The questions worth answering before you spend several hundred pounds on something that will sit in your garden for a decade.
1. Measure the space, then subtract
Take the footprint you have and knock a foot off each side. You need room to walk around the shed to clean it, reach the back panel, and let air circulate so the side against the fence doesn't stay permanently damp. A shed jammed into a gap is a shed you can never maintain.
2. Work out what's going in it — all of it
People size for the mower and forget the bikes, the compost bags, the folded gazebo and the Christmas tree box. Write the list down. Then add a third, because you will.
As a rough guide: a walk-behind mower needs about 3ft x 2ft. An adult bike is roughly 6ft x 2ft. A ride-on wants 5ft x 3ft plus turning room.
3. Resin or metal?
Resin if the shed is visible, if you want a floor included, and if you never want to treat or repaint anything. Warmer to look at, quieter in rain, and the moulded floor means you can put it straight onto a slab.
Metal if you want maximum floor area for the money and the shed lives at the bottom of the garden. Clear-span roof with no internal posts, sliding doors that don't swing out. You'll need to supply a base and anchor it down.
4. Think about the base before you order
Every shed wants a flat, level surface. Concrete slab, paving slabs on a compacted bed, or a timber frame. Putting a shed on uneven ground twists the frame, and a twisted frame means doors that never quite shut.
5. Check the boundary rules
In most of England, a garden building under 2.5m high and 15m² doesn't need planning permission if it's more than 2m from a boundary. That covers most of what we sell — but if you're in a conservation area, a listed property, or a new-build with a restrictive covenant, check first.
Still not sure?
Email contact@stowgarden.shop with your dimensions and your list, and we'll tell you which model fits — including when the cheaper one is the right answer.