Hi,
As I stated in my intro thread, I need to get a shed up before we find a place for all our stuff in our new house and all that's left is my tools dotted about all over the place.
It's a rented mid-terrace. We do have access to the garden from the road, but it's down the side of the neighbours' house, they don't speak any English and it's hit or miss as to whether they will have all of their six cars (and counting) crammed on to the drive and their back patio at any one time. We had some issues having a fridge delivered a couple of weeks ago but thankfully we're only renting so it's a temporary issue.
Anyway, on that topic I wanted the shed on the grass so it was in full view, I could paint it to look nice and maybe organise a seating/bbq area around it. The problem is that the grass isn't quite flat (bumpy rather than sloped) and it being a rental means that digging everything up and filling it with concrete isn't an option. My other option is a paved area at the bottom of the garden which unfortunately doesn't get a lot of light and is obscured by a poorly thought out bush. Getting a level shed would be much easier there, it seems.
The lathe is the biggest consideration, however I want a workbench too. I managed in a 6'x8' shed at my old place with the lathe, workbench and lots of wall storage. It conveniently prevents me from buying too many big tools. Ideally I'd like to upgrade to a 8x10 however I realise that might not be feasible. The usable space on the paved area is approximately 6x8, with a rickety old 4 by something shed beside it which will be useful for timber storage.
Anyway, waffling aside, I've been looking at off-the-shelf sheds however the number one rule of woodworking states that it will be cheaper if you build it yourself. I'm struggling to see this with the shed, however, and I've had at least one person tell me that sheds often go for less than the price of equivalent timber simply because the timber used in them is so poor that it can't be sold by itself. I'm not sure how true this is, but I've seen some sheds that support the idea.
The price for a T&G 6x8 seems to be around £400. Am I ever going to get it cheaper than that if I buy the components myself? I'd probably have to have them delivered and I'm fairly unfamiliar with timber yards round here. The ones I have visited conform to the usual stereotypes unfortunately so recommendations would be appreciated (Wigan area or close enough that delivery isn't an issue). After timber, I'd want to insulate it and line it with OSB; I might be able to get free felt but the jury's out.
Any help would be appreciated. I posted in Projects and WIP because most shed builds seem to be in here, but if it's more suited to General Woodworking considering I haven't started the thing yet then feel free to move it mods. I'd post photos of the garden but I'm still in the 3 post trial period.