ABERDEEN! Yes, you. You beautiful creature, you. How are your garden sheds, Aberdeen?
We know what it’s like trying to find the right people to build you a shed. How are you expected to know who makes the best sheds in Aberdeen when you’re up against shoddy websites and poor information? It’s a minefield of shed misinformation…
Don’t you worry though, NattyShedGirl is here and luckily I know a thing or ‘tree’ about sheds (and websites for some odd reason…)
We’ve got shed review posts for Glasgow, Perthshire, Falkirk, and Stirling, so it didn’t seem fair that there wasn’t one for all you slick-lookin’ Aberdonians. So way back in 2018, I wrote this post. Since it’s 2025 now, it’s about time it had an update!
What are the rules?
You may remember me from such articles as:
- Garden Rooms Edinburgh – Who Are The Best Manufacturers?
- Tuin Log Cabins – Interlocking Log Cabins Explained
- Best Garden Sheds Dundee: Top 5 Reviewed
All of our review articles follow the same rules:
- This is not a sneaky plug for Gillies & Mackay, so we don’t feature in this review. You know where we are if you want to read about our Sheds. This is an honest and impartial review of the offerings out there for you, shed-owner-in-waiting.
- This review is based on information that is in the public domain. It’s there online for all the world to see. The conclusions and opinions expressed about that information are entirely my own.
- To keep things simple, I’ll be comparing an 8’ x 6’ shed from each of the companies discussed.
My Google search was specific to sheds this time and I kept it quite broad to try and catch them all.
Google Search: garden sheds Aberdeen / sheds Aberdeen / garden buildings suppliers Aberdeen
Who is in this review?
Who did we catch?
- BS Joinery Services (manufacturer)
- Carle’s Sheds (manufacturer)
- Clad Cabins (possibly defunct manufacturer)
- Deeside Log Cabins (supplier)
- Forest Log Cabins (supplier)
- Midmar Timber Centre
- Paterson Joiners (manufacturer)
- Timber Garden Buildings (manufacturer)
- G&A Timber Merchants (manufacturer??)
Based purely on the information the eight companies detail on their websites I have made the following assumptions:
About half are wholesalers for bought-in sheds and the other half make the sheds themselves. Some have pricing on their website (YAY) and some do not (BOO). Some are selling right shite sheds, some are selling OK sheds.
As we dig a little deeper I’ll be able to explain each company using our Top 3 Buying Credentials; Specification, Price and Service. I will award each company with their own merit on what they do best. So here we go!
BS JOINERY
What a name! It’s a cracker. Now there’s a lot I could say about BS Joinery’s website, which is exactly the same as it was in 2018, but that’s an entirely different blog – so we’ll stick with what needs to be answered…
Specification
BS Joinery refers to their specification in its Shed Buying Guide whilst explaining what other Shed companies do and what to avoid. BS do not tell you what kind of timber they are using, nor what thickness of framing they use. They use 16mm cladding (and have an interesting wee explanation of machined sizes versus non-machined sizes) and have 20mm floors made of timber boards rather than OSB or ply.
Shed Jargon Buster (G&M blog to help with the tech terms)
BS are adamant they are ‘Scotland’s highest quality timber building manufacturers’ and I wish I could agree but I can’t without all the information. BS do say you are best to visit them to get the full picture of how much quality you’re getting and they also say that eight thousand satisfied customers can’t be wrong!
Pricing
Now, this is all a bit confusing…
BS don’t have prices on their website 🙁 They do talk of ‘deals’ but they don’t tell you how much the buildings are, to begin with, so it’s a bit difficult to decipher the ‘deal’.
Service
BS will deliver and assemble your Garden Building. They have a radius of free delivery and then delivery charges outwith.
I’m a wee bit confused by their roofing guarantee. Their Shed Buyer’s Guide states that they’ve never had a warranty claim on a roofing leak in the history of the company, but they also say that all roofing felt should be replaced regularly, which it absolutely should. BS have a 10-year guarantee on the roofing of your shed, but this is a pretty standard life span for roofing felt.
In general, depending on where you live and how exposed the building is, you should expect to replace even heavy-duty roofing felt after 10-15 years. It feels like a weird flex to say, “We’ve never had a warranty claim on a leaking roof, because our felt lasts as long as roofing felt is supposed to and is guaranteed for the same period.”
From the extremely ‘passionate’ tone of the website I’d say BS are keen to make sure you are fully satisfied – but definitely don’t call them on a withheld number. They hate that.
AWARD: Making the Sheds themselves YAY!
CARLE’S SHEDS
Carle’s Sheds has had a major website overhaul since 2018. However, as in 2018, there’s still absolutely nothing to tell me what Carle is using to make his sheds or how much they cost or what kind of service he provides. There was a 20% off sale that ended on December 20th 2024, but 20% off what?
There are no prices, no specifications, and nothing to detail the service. Carle’s Sheds is yet another shed website that expects you to buy a building because they have bonny photos.
So based purely on the pictures from his website and his Facebook I’ve made the following assumptions:
Carle makes his own Sheds (YAY!) He’s using a decent framing – it looks roughly like 70mm x 40mm, the cladding I’m almost certain is whitewood (spruce) and it’s in a weatherboard profile, presumably tongue and groove. The flooring appears to be OSB although I can’t tell the thickness. The roof covering appears to be just your normal cap sheet and the sarking again I think is OSB.
There are no prices and there is no description of service although the profile of their owner says that G.C Carle, the original owner of the business, was building sheds in 1977, which may well make Carle’s the longest-standing Scottish shed company I know of. (More on that later…)
Pricing
EXCITINGLY, their Facebook profile has a comment on a post stating that an 8′ x 6′ shed costs £1072, which is the sale price. The standard, non-sale price would be £1,340. The Facebook comment also states that this includes VAT, delivery and installation within 25 miles.
Now if only there was a central place where they could have listed this information for everyone to see, along with the specifications of the buildings…
AWARD: Making the Sheds themselves YAY!
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CLAD CABINS
Aww, Aberdeen, I’m disappointed to say that Clad Cabins don’t have a website anymore. In fact, I’m not even sure if they still exist.
Their website pops up on Google but the link is dead. They have a Google business profile but there’s only a few photos, no reviews, and the phone number went straight to voicemail.
Either Clad Cabins is yet another small business that’s no longer with us, or perhaps the business scope has shifted (the Google profile is called Clad Cabins/Clad Joinery).
The specification, pricing and service details from the 2018 post made Clad Cabins our clear winners of best sheds in Aberdeen, so it’s a real shame for both the business and the shed-buyers of the region that they don’t seem to be around in 2025. If anyone knows if they’re still out there, please let us know!
AWARD: Former Best Shed Maker in Aberdeen 😭
FOREST LOG CABINS
We meet again Forest! Forest Log Cabins feature in our Forest Log Cabin Garage vs Gillies & Mackay Garage blog post where we compared the specifications and performance of the two types of buildings.
But this is all about the Sheds so let’s see how they measure up.
We’re going for the Bentley Supreme Apex Shed.
Specification
This is annoying. Forest haven’t detailed any of the spec that matters. They tell us that the building comes treated (whooptaedoo, this isn’t going to keep the water out), that there’s diagonal bracing… on what? No frame size no cladding size or type – it’s clear from the picture they’re using felt on the roof but I’ve nae idea what kind… This is a real shame after how informative their Summerhouses were.
Pricing
Forest are really good at pricing on their website which is a total win, it would be nice to have a full specification so you could see what you were getting for your money, though. An 8′ x 6′ Bentley Supreme Apex Shed is £1249 as of February 2025.
Service
Forest have made guides and pack plenty of information on their site if you want to assemble your building yourself, although they do offer this service too, at a fixed rate specific to each build.
Now here’s a funny wee thing…
In our 2018 review, Forest claimed to be Scotland’s longest-established log cabin and summerhouse supplier, established in 1989 and supplying timber buildings since 1992…
**cough cough, hello… G&M over here… 35 years and counting…** Although I guess, technically we supply neither log cabins nor summerhouses these days.
These days their homepage still claims they’re the longest-established supplier of log cabins and summerhouses, but doesn’t mention 1992. They’re claiming that they’ve been trading since 1989, the same year that Gilles & Mackay was established, so I suppose we’ll all have to get our Filofaxes out to see exactly who started first. 😆
And let’s not forget Carle’s Sheds, whose owner, Raymond, was employed by G.C Carle in 1977, and who list both summerhouses and log cabins as part of their product line.
I’m a wee bit worried that Forest Log Cabins will be upset when they find out they’re not the Old Man of the Shed companies because it seems very important to them. And of course, the time you’ve been in business has a direct impact on the quality of service you provide today, right? WRONG!
I’m only kidding you on, Forest. Technically speaking, they’re quite correct. Forest Log Cabins aren’t actually the same sort of business as Carle’s Sheds or Gillies & Mackay at all.
Manufacturer or supplier?
Forest are suppliers of buildings that are manufactured by larger businesses. Bertsch Holzbau, a German manufacturer, supply Forest’s log cabins, prefabricated cabins, garages, carports and summerhouses. Viking in Lithuania make their BBQ huts, garden cubes, saunas and camping pods, and TGB in Yorkshire make their sheds and playhouses.
These are affordable, mass-produced buildings, often designed for self-assembly. Buying from Forest is like buying a cake from a supermarket as opposed to buying a cake from a small independent baker. The advantages of the supermarket are that there are tons of options and because they’re mass-produced, prices are kept low. Using a small independent baker means you can customise the product, the quality is higher, and as a result, the price is too.
We have a whole separate blog post on buying from a manufacturer versus a supplier if you’d like to read more.
Anyway, regardless of this, Forest have great social proof from their actual customers (not just themselves) with fab testimonials supporting their business and products.
AWARD: Customer Service (check out their Facebook)
DEESIDE LOG CABINS
Deeside are wholesale suppliers of Lugarde and Palmako. Lugarde are well known for their interlocking log construction. This means there is no wall frame, unlike traditional sectional panels which allow multiple layers for insulation and damp proofing.
Deeside offer two categories of shed – premium sheds and sectional sheds.
The premium sheds are log cabins supplied by Palmako, a wholesaler based in Estonia who have branches all over Europe. Just like Lugarde, Palmako buildings have the same limitations as other interlocking log cabins.
The closest premium shed size to our 8′ x 6′ comparator is the Dan 4.6 Palmako log cabin.
Deeside’s sectional sheds are manufactured by Redlands, a company based in Berkshire. You can buy Redlands sheds all over the place, from B&Q to Well Good Garden Sheds. Oh, the irony. This is not a well good garden shed.
Deeside’s Sheds are provided in ‘kit’ form. Their website states, “For competent DIY people, building your own cabin is relatively straightforward.”
Specification
Deeside’s website has almost no information about their premium shed specification, stating only that the log thickness is 16mm. This suggests that this building is similar to their interlocking log buildings. However, the Palmako website gives slightly more information: 16mm prefabricated wall elements” (panels) and 16mm tongue and groove roof and floor. The timber used is Nordic spruce, which is another term for whitewood. There’s roofing felt in the pictures but no information about the weight.
Deeside’s sectional shed is made of “slow-grown softwood” stating that pine and spruce are both used. This is not terribly helpful. What’s made of pine and what’s made of spruce? Where are the pine and spruce from?
The tongue and groove shiplap cladding is a meagre 12mm, with 44 x 28 framing, way under our recommended minimum. The flooring is 12mm something or other, and sarking is 12mm tongue and groove boards (of what?) so it’s possible the floor might be sheets rather than boards. The roof covering is also described only as “grey mineral felt.”
Of course, what’s really interesting about this specification is that I didn’t get any of it from Deeside’s website.
It’s all fine for me to spend ages reverse image searching, combing through pages of information and applying my expert eye to find out what Deeside’s sheds are made from. It’s my job.
But you shouldn’t have to do that.
Pricing
Deeside’s FAQs tells us they do offer an assembly service, although dependent on the building and the distance presumably. The FAQs also states that they’ll quote for base and build, or for build alone.
All buildings on their website are priced, which is great to see, and while I wouldn’t personally buy a Deeside premium shed for £995, it’s certainly better than buying the exact same building for £1,290 from Palmako.
The price quoted for an 8’ x 6’ sectional shed (£1145) does seem a little steep particularly when the exact same shed is available from Buttercup Farm, an online retailer, for £706.24, on sale from £743.41 as of February 2025. Buttercup Farm also provides the specification details that Deeside don’t, which is the only reason I was able to give you the information above.
Service
In 2018 the following review was taken from the reviews page of Deeside’s website;
Thanks for the excellent service and the way you executed our order and the way the two lads went about the job of erecting our order. The whole order and the way it was carried out was excellent. I would recommend you to anyone. A Shewan, Peterhead
In 2025, looking at Google reviews, there’s a mixed bag of good and bad, with an overall rating of 4 stars based on 27 reviews. The main problem with the Google reviews is that they’re not current – the newest is from eight months ago, with the majority from several years ago. There aren’t any reviews on Deeside’s Facebook page.
Deeside are a family-owned business, established in 2002. You can tell from the overall feel of the website and product range, that they are competent and professional in what they do.
AWARD: Extensive Range of Buildings
MIDMAR TIMBER CENTRE
Just like back in 2018, Midmar’s primary focus is the supply of the timber itself. Their website hasn’t changed since then – it’s still pretty basic and is limited on information about the individual products.
I can tell a wee bit about the sheds from the pictures and considering they are a timber merchant the quality should be decent.
Again, unfortunately, I can’t say specifically as there is no information on their site.
No pricing and no information on service.
AWARD: Being Found on Google
W. G PATERSON & SON JOINERS
Another delightful website. W. G. Paterson & Son is a long-established family firm of, well, father and sons. Paterson & Son make the buildings themselves as well as delivering within a 25-mile radius.
Specification
Hurray! An actual specification that means something and lets you know what you’re getting for your money! It’s not the greatest shed spec I’ve ever seen but at least you know all the details.
16mm redwood cladding is a decent if modest place to start. I’d love to know where the redwood is from – we want Scandinavian all the way, babay! The flooring is 16mm whitewood, but unfortunately, the roof is made of OSB.
Combine this with 38kg roofing felt as Paterson & Son does, and you have the potential for a soggy roof. For general reference, heavy-duty roofing felt is 45kg and above, but thanks to Brexit it’s mighty hard to find good roofing felt these days.
Pricing
There’s been a major development since my 2018 review – Paterson & Son now have prices for their buildings! An 8′ x 6′ Lybster Shed costs £1,100. This price includes delivery up to 25 miles, and there’s a £50 charge for delivery between 25-50 miles. Anything further than this is price on application. You can also collect the buildings and erect them yourselves, or there’s a delivery-only option.
Prices are very clear and straightforward – you choose the size and get your price. There are additional options for doors, windows, roof overhang, and lining and insulation. You can also pay for the building online. There’s no information about a suitable base for the building, but Paterson & Son do offer this service. They offer a free site visit and quotation for patio/slabs, gravel, concrete, decking and other options that aren’t specified.
Service
Although Patersons’ are trading as joiners primarily, they have seen an increase in demand for their buildings and so have started to stock popular sizes of sheds. There’s also really bad news for the Old Man of the Sheds competition that literally no one was running because Paterson & Son’s is a third-generation business that’s been around since the 1950s.
AWARD: Detailed Specification
TIMBER GARDEN BUILDINGS
Timber Garden Buildings don’t actually mention sheds on their website, but they do build them. They just call them workshops instead.
Since the website is exactly the same as it was in 2018, my conclusions are the same. Much like Midmar and Carle’s Sheds, this company does not have enough information to do a price comparison. It does have a small detail of specification which is rather difficult to decipher.
I think it’s stating that small buildings have 47mm x 35mm framing and 16mm sarking (cladding?) and the bigger buildings have 72mm x 47mm framing and 18mm cladding?
Regardless, it isn’t enough to make an educated buying decision.
AWARD: Being Found on Google
G&A TIMBER MERCHANTS
G&A Timber didn’t feature in our 2018 blog, for the simple reason that the company didn’t exist until 2021. Their Facebook page announces the online sale of sheds from March 2024, so they may have been selling sheds before that but not online, or they may have started selling sheds last year. Either way, they sell garden sheds in Aberdeen!
Like Midmar, G&A are timber merchants who happen to sell sheds along with a range of other timber projects. They’re not specialising in just one product. But they offer a pent shed and an apex shed in a wide range of sizes.
I’m slightly confused about whether or not G&A is making these sheds themselves; a reverse image search shows that the exact same building (or at least the same photo) is available from at least one other timber merchant down south.
I asked our Operations Director Gordon to cast his eye over G&A’s website, and we had a long chat about the buildings. Gordon’s conclusion was #confused. He pointed out lots of sensible choices and solid joinery, but at the same time corners being cut and strange structural decisions. He kept saying, “I don’t understand why anyone would do it that way!”
Supplier or manufacturer?
I was determined to discover whether or not G&A build their sheds or manufacture them, and Gordon and I discussed this using photos of finished sheds and the in-progress buildings on Facebook.
We came to the conclusion that both timber merchants (the one in Aberdeenshire and the one in Grantham) are using prefabricated panels with set dimensions to form the basic body of the sheds. The joiners onsite then fill in any gaps with loose cladding. While this method makes it easier to produce the panels, it’s more difficult for delivery, and overall the buildings are less structurally stable.
Specification
G&A have the same sort of information that we see on BS Joinery’s website – it looks like they’re giving loads of detail, but most of what they include is of limited use if it’s not downright confusing.
Their spec states that standard cladding is 13mm but also says that sheds are completed in 19mm. This is a wee bit confusing, but the 19mm refers to the finishing strips covering the corners and panel joins.
Framing is 45mm x 45mm which is about the minimum suggested by our Shed Buyer’s Checklist, but it is C24 framing which is a big tick, and part of the frame uses 45mm x 95mm which is much more like it. Flooring and roofing are 24mm which is excellent, but crucially the type of timber isn’t specified.
G&A’s sheds use roofing felt, but the weight of the felt isn’t specified.
Since this is one of the biggest markers of quality for a shed, it’s vital that you know whether your shed is made of whitewood or redwood. Since G&A is a timber merchant, they have plenty of choices about what they make their sheds from, but in general, if a company is building redwood sheds they let you know about it because this timber is more expensive and better quality.
From the photos on their website, I’d say the timber has been pressure-treated, but again, this information isn’t included in the specifications. It’s most likely pressure-treated whitewood, and from the photos on their Facebook page it looks like the sheds are made from decking timber.
Pricing
This is where G&A really excel – prices are clearly laid out and easily accessible. You choose your size and they tell you how much the shed will cost. Fabulous.
Extras include thicker cladding and loglap profile cladding rather than tongue-and-groove shiplap, double doors, dividing partitions, shelves, guttering and a whole host of added features which are priced separately. It’s fantastic to see this information included and priced, as it should be!
The standard 13mm cladding should definitely be upgraded if you want it to withstand the weather. G&A offer 18mm or 21mm tongue and groove shiplap or 22mm loglap.
The 21mm option in an 8′ x 6′ shed comes in at £1,320. This doesn’t include delivery, which is an additional £300.
Service
Once again, the options are laid out for you and priced. You can have your shed installed by G&A for £300 and add a timber frame base for £220. The timber frame is mounted on 3″ x 3″ posts that are Postcreted into the ground.
How does this compare to the solid bases we recommend for the longest-lasting sheds? Well, there’s potential for the posts to rot where they meet the concrete, although the building does offer some shelter from this. Gordon’s conclusion: not terrible, but not as reliable as a well-built slabbed base.
There’s no information about a guarantee or aftercare.
Despite the occasional odd feature, G&A is offering a mid-range building that’s pretty sturdy, especially with the additional upgrades. Even if G&A’s sheds are made of whitewood, they’re considerably more solid than any of the other offerings I’ve seen in Aberdeen. If they’re made of redwood I’d be seriously interested in finding out more.
AWARD: New Kid On The Block
YES AND…
That’s it Aberdeen – that’s yer lot.
Based on all 9 companies I can say that G&A and possibly some of the other handcrafted companies who don’t detail their prices are your best bet for a decent Aberdonian shed. But you all deserve much more from your local shed companies.
Since 2018, there have been a few welcome updates that make buying a shed easier, but there’s no Aberdonian shed companies out there offering you all the information you need to make an informed buying choice without picking up the phone and finding out for yourself. If that’s the only way to find out what you need, why even bother with a website?
Thanks for reading Sheddies, as always – any questions feel free to ask.
Cheers
NattyShedGirl x
