A wise question to consider before investing in a shed is: how long will this thing last? Shed life can vary depending on a number of factors, with some of them being quite obvious: the material used to make the shed, and others not so much so: wind exposure and a small pile of sawdust in the corner.
In order to ensure you are fully educated on wood life, we have put together a quick guide with some cool tips and tricks to increase the longevity of your shed. Or maybe you don’t need a long lasting shed, but rather just a small one for short term use, in which case, we have also got you covered.
So, what makes a shed last long? Very fundamentally, it’s the type of wood. The distance and size of the wood fibres that make up the material used to build your shed can affect the time the thing holds together. This is the essential difference between hardwood and softwood, hardwood is packed tigre: more dense, which makes it tough for other pesky little agents like water vapour or termites to get into it and cause deterioration, softwood on the other hand is not too dense, so will end up facing some sort of disintegration process. So, again, very fundamentally you can invest in a hardwood shed at the get go, such as Cedar or Redwood, but you can, alternatively invest in a softwood shed that you treat with water and pest resistant products or you could even look into getting a pressure treated shed! Yup, there’s options and to give you a ballpark idea, in terms of
What is the life expectancy of a wooden shed?
Well, a very basic, untreated softwood shed could last between 5-10 years, whereas a pressure treated one could last 10-15 years and a hardwood shed can last over 20 years! So there you go, in case you’d like to plan for a low maintenance shed for a particular period of time, the above information is good to bear in mind. But, as mentioned, there are a number of tips and tricks that shed experts and wood scientists alike have been hard at work trying to come up since the very inception of shed, asking themselves the very fundamental questions of:
How to make a wooden shed last longer?
and
How do I keep my wooden shed from rotting?
Well, let’s put it like this, in terms of how long a shed lasts, there are two types of factors that can affect this, the ones that are in our control and the ones that are out of our control. And let’s get those fated things out of the way first, i.e., the factors that are out of our control:
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Moisture, sunlight and wind exposure. When I say out of our control, I mean in a larger picture kind of way, it’s also good to know how and why these factor affect our sheds so when selecting the best location for it, we can do so while also considering the above.
You should know, moisture and a wooden shed is a big no, no, water likes wood and will try it’s best to get into every nook and cranny and push apart those fibres, leading to swelling and eventually rot. But then there’s the other extreme, too much sunlight can also be bad for a shed, drying it out over time and causing it to crack! So you’ll have to strike a balance between the two things, while also considering the fact that strong winds can upset a shed on an unsteady foundation. So remember, plan ahead, when looking into a shed!
But there’s many things you can control, from the get go, like for example, that unsteady foundation, make sure that doesn’t happen, by installing a solid base, and ensuring the shed is steady on its feet. Also ensure your foundation is waterproof so that dampness can’t seep in from underneath. And remember, add ventilation, this will prevent humidity from building up inside your shed and ensure it stays dry and in good health.
Good health—it’s funny thinking in those terms when it comes to a shed, but wood was once alive and ‘health’ is a fair marker of how to judge it. And so, here’s the part where you’ve to get on your feet and attend to the health of your shed: Maintenance and treatment. While maintenance involves just a routine check up of the state of your shed, ensuring there are no leaks or pests or issues with the structure, treatment involves grabbing your paintbrush every 1-2 years and lathering a coat of wood preservative over your shed. There are oil based treatments available as well as water based, and while oil based treatments seep deeply into the fibres of the shed and offer long lasting protection, water based treatments are cheaper and more eco friendly. At Norfolk Sheds, we offer a wide range of both kinds of preservers that come in different colours and styles, so get started to see what you’d like to use for shed protection!
So, with all that covered, you’ll have a sense of what goes into the basic maintenance of a shed, or the fundamentals of how wood works at least, and you’ll do your best surely, to ensure the shed is installed correctly, (Call us, we can help with that) has a water proof, and sturdy foundation, a good and solid roof, that there is no moisture build up or water damage, that pests aren’t eating it from the inside out, and that you’re regularly coating it with some beautiful sort of wood protector to ensure its longevity, but then, something goes wrong, what do you do?
Is it worth repairing a wooden shed? What is the life expectancy of a wooden shed?
This question, like many, as a seasoned shed-head will know, depends on a number of factors, the most essential being: What sort of damage? Some kinds of water damage are beyond repair, especially when the water seeps deep into the grain of the wood and spreads, this will mean that entire sections of the wood will need to be replaced, while some can be salvaged, though it may be less risky to just invest in a new shed, so there is no possibility for spread. Smaller issues however, like gaps between the shed and the roof, ventilation issues and small pest invasions can be fixed cost effectively.
To make this all a little easier to remember, let’s go back to the concept of ‘shed health.’ If a shed were a person, issues such as water damage can be harder, and more expensive to attend to because they can seep more deeply into the body. While other issues such as ventilation fixes and changes to the roof, can be treated superficially without having to take apart the entire shed.
So, to sum all that up, sheds can last for a while, over twenty years can be a piece of cake with the right maintenance and care. In fact, believe it or not, but the oldest lasting garden shed was built in 1850 by the gardener of Erddig Hall in Wrexham, Wales. So worry not, a shed doesn’t have to be a short term investment if you don’t want it to be, and that also works the other way around, so it's a win-win!