Entries for Shed of the Year close in just under four months. And it got us thinking: What would your dream bike shed look like? What special features would you include?
Win a shed alarm
The 110dB Yale shed and garage alarm is standalone, wire-free and battery operated which makes it easy to install. Send us your ideas for your ideal bike shed and we’ll enter your name into a draw to win the alarm.
Do you need planning permission for a bike shed?
Urban living can present a problem where cycle storage is concerned. If you’re lucky enough to have a front garden, surely it’s safe to assume you can put up a small shed to store your bicycle? Not necessarily.
In theory, any structure erected in a front garden requires planning consent. In practice you’re probably OK unless you live in a strict conservation area or a neighbour complains. If that happens, it’s likely you’ll have to apply for planning permission. With the price of bike sheds starting at around £300, it’s wise to sound out your neighbours before taking the plunge.
Many local councils support cycling so it’s always worth giving your local planning team a call as you may live in an area that provides bike hangers.
We became so frustrated at the absence of secure on-street cycle parking we designed a flat-pack fake skip to discreetly house bikes – thankfully there are more practicable solutions
Bike thieves target sheds. As a result, many cycle insurance companies insist on a high level of door lock security. By contrast, Cycle insurance from the ETA has a sympathetic policy towards storing bicycles in a shed. You can use any type of lock to secure the door, and the bike doesn’t have to be locked while left inside – although if it’s visible through a window, you have to cover it with a blanket or similar. Read more about storage requirements.
The ethical choice
The ETA was established in 1990 as an ethical provider of green, reliable travel services. Over 30 years on, we continue to offer cycle insurance, breakdown cover and mobility scooter insurance while putting concern for the environment at the heart of all we do.
The Good Shopping Guide judges us to be the UK’s most ethical provider.
Colin
My dream shed would be modelled on the tardis. It would be tiny and unimpressive on the outside, but inside it would be massive with storage for my “n+1” bike collection.
david
It needs to be big enough for all of our bikes and room to work on them too.
Paul Magnall
I’m another one for a Tardis bike shed. But then, if I had a Tardis, I probably wouldn’t need the bike!
I’m currently working on a plan for a bike lockup with integrated an Sheffield stand to lock two bikes to just outside my side door. It needs to be secure, easy to access, keep the bikes dry and be aesthetically pleasing.
Peter Clark
My ideal bike shed would have some innovate solutions to keep the bikes off the ground and not tangling each other up and some shelving or racks for helmets, tools etc. space for a bike stand for maintenance would also be good. Finally I think a fold down camping bed would be handy as my fourth bike is being delivered next week and if I can’t get it into the garage without my wife spotting it, I may be sleeping in the shed
Mags
Above all, very secure and waterproof, with a pitched roof. Big enough for at least 4 full-size bicycles, with a shelf for shoes, helmets etc. Room for the track pump and tool box. And how about a cat flap for our Molly – just kidding!
Mark
My dream garden shed would be high enough to accommodate floor standing and hanging bikes above them. It would be waterproof and rodent proof (to keep them off my leather saddles!) and it would most definitely be burglarproof!
Gillian
My ideal bike shed would be easy to extract my chosen steed for my daily commute (or maybe I have too many bikes currently!?).😀
Sarah
My ideal bike shed would be dedicated to the storage, maintenance, and repair of our bikes and accessories. I would not allow gardening equipment to sneak in. I would like our bike shed to have electricity for lighting and charging our bike accessories and be large enough that we can easily use the bike stand for maintenance. I do not want the bike shed to have windows that way we do not need to cover our bikes with blankets
Hilary
I already have my ideal bike storage: I wheel my bike into the house, and into a cupboard under the stairs, which fits 2 bikes. Easy peasy 🙂