 metres in height.
  • Raised platforms such as decking are permitted development provided they are no higher than 300mm above ground level.
  • Permitted development rights do not normally apply to listed buildings, or buildings on designated land including Conservation Areas, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, National Parks and World Heritage Sites. Some housing developments have also had permitted development rights removed. If in doubt, consult your local authority planning department.

Customers should be aware that, if a proposed outbuilding does not meet these criteria, it does not necessarily mean that it cannot be built. It may, however, mean that the local authority will require a planning application to assess the development on its own merits.

For further planning advice from Gov.uk Planning Portal, click here.

If in doubt or you need further advice – we can provide experienced expert guidance, free of charge.

Call 01483 224 186 or Contact us.

Buyers Guide

When purchasing a garden building it is essential to know some of the important details that will ensure that the building will fulfil your requirements, give you value for money and will last. Buying from a catalogue or from the internet can be risky especially if the manufacturer does not give you the opportunity to view their products.

To help, we have outlined a number of key points to watch out for when choosing a garden building. Titan buildings meet all these recommendations and you can view and purchase them online and at show sites all over the South of England.

11 Top Tips for Buying Your Shed

    1. The price quoted should include the floor, the glass, treated wood, delivery and VAT.
    2. The building should be tanalised. This provides total panel protection and ensures that the whole panel is treated – not just the parts that can be seen.
    3. For a lasting building it should be manufactured using Redwood in all the exposed areas rather than the less durable Whitewood.
    4. Shiplap and Loglap finishes should be tongue and grooved or rebated shiplap (see pictures).
    5. Are you being offered the exact size of building that you want for your Site or, do have to compromise? We know that your requirements might not always be straight forward so we offer a service that is tailored to your needs.
    6. With Titan you can have the door and windows where you need them at no extra cost. All good buildings will be covered by a comprehensive 12 month guarantee.
    7. Are your contents secure in the building? The doors should have positive seating and security bolts just as Titan’s do, and the doors should also be ledged and braced for added strength.
    8. The fittings and fixings should all be high quality and rust proof such as smelted galvanised or stainless steel.
    9. What is the height of the building? Are you comfortable standing and working in the building? Some manufacturers cut costs by reducing the overall height. At Titan not only do we provide generous headroom, but we can increase it to your specification. This is important if you have tall objects to store or are particularly tall yourself.
    10. Chipboard, OSB board, particle board and Sterling board should not be used. These materials are really not suitable for outdoor use.
    11. One final point, it’s worth looking at the manufacturer’s background. How long have they been in business? Do they subcontract all or part of their manufacturing and installation? Do they have effective quality control?

Construct a base

As with all buildings, timber garden buildings require a firm level base if they are to remain sound and serviceable. Without the correct base, even the best-made buildings will quickly deteriorate. The walls and roof will sag and the door will jam. The lower timbers in the wall will remain wet whilst the floor will rot through being in permanent contact with the ground. The importance of the foundation is crucial to the structure of the building.

Installing a base can be an easy task, if you already have a large flat area – but often, a foundation will need to be built before the garden building arrives. You are welcome to organise this yourself or we offer a variety of options that can help you achieve this.

DIY Base Assembly

This document explains how to build a suitable base including how to make formwork (wooden framework constructed to form concrete pad), prepare and lay concrete.

A guide for all skill levels, follow this step by step booklet, with a bit of hard work you can make your very own base for your shed saving you money. Or you can watch the handy video.

Download Base Construction Document

Titan Recommends

Titan have two main routes to the perfect base. The first is a concreted area. We can recommend teams who can install this for you. A concrete base is extremely reliable but is ultimately permanent. Should you wish to move you building, you will need to make a new base and your old base will be difficult to remove.

We now recommend a more eco-friendly solution; Ground Screws. Ground screws can be inserted and removed, leaving little or no long term environmental damage. This means that your garden building could be moved to a new location in the future. We use the UK’s largest supplier and installer of Ground Screws, Radix and can help you arrange this installation.

Shed Assembly

A guide for assembling your Titan Garden shed. One person can assemble the majority of small sheds, it is recommended that 2 fit and able body people assemble any shed. Alternatively we are able to install the shed for you, this is recommended and occurs with approximately 95% of all our sheds.

Download Document

Wood Protection

To make your building last longer and get more years for your money we recommend a primary, secondary and possibly final coat applications. You have purchased a quality product so it is sensible to offer quality treatments. Water & damp are the main enemy of timber buildings. We hope the information in this leaflet will help you combat these.

Download Document

Maintenance

A brief description of some issues to look out for to keep your shed and log cabin lasting longer. Roofing felt ripples, movement on the floor, damp by the windows & dampness at ground level. If you need to, you can contact us regarding your concern with any queries on your building.

MAINTAINING YOUR GARDEN BUILDING

Between three and six months from delivery, apply a coat of water repellent preservative to the outside of the building. However, if you have a spell of wet weather before you have treated the outside of the building you may end up with damp patches on the inside. This is not a great problem as this will dry out and then after you have applied Water repellent preservative this problem will not reoccur. We recommend 2 coats of Protek Royal Titan Treatment or any proprietary waterproof shed or fence preparation. Be aware if you use anything else it may not give the recommended protection and we are unable to accept responsibility for any dampness in the shed.

    1. Roofing felt ripples. This will not cause a problem in protecting your shed from the elements. It is caused by temperature changes. In an ideal world the felt would be laid on a warm day, after being left unrolled in the garden for about 2 days. If this was possible there would not be a problem, however this is not possible in the construction of a garden shed as the shed has to be assembled upon delivery.
    2. Movement of floor. If the ground on which the building has been built is uneven, movement of the floor will occur. If the building has been built on bearers it is possible that the bearers have sunk slightly as the ground was not firm enough to take the weight of the bearers. Your only option is to put some packing pieces under the ends of the bearers.
    3. Damp by Window. This is normally caused by condensation on the window, running down and collecting on the window sill. You should periodically go into your building and dry the window ledge and surrounding areas. It is advisable when treating your buildings to pay special attention to this level.
    4. Damp on Inside. Damp of the inside wall of the shed is caused by the lack of a suitable water repellent on the outside on the building. If you do not apply a water repellent to the outside of the shed, thus putting a barrier to any damp getting through, damp will appear on the inside.
    5. Damp at ground level. This will happen if the ground on which the building is sitting is in water causing the water to soak into the building by capillary action. If you have this problem the answer is to apply some ‘Thompson Water Seal’ liberally over all the areas in question once the building is dry. Do not be afraid of using too much as this water seal is colourless.

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