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How do you repair a garden shed?

To repair a shed, find the cause first, then fix it: replace torn roof felt, swap rotten boards or floor panels, rehang a dropped door, and make sure the base is level and keeps the timber off wet ground. If the frame or base has failed, a carpenter or a new shed may be the better route.

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By the QuoteZila editorial team. Editorial policy.

What is wrong with your shed?

Before buying any timber or felt, work out what has failed and why. A leak, a soft floor or a door that will not close are often symptoms of something else. Fixing the symptom without the cause means doing the same repair again next year.

Walk round the shed and look for:

  • Roof. Torn, lifted or blistered felt, missing nails, sagging boards, and daylight showing from inside.
  • Walls. Split or soft boards, gaps between boards, and green or black staining near the bottom.
  • Floor. Spongy patches, holes, or a floor that bounces when you step on it.
  • Door. A door that drags, will not latch, or has dropped on its hinges.
  • Windows. Cracked glazing, gaps around the frame, and rotten beading.
  • Base. A shed that leans, rocks or sits in a puddle after rain.

Push a screwdriver into suspect timber. If it sinks in easily, the wood is rotten and needs cutting out.

How do you fix a leaking shed roof?

Most garden sheds have a felt roof on timber boards. Small tears can be patched with roofing felt and felt adhesive. Larger damage, or felt that has gone brittle all over, is better replaced.

  1. Clear the roof of leaves and moss, and remove the old felt, fascia boards and nails.
  2. Check the roof boards. Replace any that are soft or split.
  3. Lay new felt from the bottom edge up, overlapping each strip over the one below, so water runs off rather than under.
  4. Nail the felt along the edges and overlaps with clout nails, and fold it neatly at the ends.
  5. Refit the fascia boards to hold the edges down.

Do not stand on a shed roof. The boards are not built to take a person's weight. Work from a stepladder set on firm, level ground, or ask someone to do it for you.

Some older sheds, garages and outbuildings have roofs of corrugated cement sheets. HSE says asbestos can be present in any building built or refurbished before 2000 [S1], and that in the past it was used widely for things such as asbestos cement roofing materials [S1]. HSE also says that if you come across material you think may contain asbestos, you must stop work [S1]. Do not cut, drill, break, sand or jet wash a sheet you are not sure about. Ask a specialist to check it. Health and Safety Executive (HSE). QuoteZila is not affiliated with this organisation.

How do you replace rotten boards and floors?

Wall boards. Cut out the rotten section between two upright frame members. Fit a new length of matching cladding, nailing into the frame, and treat the cut ends. If the rot is low down, check why. Soil, leaves or a flower bed piled against the shed keep the bottom boards wet.

Floor. Lift a rotten floor panel or boards and look at the joists underneath. If the joists are sound, lay new boards or a panel of exterior-grade board on top of them. If the joists have rotted, they need replacing too, and that usually means emptying the shed and lifting it or working from inside piece by piece.

Treatment. Treat new and bare timber with a wood preservative or a shed treatment. Wood preservatives are biocidal products. HSE says members of the general public should never use biocidal products that are only intended for professional users [S2]. For products intended for the public, it says following the label instructions should be enough to use them safely and effectively [S2]. Read the label before you start.

How do you fix a sticking or dropped shed door?

A shed door that drags usually has loose hinge screws or a frame that has twisted because the base has moved.

  • Tighten the hinge screws. If the holes are worn, use longer screws or plug the holes with glued dowel and redrill.
  • Fit a diagonal brace across the back of a ledged door, running up from the bottom hinge side, to stop it sagging.
  • If the door rubs at the top or bottom, check the shed is level. Packing the base is often a better fix than planing the door.
  • Replace a rusty latch or hasp, and fit a lock suitable for outdoor use.

Why does the shed base matter so much?

The base is the cause of many shed problems. A shed on bare soil, or on a base that is smaller than the shed or holds water, will rot from the bottom and twist out of shape.

A good base is level, firm and slightly larger than the shed, and lets water drain away. Paving slabs, a concrete pad, a timber frame on bearers, or a plastic grid filled with gravel are all used. Keep a gap around the shed clear of soil, leaves and plants, so air can move and the walls can dry.

If the shed leans or rocks, lift and pack it level, or rebuild the base. A heavy shed may need two or three people or a professional to lift.

When is it better to replace the shed?

Repairs make sense while the frame and floor joists are sound. Replacing makes more sense when the frame is rotten in several places, the shed has twisted badly, or repairs would cost close to a new one.

If you replace it with something larger, check the planning rules. The Planning Portal says outbuildings are permitted development within limits, including a single storey, a maximum eaves height of 2.5 metres and a maximum overall height of four metres with a dual pitched roof, or three metres for any other roof [S3]. It says the maximum height is 2.5 metres for an outbuilding within two metres of a boundary [S3]. It also says any outbuilding within the grounds of a listed building needs planning permission [S3].

How do you find someone for shed repairs near you?

Carpenters, joiners and handymen do most shed repairs. Shed suppliers sometimes repair, move or reroof sheds as well. Describe what has failed, add photos inside and out, and say how big the shed is and how it is reached.

Citizens Advice suggests trying to get written quotes from at least 3 different traders before you decide [S4]. It says a quote is a fixed price, while an estimate is a rough guess [S4]. Ask whether old felt, boards and the old shed will be taken away.

QuoteZila is starting in Cheshire, with Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach among the first towns, and anyone in the UK can post a job. 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 carpenters page, the joiners page or the handymen page. For roofing a shed, see the shed roof cost guide.

Jobs you might post

These are examples, not taken from real job posts. "Shed roof leaking, felt torn along one edge. Please quote to reroof in new felt." Or: "Floor of a timber shed has gone soft in one corner. Needs new boards and possibly a joist." Or: "Shed door has dropped and will not close. Also needs a new latch."

Official and public sources

QuoteZila is not affiliated with these organisations.

Questions about shed repair

Is it worth repairing an old shed?

Often, if the frame and base are sound. Torn felt, a few rotten boards, a sagging door or a broken window are all straightforward repairs. If the frame is rotten, the floor joists have gone, or the shed leans because the base has sunk, replacing it may make more sense.

Why is my shed floor rotting?

Usually because the shed sits on wet ground or a base that holds water, so the floor timbers stay damp. Leaves and soil piled against the walls make it worse. A level base that keeps the shed off the ground and lets air move underneath helps a new floor last.

My shed roof looks like corrugated cement. Can I repair it?

Leave it alone until you know what it is. HSE says asbestos can be present in any building built or refurbished before 2000, and that it was used in asbestos cement roofing materials. Do not cut, drill, break or jet wash it. Ask a specialist to check it first.

Can I put a bigger shed in when I replace it?

Often, but check the planning rules first. The Planning Portal sets height limits for outbuildings, including a maximum of 2.5 metres within two metres of a boundary, and says any outbuilding within the grounds of a listed building needs planning permission.

Who repairs sheds?

Carpenters, joiners and handymen do most shed repairs. Some shed companies repair and move sheds as well as selling them. For felt roofs, a handyman or carpenter is usually the right call. For an old cement sheet roof, a specialist should check it first.

Does QuoteZila check the businesses 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.

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Sources

  1. QZ1: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila home and jobs-for-tradesmen copy.
  2. QZ2: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila terms and matching notes.
  3. S1: Why asbestos is dangerous and where it can be found, HSE. Accessed 2026-10-30. https://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/introduction/why-and-where.htm
  4. S2: Using biocides: overview, HSE. Accessed 2026-10-30. https://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/using/overview.htm
  5. S3: Outbuildings: planning permission, Planning Portal. Accessed 2026-10-30. https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/outbuildings/planning-permission/
  6. S4: Before you get work done on your home, Citizens Advice. Accessed 2026-10-30. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/getting-home-improvements-done/before-you-get-building-work-done/