Repair or Replace a shed?

It can be a difficult decision as to whether to repair or replace a shed. Quite often the cost of repairing an outbuilding in comparison to buying a new one, appears to be out of proportion. However, sometimes the original shed, despite being in current poor repair is actually of a higher quality than purchasing an equivalent new shed.

Factors to consider

So consideration needs to be given to the condition of the underlying structure. Whilst there may be areas that definitely need attention, it is likely that there are other areas that are less deteriorated. The durability of the repair may be dependent on the conditions of the areas that the new piece is attached to rather than the repair itself. So looking at the overall condition of the shed is really important.

This week I repaired a fairly solid, large shed in Brampton, near Huntingdon. I needed to re-felt the roof and the some of the wall cladding, facias and corner trims had rotted so also needed replacing.

The shed was worth repairing although it was made with tongue and grove which is not recommended for sheds. The issues with tongue and grove is that wood shrinks over time and the overhang isn’t sufficient to allow for this. I usually use a log lap or ship lap which has a greater overhang and provides a better quality finish. In this instance, I had to use tongue and grove in order to match what was already there.

I ensured that in doing the repair that the corner trims overhung the cladding so that the ends were protected. Moisture tends to find it easier to permeate the ends because it isn’t possible to treat the ends adequately enough.

As long as the shed is looked after, maintained and treated regularly, it’s life has lengthened by around 10 years.