So, you’ve just received your brand new Surrey shed, that flat-packed bundle of excitement is sitting there, just waiting for you to get building. This article should give you some advice and instructions on preparing, building and looking after your shed.
The prepared D.I.Y’er is the smart D.I.Y’er, and as your Surrey shed is going to be with you for the next quarter of a century, it’s important you give it the best possible start in life. As with all buildings, it is essential that you provide a firm and level base on which to build your shed. The very best base (and the one we always recommend) is a concrete base.
Top tip: if your base is made of concrete, we recommend it does not extend beyond the dimensions of the shed. This avoids rain water collecting on the base, and in the words of Mary Berry “nobody likes a soggy bottom”. For example, if you’re building our apex 6×4 shed, we recommend a base size of 1800 x 1200mm.
All the fittings and everything you need to build your shed are included, so you’ll just need to have a basic tool kit to put it together (a hammer, tape measure, a Stanley knife, clear mastic sealant for the window pane & a screwdriver). We recommend an extra pair of hands for the larger sheds and a good supply of tea and biscuits.
Voila! You have just built your new Surrey shed. Before you start moving in your assortment of tools, pots, buckets and general gubbins, we’ve got a few extra tips for keeping your shed in tip-top shape.
“It’s good to touch the green, green grass of home…” – Tom Jones, 1966
As Tom Jones stated in his 1966 hit, it’s good to touch the green, green grass of home. However, it’s better that not too much of it touches your shed. Keep the area surrounding your shed clear of any grass or vegetation (including pruning any trees overhead)
“Pressure, pushing down on me, pressing down on you…” – Freddie Mercury, 1982
Freddie mercury was right to worry about pressure but can rest assured your shed has been pressure preservative treated. This means it’s designed to prevent rot and insect attack for up to 25 years, as well as to give the timber an extended and low maintenance service life. However, this treatment is not intended to perform as a waterproofing agent.
“I see a red door and I want it painted black…” – Mick Jagger, 1966
What colour should one paint one’s shed? Whilst black might prove a controversial choice (sorry, Mick) we recommend painting your shed with Barrenttine Shed and Fence treatment. Available in 5-litre tins in four natural colours (Dark Brown, Evergreen, Harvest Gold & Red Cedar). These can be bought at checkout from our website, or in any of our branches in Cobham, Woking, Farnham and Maidstone. When you add a Surrey shed to your basket on our website, you’ll see a range of shed accessories to browse, including shed treatments.
“I’ll sing my song to the wide-open spaces…” – Roger Daltrey, 1971
We recommend a minimum of 400mm (15″) clearance around all sides, although having 600mm (24″) allows more comfortable room for painting and any maintenance.
Why not share a picture of your newly built shed with us on social media?! Post a picture to Twitter or Facebook with #SurreyShed and #ShedSuccess to show off your new pride and joy!
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to post them on Facebook or Twitter or contact your nearest Challenge Fencing branch to chat with a member of our team.
To all dilapidated shed owners,
Your garden deserves so much better, don’t let your beloved old shed, with it’s creaking door, warped & weakened structure and dilapidated, weather-beaten walls, that have seen much better days, spoil the view any longer!
Good news, Challenge is coming to the rescue!
To celebrate our 30th Birthday, we are giving you the opportunity to win a brand new garden shed!
Not just any old shed mind you, we know that parting with your beloved old shed can tug at the old heart strings, so we have brought back our most popular ‘Challenger’ garden shed, with a host of improved features, to ensure that you will never have to say goodbye to your garden shed again.
The ‘Challenger’ garden shed has been designed to last you a life time and will look as good as new for years to come.
There are 3 ways you can enter our competition to win the ‘Challenger’ Shed.
1. Enter on Facebook
2. Enter on Twitter
3. Enter on Instagram
All the photographs we receive will be scrutinised by an Independent Judge from the Builders Merchants Federation and the most deserving owner of the most dilapidated garden shed will win a brand new ‘Challenger’ 6×4 Shed with a market value of £495.00 (If you wish to upgrade to an even larger shed in the Challenger Range, this can be arranged for you, at an additional cost).
Full competition terms and conditions can be found here.
Is your garden shed letting you down?
Our Challenger shed is constructed using rounded 45mm x 35mm framework for extra strength, clad with high quality 15mm Redwood shiplap and has a roof AND floor machined from 25mm tongue & groove timber.
✔ 100% pressure treated Scandinavian Redwood timber for up to 25 years protection
✔ 25mm tongue & groove floor and roof for extra strength
✔ Heavy duty mineral roof felt with 7 years life expectancy
✔ Galvanised fittings to prevent rusting
The Challenger shed is under 2.5m high, so no need for planning approval & is supplied with full assembly instructions and fittings pack. It has a fixed toughened glass window & a 29” (74cm) left handed door with galvanised hinges, pad bolt, & 2 turn buttons.
We recommend siting the shed on treated timber bearers with a thin strip of roof felt to act as a Damp Proof Course and ideally a well-draining concrete base to avoid standing water.
Your shed will come flat packed with full self-assembly instructions and a comprehensive fitting kit.
Our highest quality Challenger shed range is manufactured from Scandinavian Redwood and is 100% pressure treated to protect it against wood decay and insect attack for up to 25 years.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to post them on Facebook or twitter or contact your nearest Challenge Fencing branch to chat to a member of our team, quoting #SaveOurShed competition.
There are many overblown rumours about ‘Walker, Texas Ranger’ star Chuck Norris, from the slightly plausible to the downright ludicrous. We say “Chuck, you’re not so tough!” Chuck Norris may be able to make a snowman out of water, but does Chuck Norris have a heavy duty, mineral felt waterproof roof with 7 years’ life expectancy like a Challenger shed? We think not.
Image credit: Fox News
OK, so you’ve climbed 29,000 feet of mountain through a snow-ridden blizzard, pretty impressive. Want to know something even more impressive? When you get to the top you might just find a Challenger shed, standing strong against the elements. If you’re really lucky, you’ll find Chuck Norris inside it, sheltering from the cold.
Every Challenger shed comes flat packed with full self-assembly instructions and a comprehensive fitting kit (you won’t even need to dress for the cold)
Everest? Easy
They say that people spend up to 25 years of their lives sleeping. A quarter of a century’s use can take its toll on ‘old bouncy’. It’s served you well, but the time has finally come to pass your mattress on to the next life. Unfortunately, selling a used mattress complete with broken springs can be harder than killing two stones with one bird (something else Chuck Norris is rumoured to be capable of). Thankfully, the high quality 15mm Scandinavian redwood on the Challenger shed is 100% pressure treated for up to 25 years’ protection and beyond (so you can spend more time in the shed, and less time in bed).
It served you well, but its time to move on.
Ah – Baked Alaska! Everyone’s favourite meringue topped ice cream cake is a notoriously tricky dessert to master. Oftentimes beginners can find their Baked Alaska representing the wake of a snowplough carefully slopped into a bowl. Alas. Thankfully, building your Challenger shed is much more straightforward, and our expert team @Chall_Fencing or in your local branch is always on call to give you a helping hand. Unfortunately, they can’t help with dessert.
Baked Alaska? No problem.
Another famous tough guy, the Terminator spends a lot of his time beating up Cyborgs, saving the future and “Getting to the Chopper”. That’s all very impressive, but does the Terminator have a 25mm tongue and groove floor and roof for extra strength? We don’t think so. We’re even more certain he doesn’t have galvanised fittings to prevent rusting. Don’t worry, Arnie. We’re always on hand to give advice.
Our high quality Challenger shed range is manufactured from Scandinavian Redwood, and is 100% pressure treated to protect it against wood decay and insect attack for up to 25 years.
The Terminator? Not so tough.
See challengefencing.com to find out more about garden sheds, pop into your local branch or ask our experts any questions @Chall_Fencing.
If you would like to contact our team by telephone, please call your local branch.
If you would like to contact our team online, you can do so by filling in our contact form.
