Cheap 7x5 Sheds

What fits in a 7x5 shed?

Inside the walls, every 7ft x 5ft shed here measures 2.12m x 1.47m, about 3.1 square metres (roughly 33 square feet) of floor. That's half as much again as a 6x4, which gives you about 2.2 square metres, and around three quarters of an 8x6. In practice 7x5 garden sheds hold:

• a push or electric lawnmower, a strimmer and a hedge trimmer
• one adult bike along the long wall, or two if you hang one
• rakes, spades and forks on hooks, plus a shelf of pots, feed and paint
• a stack of folding chairs and the cushions over winter

It won't swallow a dining set, and it's too tight to work in at a bench. For that, look at our cheap large sheds. If all you keep is tools, our cheap small sheds start lower.

Cheap 7x5 garden sheds compared

All eleven 7x5 wooden sheds on this page are modular Forest 4Life models built the same way: 7mm overlap cladding on a 28mm x 28mm frame, an 8mm OSB roof under green mineral felt, a 12mm pressure treated floor on bearers and shatterproof PET glazing where there are windows. What changes is the roof shape, the doors and the windows. Figures are from Shedstore's listings; prices move daily, so check the cards above for today's figure.

The cheapest 7x5 apex shed here is also the cheapest overall: the single door 4Life, with or without two windows, at around £415. A second door adds roughly £45 to £60, and that's the upgrade most worth paying for if a mower or bike goes in and out every week. The cheapest 7x5 pent shed starts at around £440.

Why a pressure treated 7x5 shed is the cheap one in the long run

The lowest prices you'll see for 7 x 5 wooden sheds are usually dip treated overlap ones. Dip treatment only coats the surface, so the timber needs a fresh coat of preservative every year or so, and the anti-rot guarantee (often one to ten years) depends on you keeping that up. Forest's 4Life sheds are pressure treated: the preservative is forced into the wood at the factory, so you never re-treat them and the 25 year guarantee against rot stands on its own. Add up ten years of preservative and a weekend each time, and the dearer shed works out cheaper. The timber is FSC certified and the sheds are made in the UK. You can read how Forest makes them on its 4Life range page.

The walls are 7mm overlap boards, not thicker tongue and groove shiplap. Overlap is what keeps a pressure treated 7x5 under £500; if you'd rather have shiplap walls, browse our shiplap sheds. All our sizes in timber are on the cheap wooden sheds page. There's no metal or plastic 7x5 on the site right now, so for those materials try our cheap metal sheds and cheap plastic sheds for the nearest sizes.

Apex, reverse apex or pent 7x5 shed?

On a 7x5 footprint the roof decides where the door goes, and so where the shed fits in your garden.

• Apex: a 7x5 apex shed has two slopes with the single door in the 5ft gable end. It runs back into the garden end-on and gives the most headroom down the middle, 2.18m at the ridge (2.30m on the double door versions).
• Reverse apex: the ridge runs along the 7ft side and the double doors sit in the long wall, so the shed can go flat against a fence and you reach everything from the doorway.
• Pent: a 7x5 pent shed has a single slope, the door and windows on the 7ft front, 2.02m at the front falling to 1.89m at the back. The low back tucks under a window or a fence line, and the pent roof sheds rain away from the doorway.

More shapes and sizes on our apex sheds and pent sheds pages.

Single door or double doors?

Check the door opening before the floor. A Forest single door opens to 590mm. That's fine for hand tools and a compact mower around 40cm wide, but adult bike handlebars are usually 60cm to 80cm across, so you'll be twisting the handlebars to get through. A pair of doors opens to 1,090mm, enough to wheel in a mower or a barrow without thinking about it. Every door is 1.64m high, so most adults duck on the way in. Single doors can be hung on the left or right. Our double door sheds page has the same choice in other sizes.

Windows or windowless: 7x5 shed security

Two windows let in light for finding things or potting up seedlings. Going without hides what's inside and frees every wall for hooks and shelves. Forest makes each 7x5 shape both ways for about the same money. Whichever you choose, the doors hang on hidden hinges that can't be unscrewed from outside, with double-Z bracing to stop them dropping, and lock with a hasp and staple. Some listings currently come with a free Yale combination padlock and some don't, so check the product page and allow for a closed-shackle lock if not. Keeping a bicycle in there? Pick a model with no windows, add a ground anchor and check your home insurance covers the shed.

What base does a 7x5 wooden shed need?

The floor and bearers come with the shed, but the foundation doesn't, and none of these can go straight onto grass. Build it to the footprint, about 2.12m x 1.47m, not to the roof overhang, so rain drips off rather than onto it.

• Paving slabs: around a dozen 600mm slabs on a sand and cement bed, trimmed to size. Cheap, quick and easy to level.
• Kit: Shedstore sells a 7x5 wooden base kit in pressure treated timber and a plastic grid kit made from recycled interlocking panels; both are extras.
• Concrete: the longest-lasting option, a 75mm to 100mm slab on compacted hardcore.

The sheds come as modular panels, a two-person job most people finish in half a day to a day once the base is ready:

1. Set the floor down and check it's square and level.
2. Fix the wall panels to the floor and to each other.
3. Fit the roof boards, then nail down the felt and the trims.
4. Hang the doors, fit the windows (if any) and the hasp.
5. Fix the shed down and seal any gaps at the base.

Forest's 7 x 5 sheds range has the assembly instructions for each model. Shedstore also offers an installation service on many listings; check delivery and installation options on the product page.

Do you need planning permission for a 7x5 shed?

Almost never. In England a garden shed is permitted development if it's single storey, not in front of the house and, together with other outbuildings, covers no more than half the garden. Within 2m of a boundary it must be no more than 2.5m tall (Planning Portal outbuildings guidance). The tallest 7x5 shed here is 2.30m, so any of them can sit right up to the fence. Listed buildings, conservation areas and National Parks have tighter rules, set out in the government's permitted development guidance. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own, broadly similar, rules.

Looking after a low-cost 7x5 shed

Pressure treatment means maintenance is light: sweep leaves off the roof, keep soil, compost and climbing plants off the walls, leave a small gap at the back for air and check the felt each spring. The timber turns silver-grey over time; stain or paint it if you want a colour, but it isn't needed for the guarantee.

Cheap 7x5 sheds FAQs

What is the cheapest 7x5 shed?

The Forest Garden 4Life 7ft x 5ft single door 7x5 apex shed, with or without windows, at around £415. It's pressure treated and covered for 25 years against rot, so it's cheap to own as well as to buy.

How much storage does a 7x5 shed give you?

About 3.1 square metres of floor inside (2.12m x 1.47m) and up to 2.30m of height under an apex. Enough for a mower, a bicycle, garden tools and shelving.

Is a 7x5 shed good for a small garden?

Yes, it's one of the most popular sizes for small gardens. A pent or reverse apex model can sit against a fence with the door on the long side, which takes up the least lawn.

Is 7x5 the same as 5x7?

Yes, a 5x7 shed and a 7x5 shed have the same footprint. Shops quote the size either way round; where the door sits depends on the roof style, not on which number comes first.

Do I need a base for a 7x5 shed?

Yes. A firm, level base of slabs, concrete or a kit stops the shed twisting and the doors sticking, and keeps the floor off wet ground.

Still weighing up sizes? Compare our cheap 6x4 sheds, 8x6 sheds and cheap 10x8 sheds.