Best off the peg workshop?

[daneboom]

I've been having a look at acquiring a workshop since I'm FINALLY moving into my own house after decades of renting and so - first consideration - a workshop!!

Now, I am cash poor and time poor! So I thought best way forward might be to buy a very solid off the peg workshop and insulate it myself. For use all year round. I can't afford ProWorkshop prices even though ideally that's what I'd buy. But it looks like once you've added everything on, it's about £10/11K for a decent size decently equipped and decently insulated space.

So any tips on what's the best bang for buck in terms of pre-fab workshops? Ideally I'm looking for feedback from someone who actually owns or has owned one rather than someone who has done what I've done and looked at the various websites and thought to themselves "that looks more solid than that one!" :lol:

Many, many thanks, folks.

 

[AndyP]

Hi Daneboom and welcome to the forum.

I hate to see unanswered posts especially from new members. I do not recall ever seeing a post on here from anyone who has bought such a workshop off the peg. Most of the people here have either built their own or moved into premises and upgraded them to be fit for purpose.

I imagine you have read some of the project builds on here. Most have been built by woodworkers, or aspiring woodworkers, with all pressures of family, work and financial restraints.

I really think you could lay a base and build your own using the excellent advise available here from both experienced and newbie self builders and have enough cash left over to fill it with machinery. Even if you paid someone to do the digging and laying the base and you just did the fun stuff of the framing you would spend less that the figures quoted.

I am intrigued by the "concrete pile foundation" spoken of on the website you quoted. There are no details given. I have often wondered if pile foundations are move environmentally friendly than vast slabs of concrete but I have no idea how they would be constructed in a domestic situation.

 

[daneboom]

Thanks Andy - much appreciated.

 

[TrimTheKing]

Hi Daneboom and welcome from me too. Head over the the Welcome board and do as a bit of an intro if you don't mind.

Ref your question, I'm building, well having built, my workshop at the moment. Different route for me in that it is being built to full BR with a view to getting change of use down the line of required, but in terms of costs doing any groundworks yourself can save you money if you have the time. I hired a digger from a local farmer and did my footings myself, and also arranged the concrete pour myself and with a friend we levelled them in not a lot of time, so worth doing to keep costs down, if you have time.

Cheers
Mark

 

[9fingers]

On behalf of a friend a couple of years back I looked at ready made and shed kits and was concerned that many if not most were not using pressure treated timber and left for the buyer to coat the exterior.

Most sheds are not designed to last and that might be fine if you might move house in a few years* but I would go for pressure treated as a minimum and make sure you have a good base with ventilation under plus a damproof layer on all bearers and the floor is strong enough for any machinery to intend to have either now or in the future.

*A ready made shed is not likely to survive a full dismantle and relocation to a new home.

Good Luck
Bob

 

[Robert]

just to add some confusion..

I've looked at used 'log cabins' on ebay a few times in the past. Some of them look pretty good for the money they go for. Guess I'm looking at them as a cheap source of materials rather than a exact rebuild. That said I've never bought one nor tried to dismantle and move one but the idea is still in the back of my head

Oh and welcome to the forum

 

[Woodster]

We bought a 3m x 5m "log cabin" to replace a leaky old concrete garage. I can't remember the exact cost but I think it was about £8k. It was made to suit with the windows and doors etc where we wanted them.