A well-built wooden workshop is a great addition to any garden. It can be somewhere to work on DIY projects, house your tool collection, or simply get away for a bit of peace.
But while you might be dreaming of going large to maximise the space, there are a few important things to consider first. Whether its planning permission, Building Control, or budget constraints, several factors can limit how big your wooden workshop can be.
Let’s take a look at how big a wooden workshop can realistically be.
What’s the biggest Gillies & Mackay Workshop I can have?
At G&M, our 3-Tier Workshops come in ten standard sizes, starting at 10’ x 8’ and going all the way up to 20’ x 10’.
Any building larger than 12’ x 10’ is automatically upgraded to our 3-Tier specification. This is because the larger a single-skinned timber building becomes, the more susceptible it is to water ingress. Rather than building oversized single-skinned Sheds, we upgrade to a layered wall system that ensures the building remains watertight and performs long-term.
If you’re looking for a G&M Workshop that’s larger than 20’ x 10’, we’d recommend considering one of our timber Garages which go up to 6m x 5m in standard sizes.
Does a Workshop need a Building Warrant?
In Scotland, any building over 30m² needs a Building Warrant to ensure it meets construction quality, safety and sustainability standards. Luckily, our Workshop sizes are all under 30m², meaning you won’t need to worry about this process when choosing one of our 3-Tier Workshops.
If you do want a building larger than 30m² it would typically fall into our Garage or Blackstone Garden Room range, but would still require a Building Warrant.
The main downsides to this process is that it involves architects and engineers which can delay your project and increase costs significantly. In most cases, a Building Warrant adds anywhere from £5,000 – £12,000 to the overall project – which is why the number of these projects that we complete are few and far between.
Further Reading: How does the Building Control process work?
Does a Workshop need planning permission?
Most workshops don’t need planning permission, as they fall under permitted development. While these rules don’t set a specific maximum building size – they do indirectly limit how big your workshop can be.
Here are the key criteria that might impact the size of your workshop:
Is your Workshop going to leave more than 50% of your back garden developed?
Your new workshop, along with any other “developments” must not cover more than 50% of your back garden. Developments include buildings like sheds, greenhouses and garden rooms. So, if you were thinking you could squeeze in a workshop when your garden is already filled to the brim with buildings, you might need to reconsider.
Is your Workshop going to be within 1 meter of a boundary?
If your workshop is over 2.5m in height, and most G&M Workshops are, it needs to be positioned at least 1 metre away from a boundary to qualify as permitted development.
If you’d prefer to place your workshop closer to the boundary, you may need to apply for planning permission.
Explore the rest of the permitted development criteria here: Do I need planning permission for a workshop?
Do I need to leave a gap around the workshop for assembly and maintenance?
This isn’t a permitted development rule, but here at G&M we require a 50cm space around your workshop to allow for proper assembly and to give you access to repaint it. While this is a G&M specific rule, most timber buildings companies will have similar requirements.
So you can see how all of these factors might reduce the usable space you originally thought you had available.
What’s the biggest single-skinned Workshop I can have?
As mentioned earlier, we limit our single-skinned timber buildings to sizes under 12’ x 10’. We upgrade any building larger than this to our 3-Tier specification, which ensures it doesn’t suffer from water ingress related issues.
This isn’t the case across the industry though. Some timber building suppliers offer single-skinned workshops as big as 30m². Just because you can go that big with your building it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good investment.
The larger a timber building becomes the more important a robust specification is. Without it, bigger workshops are more vulnerable to water ingress which can lead to mould and rot over time.
If you’re looking for a workshop that will last and perform well in the Scottish climate, it’s often better to invest in a slightly smaller building with a higher specification.
What’s the biggest Workshop I can have within my budget?
Another factor that limits how big your workshop can be is your budget.
Every G&M workshop price includes:
- 3-Tier Wall specification
- Steel box profile roofing
- uPVC door and horizontal window
- VAT, delivery (free within 40 miles of Errol) & assembly
Our smallest Workshop, the 10’ x 8’, costs £6,969.
For comparison, you can find a 10’ x 10’ single-skinned workshop from Tiger Sheds for around £1,645.99. However, this is a more basic specification and requires self-assembly.
A medium sized G&M Workshop, like our 16’ x 8’, costs £9,590.
Alternatively, a 4m x 3m workshop from BillyOh is around £2,957, but again, this is a single-skinned structure that you’ll need to assemble yourself.
Our largest G&M Workshop, the 20’ x 10’, costs £15,825.
While you may find similar sized buildings elsewhere for less, like this 20’ x 10’ workshop from Waltons, a building at this size would really benefit from a stronger specification to survive in Scotland.
When should I consider a Garage instead?
There are a few situations where a G&M Garage might be a better fit than a Workshop.
Do you need more space?
Our workshops go up to 6m x 3m, while our garages extend to 6m x 5m, giving you significantly more usable space.
Do you want to store vehicles?
Our Garages and Workshops are both made with our 3-Tier wall specification, but our Garages don’t have a timber floor like our Workshops.
Instead garages sit directly on a concrete base, which makes them ideal for storing cars, motorbikes, ride-on mowers.
Do you need more height?
Our Garages are around 10cm taller than our Workshops. The extra height might be ideal for you if you need overhead storage, clearance for equipment, or a more open workspace.
Download the G&M Workshop Buyer's Guide
Everything you need to know on how to start your #ShedLife in one easy-to-digest guide!
Enter your details below to access your copy.
What’s the biggest wooden workshop I can have?
Ultimately, the biggest workshop you can have depends on a combination of regulations, available space, and your budget. While our standard workshops go up to 20’ x 10’, this size is designed to maximise usable space without the added cost and complexity of a Building Warrant.
Although you can buy large, lower-spec single-skinned workshops at a cheaper price, going as big as possible isn’t always the best long-term decision. The key is choosing a workshop that fits your needs, your space, and performs exactly as you expect it to.
If you’re considering a workshop, visiting our Show Area is the best way to see the difference in specification for yourself. We’ve got a 16’ x 8’ Workshop waiting for you to explore.
