Timber Sheds& Garden Buildingsin Sidmouth & Exeter
Timber sheds, garages and garden buildings built or installed to spec, with careful attention to the base, the fixings and the weather-proofing, so the building is still standing straight and dry in ten years' time.
Free survey within 7 days · Proper bases and fixings · 5-year workmanship guarantee on full installs
The work, in plain English.
What it is
Supply, install or build of timber sheds, garden stores and single-skin garages, including base preparation guidance, assembly, roofing, treatment and door fitting.
Who it's for
Homeowners who need real, usable outdoor storage, for tools, bikes, garden equipment or motor storage, and anyone whose existing shed has rotted, blown over or given up.
When you need it
When your existing shed is failing, when a new garden layout demands proper storage, or when a self-build project needs a workshop, store or single-skin garage as part of the plot.
Why a specialist
The difference between a shed that lasts five years and one that lasts thirty is entirely down to the base, the fixings and the treatment. Buying a good building and then dropping it on a poor base is the most common, and most expensive, mistake.
An Exeter side access, secured.
Open, exposed rear driveway rebuilt as a tall, lockable timber gate: privacy, security and a clean finish against the neighbouring wall.
After
BeforeSmall problems compound quickly.
A shed looks like a simple purchase, but everything that goes wrong with a shed goes wrong from the ground up.
- Sheds sat on uneven or inadequate bases twist, doors bind, and the roof pitches shed water in the wrong places.
- Cheap panels stapled together fall apart within a couple of winters on the East Devon coast.
- Roofing felt that wasn't properly overlapped or trimmed lets water track into the roof deck.
- Untreated timber against damp ground wicks moisture up into the studs, rot starts at the bottom rail and works up.
- Buildings sited in the wrong spot for wind exposure blow over, or their doors fail in the first gale.
Where DIY and general trades come unstuck.
- 01Ordering a shed and building the base afterwards to fit, usually ends up too small or out of level.
- 02Skipping ground membrane and building straight onto grass or soil.
- 03Nailing the shed to the base only in the corners, leaving the middle to lift in strong wind.
- 04Ignoring guttering, water sluicing off a shed roof against a wall or fence causes years of secondary damage.
Five steps from enquiry to signed-off job.
Free site survey
Alex visits, checks the intended site, discusses base options, orientation, door placement and access, and confirms the building specification.
Clear written quote
Fixed price for the build/install, itemising the building, base guidance, fixings and any prep.
Base preparation
Base prepared to a level, drained specification, concrete slab, timber-framed base with membrane, or a laid slab base depending on the building.
Build and install
Building assembled on site, secured to the base properly, roofing installed with correctly-lapped felt or shingles, doors fitted and weather-sealed.
Sign-off & guarantee
Building tested, doors, windows, roof, and the site left tidy. Full installations carry the 5-year workmanship guarantee.
What you actually get.
A base that lasts
Level, drained, correctly-sized bases stop the whole building distorting over time.
Weather-tight roofing
Correctly-lapped felt or shingles that shed water where they're supposed to.
Doors that still shut
Fixed square to the frame, sealed against the weather, and adjusted so they work in year ten as well as year one.
Secure fixings
Buildings anchored to the base properly, not just spiked at the corners.
Coastal-ready
Timber treatment and fixings appropriate to the East Devon climate, including the salt-air exposure closer to the coast.
Backed for 5 years
Full installs carry the 5-year workmanship guarantee.
The specifics, materials, methods, and where each option fits.
Garden buildings are a category rather than a single product, the right approach depends on what the building is for and where it's going.
Bases
Concrete slabs for heavier buildings, timber-framed bases with breathable membrane for standard sheds, and proprietary plastic base kits for smaller stores. Whichever type, the base has to be level, dry and correctly sized for the building.
Sheds
Overlap, shiplap and tongue-and-groove construction sheds, supplied and installed to a proper base, with correctly-fitted felt or shingle roofing.
Garden stores
Smaller bike stores, log stores, tool stores and mower stores, often bespoke to fit an awkward corner of the garden.
Single-skin timber garages
Larger timber garages for cars, motorbikes or workshop use, with correctly-specified doors, windows and ventilation.
Workshops
Insulated single-skin buildings used as home workshops, with power provision planned to be done by a qualified electrician.
Siting and access
Orientation matters, for door swing, prevailing wind, and how snow or rain will run off the roof. All of that is thought through at the survey stage.
Straight answers before you enquire.
Do I need planning permission?▾
Most garden buildings fall under permitted development, but there are exceptions, height limits, footprint limits, and stricter rules in conservation areas or listed properties. Alex can flag likely constraints at the survey; for definitive advice, check with your local planning authority.
Do you supply the shed as well as fit it?▾
Both options are available: supply-and-fit or fit-only. Supply-and-fit installations qualify for the 5-year workmanship guarantee; fit-only jobs do not.
Do you do concrete bases?▾
Base guidance and preparation is included in most jobs. Larger concrete-slab work may be subcontracted to a groundworker; Alex will confirm this at survey and quote either way.
Do you fit garage doors?▾
Timber garage doors: yes. Automated up-and-over or roller-shutter systems are a specialist product usually installed by dedicated door companies.
How quickly can I get a quote?▾
Quotes are free. Alex books your site survey in and completes it within 7 days of your enquiry: often faster. You get a clear written quote afterwards, either as a fixed price or a day rate, whichever suits the job.
How soon can the work start once I accept?▾
Most jobs are booked in within a month of quote acceptance, depending on the size of the work and the current schedule. Smaller jobs often slot in sooner, call Alex directly to check current availability.
Is the work guaranteed?▾
Yes. Full installations completed from start to finish by AJW Carpentry, where AJW supplies all the materials, carry a 5-year workmanship guarantee. The guarantee does not apply to repair or remedial work, fit-only jobs where you supply the materials, or damage caused by misuse or third-party alterations after completion.
How do I pay?▾
Bank transfer or cash. There is no card machine on site. Pricing is agreed up front, fixed price or day rate, so there are no surprise line items when the job is finished.
Which areas do you cover?▾
AJW Carpentry covers Sidmouth, Exeter, Exmouth, Budleigh Salterton, Seaton, Honiton, Newton Poppleford, Woodbury and Ottery St Mary. If you are just outside those areas, still get in touch, we often travel a short distance further for the right job.
Are you insured?▾
Yes. AJW Carpentry holds public liability insurance up to £2,000,000, so your home and belongings are properly covered while we work.
Other work often done at the same time.
Loft Boarding
Safe, level loft boarding, turn the wasted space above your ceiling into real, usable storage. Raised above the insulation so you keep your U-values, and fixed so it doesn't creak or shift underfoot.
Learn moreGeneral Carpentry
Second-fix work, repairs and one-off timber jobs across your home, done cleanly, finished properly, and priced clearly. The job list that always seems to grow, finally sorted.
Learn moreSkirting Boards & Architrave
Crisp, mitre-perfect skirting and architrave that finish a room properly, tight joints, level runs, scribed to uneven walls and floors. The details that separate a finished room from an unfinished one.
Learn moreRecent AJW jobs, including work like this in Timber Sheds.
Doors, wardrobes, decking, loft work and garden joinery, photographed on real jobs in Sidmouth, Exeter and the surrounding villages.
Book a free timber sheds quote in East Devon.
Free site survey within 7 days. Clear written quote. Fair pricing, clean sites, and, on qualifying installs, a 5-year workmanship guarantee.