27 cheap sheds from trusted UK retailers
Pent sheds have a single roof that slopes gently one way, so they tuck neatly against a fence, a wall or the side of the house without towering over the garden. You'll find wooden pent sheds in pressure treated overlap and shiplap from Forest Garden, galvanised steel ones from Yardmaster and a compact plastic store from Shire, all sold by Shedstore. If you're short on room, our cheap small sheds start at just 6ft x 3ft. Fancy more headroom in the middle? Have a look at our apex sheds instead.
A pent shed has a flat roof set on a slant, falling one way from front to back. You'll sometimes see it called a mono-pitch or lean-to shed. The tall side is nearly always where the door is, so you can walk in without ducking. Rainwater simply runs off the low edge at the back.
That single slope gives a pent roof shed its clean, contemporary outline, which suits a modern garden. It also keeps the overall height down. Most of the wooden models here stand about 2.02m tall at the front and 1.88m at the back. The Yardmaster metal ones are lower still at around 1.74m.
Space is the big reason. With no ridge in the middle, a pent shed can slide under a low tree, sit below a window or back right up to a boundary fence. In a small plot that can be the difference between a shed that fits and one that doesn't.
They're simple to put up too. The Forest Garden ranges come as modular panels that bolt together. The roof is one flat sheet of 8mm OSB covered in green mineral felt. There's no ridge to line up, which makes assembly a calmer job for two people.
The trade-off is headroom at the back. If you want to stand up anywhere inside or hang long tools from the rafters, an apex roof gives you more height down the middle. Our apex sheds suit taller storage and potting benches, while pent sheds suit tools, bikes, bins and garden furniture.
Here's how the pent shed ranges we list compare, from Shedstore's own specs. Prices move daily, so check the cards above for today's figure.
| Range | Walls | Sizes | Front / back height | Floor | Guarantee | Price band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Garden 4Life | 7mm overlap, pressure treated | 6x3, 6x4, 7x5, 8x6 | 2.02m / 1.88m | 12mm solid timber | 25 years anti-rot | about £310 to £495 |
| Forest Garden Beckwood | 12mm shiplap tongue and groove, pressure treated | 6x3, 6x4 | 2.02m / 1.88m | 12mm tongue and groove | 25 years anti-rot | about £400 to £495 |
| Yardmaster (Castleton, Emerald, Platinum) | 0.3mm hot-dipped galvanised steel | 6x4, 8x4, 10x4 | 1.74m / 1.60m (Platinum 1.84m) | Not included | 10 or 15 years anti-rust | about £215 to £290 |
| Yardmaster TopLight | Galvanised steel with light strips | 8x5 | 2.10m / 1.80m | Not included | 15 years anti-rust | about £320 |
| Shire Tuscany Evo 100 | 22mm recycled PVC | 4ft x 2ft 6in | 2.01m at the top | 45mm ABS plastic | Rot and UV resistant | just under £500 |
Most of the pent sheds here are timber from Forest Garden, made from FSC certified UK wood. Every one is pressure treated, so the preservative is forced deep into the boards rather than brushed on the surface. That's why Forest backs them with a 25 year anti-rot guarantee and says you'll never need to re-treat them. You can browse the whole range in our wooden sheds.
An overlap pent shed uses 7mm boards that sit over one another like roof tiles. The 4Life range pairs that cladding with a 28mm x 28mm frame and a 12mm solid floor. It's the lighter, cheaper way into a pressure treated pent shed. The range starts with the 6ft x 3ft model for a side return or a narrow strip by the fence.
A shiplap pressure treated pent shed uses 12mm tongue and groove boards that lock together edge to edge. The joints shed rain better than overlap, the walls feel noticeably stiffer and the Beckwood range sits on a heavier 28mm x 56mm frame with hidden security hinges. It costs a little more, but it's the one to pick if the shed will hold power tools or a mower for years. Our shiplap sheds include the apex versions too.
If you'd rather never think about rot, a metal pent shed is hard to beat. Every Yardmaster model here is made in the UK from hot-dipped galvanised steel with a seven-layer baked-on finish, in silver, anthracite grey or emerald green. They need no painting or treating. The guarantee runs to 10 years on the basic models and 15 years on Castleton, Emerald, Platinum and TopLight.
Bear in mind they don't come with a floor. You'll need a flat, level base for the frame to sit on. The Emerald sheds and the Castleton 10x4 come with a free anchor kit to fix it down. The sliding double doors are padlockable (bring your own padlock). See every steel model in our metal sheds range.
Short on space altogether? The Shire Tuscany Evo 100 is a slim plastic store just 4ft x 2ft 6in, with 22mm recycled PVC walls and a 45mm floor. It's handy storage for brooms and bin bags. You'll find more like it among our plastic sheds.
A windowless pent shed keeps whatever's inside out of sight, which is why so many of the Forest models come without a window. Prefer some daylight to work by? The 4Life double door 6x4 has a shatterproof PET window. On the metal side, the Yardmaster TopLight lets light in through Perspex strips in the roof.
A single door on a Forest 6x3 or 8x6 is 590mm wide, which is fine for spades and a strimmer. A double door opens to around 1,090mm on the Beckwood 6x4, so a lawnmower or bike rolls straight in. If that's what you're storing, our double door sheds are worth a look.
Shed sizes are nominal, so measure your space against the base size rather than the name. A Forest 6x4 pent shed measures 1,826mm x 1,180mm at the base and 1,978mm x 1,401mm across the roof overhang. Leave room for that overhang.
Every pent shed needs a firm, level base. Paving slabs, a concrete pad or a timber shed base all work, as long as the shed sits flat so the doors open and close cleanly.
A pent roof sends all its rain off the low back edge, so try not to aim it at next door or a path you use. Leaving a small gap behind the shed lets air move, helps the cladding dry out and gives you room to check the felt. A simple gutter and water butt on the back edge turns that run-off into free water for your pots.
Usually you won't need it. In England a garden building counts as permitted development as long as it stays single storey and isn't in front of the house. Within 2m of a boundary it must be no taller than 2.5m overall. Away from boundaries, a roof that isn't dual pitched can go up to 3m (Planning Portal outbuildings rules). Every pent shed here is well under 2.5m, so it can go right up to the boundary.
Listed buildings, conservation areas, National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty have tighter limits though. Outbuildings also must not cover more than half the land around the house. The government's permitted development guidance has the detail. Rules in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland differ a little, so check with your council if you're not sure.
Pressure treated timber is about as low maintenance as wood gets. You don't need to paint it, though you can if you want a colour. Check the felt each spring, keep leaves off the roof and clear anything piled against the walls so they can breathe. Forest Garden's own site has more on its timber and treatments. The Forest Stewardship Council explains what the FSC mark on the timber means.
The high side usually goes at the front over the door, so the roof falls away to the back. Face the low edge somewhere rainwater can drain freely, such as a border or a gutter, rather than next door.
The Forest Garden wooden pent sheds include a 12mm floor and the Shire plastic store has a 45mm one. The Yardmaster metal sheds don't, so they need a solid base.
A pent roof fits tighter spots and sits lower against a fence. An apex shed gives more headroom down the middle. Go pent for tools, bikes and bins, or apex if you'd like a potting bench with room to move.
They often are, with the Yardmaster metal models starting at around £215 and the 4Life wooden ones at around £310. That compares well with apex sheds of the same size.
