In summer, a shed door is open most days. In winter, it can stay shut for weeks. That is when problems creep in. Damp settles on tools, mice move in, and dark evenings give thieves more time to work unseen.
The good news is that a few simple jobs in October and November will keep your shed and everything inside it in good shape until spring. This guide covers how to stop damp, how to pack your shed for winter, how to keep it secure, and what to look for if you want a shed you can use all year round.
Why winter is hard on a shed
Cold air holds less water than warm air. On a chilly night, moisture in the air inside your shed turns into droplets on the coldest surfaces, such as the underside of the roof, the windows and any metal tools. This is called condensation.
Add rain, short days and very little sunshine to dry things out, and a shed can stay damp for months. Damp leads to rust on tools, mould on cushions and cardboard, and swelling in wooden handles and doors.
None of this means your shed is faulty. It just means it needs a little help to stay dry.
Step one: check the outside before the weather turns
Before you think about what goes inside, make sure the building itself is ready. Look at the roof felt, sweep off leaves, clear plants away from the walls and check that the timber has a good coat of treatment.
We have a full step by step guide to autumn shed maintenance, so we will not repeat it all here. The short version is this: fix small faults now, while the weather is dry enough for repairs and treatment to work.
Step two: stop damp building up inside
Let air move. A shed that is sealed tight with no airflow will trap moist air. On dry, bright days, open the door and window for an hour or two. Even a short spell of fresh air makes a difference.
Keep things off the floor. Cold rises from the ground, and the floor is often the dampest part of the building. Use shelves, wall hooks and pallets to lift items up.
Do not store wet things. A soaking lawnmower or a damp parasol will release moisture into the air for days. Dry items off before you put them away.
Swap cardboard for plastic. Cardboard boxes soak up water and become a home for mould and mice. Lidded plastic crates keep things clean and dry.
Check the base. A shed sitting on wet soil will always feel damp. A level base with air moving underneath it, such as slab and bearer, ground screws or a concrete base, keeps the floor clear of standing water.
Step three: pack the shed for winter
Think about what you will need over the next few months and put it at the front. Everything else can go to the back.
- Garden tools. Clean off soil, dry them fully and wipe metal parts with a thin layer of oil. The Royal Horticultural Society’s guide to cleaning hand tools explains that drying stops wooden handles from soaking up water and swelling, and that moisture is what causes rust.
- Lawnmowers. Brush off old grass, which holds moisture. Follow the maker’s advice on fuel and batteries before storing.
- Garden furniture and cushions. Make sure cushions are bone dry, then store them in breathable bags. Fold chairs and stack them off the floor.
- Paints and liquids. Some products can be spoiled by frost. Check the labels and bring anything frost sensitive into the house or garage.
- Seeds and bulbs. Keep them in sealed tins so mice cannot get to them.
Step four: keep your shed secure on dark evenings
With darker evenings and fewer people out in their gardens, winter is a busy time for shed break-ins. A few simple steps make your shed a much harder target.
- Fit a good quality padlock and make sure the hasp is fixed with bolts or security screws, not ordinary screws that can be undone from outside.
- Check the hinges. If they can be unscrewed from outside, swap the screws for non-returnable ones.
- Cover windows with a blind or frosted film so people cannot see what is inside.
- Add a motion sensor light that comes on when someone walks near the shed.
- Chain bikes and mowers to a fixed anchor point inside.
- Write down serial numbers and take photos of valuable items, in case you ever need them.
Which shed suits winter use?
If you only use your shed to store tools, a well kept standard shed will do the job. If you want to work in it, store costly kit, or spend time there in the colder months, you need something stronger and warmer.
Here is how our three main options compare, using the specifications from our technical information pages.
| Feature | Standard Apex shed | Heavy Duty Apex shed | Lined and insulated building |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frame | 38mm x 50mm, doubled at corners | 38mm x 75mm, doubled at corners | Heavy-duty 38mm x 75mm, larger on bigger buildings |
| Floor | 16mm tongue and groove boards | 22mm tongue and groove boards | 18mm chipboard over 13mm polystyrene insulation |
| Roof covering | Supershed green mineral felt | Heavy Duty Glastex SBS green mineral felt | Choice of felt, felt tiles, Onduline, steel sheet or cedar shingles |
| Wall insulation | None | None | 100mm Earthwool, with tongue and groove lining inside |
| Windows | Single glazed, 610mm wide | Single glazed, 610mm x 457mm, one opening | Double glazed |
| Door | 1800mm x 765mm, ledged and braced | 1875mm x 760mm, framed, ledged and braced | Toughened glass door to match the windows |
| Best for in winter | Storing garden tools and furniture | Heavy kit, bikes, mowers and a basic workshop | A warm workshop, hobby room or studio you use all year |
Standard sheds
A standard shed is ideal for everyday garden storage. Keep it treated, ventilated and tidy, and it will look after your tools through the winter.
Heavy duty sheds
A heavy-duty shed has a thicker frame, a stronger floor and a tougher felt. That makes it a better choice if you are storing heavy items or using the shed as a simple workshop. The taller eaves, at 2.0m on buildings up to 3.0m wide, also give you more headroom to work in.
Lined and insulated buildings
If you want to spend time in your shed on a cold January morning, insulation is the answer. Our lined and insulated buildings use 100mm Earthwool in the walls, which gives a calculated value of 0.49 W/m²K. In plain terms, that wall keeps heat in about as well as a solid timber wall 300mm thick. An insulated floor and double glazing help too, and a warmer building also suffers far less from condensation.
Thinking about a new shed?
Autumn is a good time to plan a new building. You can sort out the base while the ground is still firm, and have your shed ready before the worst of the weather arrives.
Every one of our garden sheds in Essex is built to order, so you choose the size, roof style, doors, windows and finish. Each one leaves our workshop with a coat of oil-based wood stain in your choice of eight colours. If you would rather not repaint every few years, CanExel and Durasid cladding are low maintenance options.
We have been building timber garden buildings in Danbury, Essex since 1951. Call us on 01245 222550 or visit our yard, and we will help you choose a shed that works for you in every season.