How to Save Money When Buying a Garden Building
A garden shed or cabin is a serious purchase. Erecting a building in your garden doesn’t come cheap after all, even if it is made of wood.
As it’s such an expensive buy, you’re going to want to make sure that the shed is going to be fit to serve you for many years to come. The ultimate way to waste money when buying a garden shed is to have to replace the thing after a year or two!
Some shed manufacturers make sheds that look just like their higher-end peers, only they have been built using every shortcut in the book. Some might feature inferior wood varieties, construction methods, glass, or delivery options. Spending a bit more up front and going with a quality supplier will ultimately save you the most money, since it will need minimal maintenance work or repairs over its lifespan. Remember, you’re buying something for years here, not simply a few months!
Unfortunately, there’s not really any getting around the fact that your new shed or cabin is going to cost a reasonable amount. Whilst there are loads of manufacturers that are happy to sell you a building for less than the average asking price, these are often shoddily constructed, and the likely result is an angry customer needing to replace their shed much sooner than they expected.
One possible way to relieve some of the sting from your wallet when buying from a quality manufacturer is to use a discount voucher. This will allow your money to go that little bit further and, ultimately, you’ll end up with a much more rugged and durable building. Remember the mantra: buy cheap, buy twice.
There are loads of different manufacturers around that all run different promotions throughout the year. You’ll find two such special offers– one for Waltons discounts here and one for Shed Store discounts here. Both of these companies offer exceptionally high-quality garden buildings and these promotions make their products a little easier on the pocket.
Save Money by Getting it Right First Time
As is often the case, the best way to save money on a new garden building is to spend a little more up front and go for the highest quality possible. Although it is perhaps counter-intuitive, higher quality sheds pay for themselves in a couple of ways. Firstly, a superior garden building is much more likely to protect whatever you store in it from the elements as well as would-be intruders. If you end up having your lawnmower nicked because you bought a cheap summer house or shed with a rubbish lock, did you really save any money?
Secondly, a higher quality shed will need much less spent on it in terms of either maintenance, repairs, or even replacement. The cost of a new shed is certainly going to be more than whatever you saved by buying the cheap one in the first place. Again, remember the mantra, buy cheap, buy twice.
With that in mind, here are some things to look out for to make sure you get the best shed possible first-time round:
- Building materials – Is the wood used suitable for outdoor construction? Look for slow growing varieties and beware of manufacturers not displaying the type they use.
- Treatment – Does the product come with a treatment included? Sheds coated in a protective treatment last MUCH longer.
- Building techniques – How are components joined together? Look for tongue and groove here over square cut joints or shiplap cladding.
- Door hangings – Are doors hung externally or rebated? Rebated doors are much more secure and offer far greater draft exclusion. Are hinges recessed?
- Windows – Is the glass thick enough to offer protection? Is it even glass? Are they rebated?
- Roof – Does the roof come with an adequate covering? Felting protects sheds from succumbing to the elements and isn’t always included in the asking price.
- Delivery – Is delivery included or do the company charge extra for it? How are pieces delivered? Avoid companies unloading components to bigger sheds by hand.
Shop Around Before You Spend
It’s a really good idea to shop around, visit review websites, and read a load of customer reviews about different products. This will give you a good feel for what’s out there. It will also help you to determine if the shed you’re considering is priced highly versus the rest of the market or seems more in keeping with it. Check the different manufacturers’ specifications with the above bullet points in mind. Pay close attention to dimensions of components used. This is a common place for manufacturers to save a bit of money by offering something that isn’t really fit for purpose.
You can even pay a visit to most manufacturers’ showrooms. This allows you to see prospective sheds in action, so to speak. You can look at and touch the products themselves to determine whether the sheds on display have wobbly floors, ill-fitting doors, or other design imperfections.
It’s likely that the shed you were thinking of buying won’t be on display when you visit a particular showroom. Don’t let that put you off, though. You can still learn a lot about the manufacturer by looking at the other products they make. If the rest of their stuff seems exceptional, it would be very bad luck for you to pick the one rotten apple, after all.
By combining your own visits with internet research, you’ll be able to make a reasoned decision about your eventual purchase. It won’t feel quite so much like a stab in the dark and you’re much more likely to end up with a garden building that will last for years with minimal maintenance. Even if it costs an extra £200 up front, if it remains useful for five or more years longer than the cheaper alternative, you’re quids in really!
As always, if you have any questions or comments about this post, please do leave them below.
This is a collaborative post with WhatShed.co.uk.