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What changes the cost of a shed with installation?
In Cheshire, the cost of a shed with installation depends on the size and build quality of the shed, the base it sits on, how easy it is to get the panels into the garden, and whether an old shed has to come down first. We print no price, so compare quotes for the same shed and base.
Last reviewed:What shed installation includes
A shed with installation usually means the shed is delivered in panels, carried into the garden and built on a prepared base. The installer fixes the floor to the base, puts up the walls, fits the roof and covers it with felt or another finish, hangs the door and fits any windows. Some installers also treat the timber once it is up.
What is not always included is the base itself, taking away packaging, removing an old shed, or any electrics. Those extras are where quotes most often differ.
QuoteZila is starting in Cheshire, with Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach among the first towns. This guide prints no price. It explains what changes the cost so you can compare installers on the same terms.
The shed itself
Two sheds of the same size can be built very differently, and that changes both the price and how long the shed lasts.
- Cladding. Overlap boards are the simplest. Shiplap and tongue and groove boards fit together more tightly and keep more weather out.
- Board and frame thickness. Thicker boards and a heavier frame make a sturdier shed.
- Floor. A solid sheet or tongue and groove floor on bearers is sturdier than a thin chipboard sheet.
- Roof shape. A pent roof slopes one way. An apex roof slopes two ways and gives more headroom in the middle.
- Roof covering. Mineral felt is common. Some sheds come with a heavier felt, shingles or another covering.
- Treatment. Some timber is pressure treated at the factory. Some is dip treated and needs treating again after it goes up.
- Metal and plastic sheds. These need a firm base and careful assembly but no timber treatment.
Ask each installer to quote for the same model, or for the same size, cladding and floor.
The base
The base is easy to overlook and hard to fix later. A shed on soft or uneven ground twists, the doors stop closing and the floor rots from below.
- Concrete slab. Firm and long lasting, but it needs digging, a sub-base and time to cure.
- Paving slabs. Laid on a compacted sub-base. Quicker than concrete.
- Treated timber frame. Raised on bearers or pads. Useful on a slight slope.
- Plastic grid base. Interlocking panels filled with gravel. Quick to lay on level ground.
Some shed installers build bases and some only fit sheds onto a base you already have. Ask which they are quoting. For more on bases, see the concrete shed base cost guide.
Planning and building rules
Most garden sheds do not need planning permission, but there are limits. The Planning Portal says outbuildings can be permitted development if they are single storey, with eaves no higher than 2.5 metres and an overall height of no more than 4 metres with a dual-pitched roof or 3 metres otherwise [S1]. Within 2 metres of a boundary, the whole building should be no higher than 2.5 metres, and outbuildings are not permitted development forward of the principal elevation of the original house [S1].
The same page says these rights do not apply within the grounds of a listed building, apply to houses rather than flats, and may have been removed in some areas by an Article 4 direction [S1]. If in doubt, ask your council.
For building regulations, the Planning Portal says they generally do not apply to a detached outbuilding under 15 square metres with no sleeping accommodation [S2].
Power and lighting
Many people want lights or sockets in a shed. That is electrical work for a registered electrician, and this guide gives no DIY steps. The Planning Portal says installing a complete new circuit is notifiable work under the Building Regulations, and that an electrician registered with a competent person scheme can self-certify it [S3].
A shed installer may not do electrics at all. Ask whether they work with an electrician, or get a separate quote. It is easier to plan the cable route before the base goes down.
Electrical Safety First: find a registered electrician; NICEIC; NAPIT. QuoteZila is not affiliated with this organisation.
What changes the cost of a shed with installation
| What is being priced | What makes it bigger or smaller | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| The shed | Size, cladding, frame, floor, roof shape | Which model, and who supplies it |
| Base | Concrete, slabs, timber frame, plastic grid, existing base | Whether the base is included |
| Ground preparation | Level ground or a slope, turf to lift | What preparation is included |
| Access | Side gate width, steps, carrying distance | Whether the panels will fit through |
| Old shed | Taking it down, disposal of timber and felt | Whether removal is included |
| Roof covering | Standard felt, heavier felt, shingles | Which covering is fitted |
| Treatment | Factory treated, or treated after building | Whether treatment is included |
| Extras | Guttering, shelving, a security lock | What extras are included |
| Electrics | Lights and sockets | Who does them, and is it a separate quote |
| VAT | Whether the business is VAT registered | Whether the total includes VAT |
A business must register for VAT when its taxable turnover goes over £90,000 [S4]. Ask whether each total includes VAT.
Access and delivery
Shed panels are long and heavy. If the only way into the back garden is through a narrow side gate, round a tight corner or up steps, it takes longer to get them there. If there is no side access at all, the panels may have to come through the house. Measure the narrowest point on the route and tell installers, so nobody turns up with panels that will not fit.
Sheds in Cheshire
When you post the job, include the size of shed you want, where it will go and a photo of that spot. An installer covering Crewe, Nantwich, Sandbach and the villages nearby can then say whether the ground needs work and whether they can build a base.
If you have already bought a shed, give the make and model. Anyone in the UK can still post a job or register a business on QuoteZila.
Looking after the shed once it is up
A timber shed lasts longer with a little care. Ask the installer whether the timber needs treating after it is built, and how often after that. Keep soil, plants and leaves away from the bottom boards so they can dry out. Check the roof felt after storms and before winter, because a small tear lets water into the boards.
Ask too whether the installer offers guttering and a water butt. Rain running off the roof onto the base can splash back onto the walls, and a gutter keeps that water away. If the shed will hold bikes or tools, a better lock and hinge bolts are simple to add at the build stage.
What to have ready before you ask for quotes
- the shed size and style you want, or the model if you have bought one
- a photo of where it will go, and its distance from the boundary
- whether there is an existing base, and its condition
- the width of the narrowest point on the route into the garden
- whether an old shed needs taking down
- whether you want power or lighting
- your postcode and when the work could be done
How to compare shed installation quotes
Check each quote for:
- The shed named, or its size, cladding and floor described.
- The base: type, size and whether it is included.
- Ground preparation.
- Removal of an old shed and disposal.
- Roof covering and timber treatment.
- Whether VAT is included.
- Whether it is a fixed price for the listed work.
Citizens Advice suggests getting written quotes from at least three traders and not agreeing to a deposit of more than 25% [S5].
Jobs you might post
These are examples, not taken from real job posts. "Supply and fit a timber apex shed with a paving slab base, at the bottom of the garden." Or: "I have bought a metal shed. Please build it on my existing concrete base." Or: "Take down an old rotten shed and put up a new tongue and groove one in the same place."
Get quotes for a shed with installation
Describe the shed, the base and your postcode, and add a photo. Up to five matched local businesses can reply [QZ2]. QuoteZila is free for customers and local businesses [QZ1].
Honest status: QuoteZila is new. We're starting in Cheshire, beginning with Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach, and growing area by area. Anyone in the UK can still post a job or register a business. How fast you get quotes depends on how many local businesses have joined near you. Businesses can register and receive jobs straight away. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire.
Posting a job is not open yet
See the landscapers page, the carpenters page or the fencing cost guide. For a solid-walled outbuilding, see the brick shed cost guide.
Official and public sources
QuoteZila is not affiliated with these organisations.
- Planning limits for outbuildings: Planning Portal [S1].
- Building regulations for outbuildings: Planning Portal [S2].
- Electrical work: Planning Portal: electrics [S3].
- Quotes and deposits: Citizens Advice [S5].
- VAT: GOV.UK on when to register [S4].
- Registered electricians: Electrical Safety First: find a registered electrician.
Questions about shed installation costs
How much does a shed with installation cost?
This guide does not print a price. The size of the shed, the timber and cladding, the base, access to the garden and whether an old shed is removed all change the total. Ask for quotes on the same shed, or the same size and build, and the same base.
Does a shed need a base?
Yes. A shed needs a firm, level base so the floor stays flat, the doors keep closing and the timber stays off wet ground. Common choices are a concrete slab, paving slabs, a treated timber frame or a plastic grid filled with gravel. Ask each installer which base they recommend.
Do I need planning permission for a shed?
Often not. The Planning Portal says outbuildings can be permitted development within limits, including no more than 2.5 metres high if within 2 metres of a boundary. Limits differ for listed buildings and some areas, so check before you buy.
Does a shed need building regulations approval?
Usually not for a small shed. The Planning Portal says building regulations generally do not apply to a detached outbuilding under 15 square metres with no sleeping accommodation. Larger buildings have extra conditions.
Can I have electricity in my shed?
Yes, but it is a job for a registered electrician, and this guide gives no DIY steps. The Planning Portal says a new circuit is notifiable work, and that an electrician registered with a competent person scheme can self-certify it. Ask for a separate quote.
Will the installer take away my old shed?
Some will, some will not. Taking down an old shed and getting rid of the timber, felt and any glass is extra work. Ask whether removal and disposal are included, and check what will happen to any old roofing felt.
Does QuoteZila check the installers who quote?
No. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire. You can report a quote or a business from your job page.
Related guides
- Landscapers: bases and garden work
- Carpenters: timber buildings
- Handymen: assembly jobs
- Shed roof cost guide
- All cost guides
Part of Cost guides. All services
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- Turf Cost: What Changes the Price of a New Lawn. What changes the cost of turf and turf laying in Cheshire: the area, the grade of turf, soil preparation, removing the old lawn, delivery and aftercare.
- Artificial Grass in Cheshire: What to Ask. What to ask before artificial grass is laid in Cheshire. This guide prints no pound figure. It keeps a lawn separate from a paved front garden.
- Locksmith Cost in Cheshire: What to Ask. A Cheshire locksmith price is needs source. Hourly examples are from the Master Locksmiths Association, checked 14 Oct 2026, not local quotes.
Sources
- QZ1: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila home and jobs-for-tradesmen copy.
- QZ2: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila terms and matching notes.
- S1: Outbuildings: planning permission, Planning Portal. Accessed 2026-10-26. https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/outbuildings/planning-permission/
- S2: Is building regulations approval needed for an outbuilding?, Planning Portal. Accessed 2026-10-26. https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/outbuildings/is-building-regulations-approval-needed-for-an-outbuilding/
- S3: Building Regulations: general information, electrics, Planning Portal. Accessed 2026-10-26. https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/electrics/building-regulations-general-information/
- S4: Register for VAT, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-26. https://www.gov.uk/register-for-vat
- S5: Before you get work done on your home, Citizens Advice. Accessed 2026-10-26. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/getting-home-improvements-done/before-you-get-building-work-done/