Garden sheds Fife: who is the best manufacturer?

What we’ll cover in this blog
1. Why are we doing this? 2. How does our garden shed review work? 3. Who will we be reviewing? 4. Forest Craft Sheds 5. Anchor Timber Buildings 6. Aberhill Joinery 7. Central Fife Sheds 8. Who makes the best garden shed in Fife?

So, you’re looking for a garden shed in Fife but you’ve found yourself a little bit lost in Google. We know how it is. There’s tons of information to look through and it can all seem a little daunting.

There are plenty of great manufacturers in Fife, from Glenrothes to Dunfermline, St Andrews to Kirkcaldy. We wanted to help make your search a little easier, so you can have the best for your garden.

Yes, we supply sheds in the Fife area, but we know that our sheds won’t be suitable (or have availability) for everyone. So we want to make sure that no matter who you buy from you get the best possible shed for you. 

So, in this blog, we’re offering our expert opinion on Fife shed manufacturers to help you decide who is right for you – and get some #sheducation along the way.

Why are we doing this?

Well, first of all, we have over 30 years of experience in the Shed industry and we understand just what goes into the perfect shed.

We also know some of our sheddies have had disappointing experiences when it comes to choosing the perfect shed. 

So we are taking some of the stress out of this for you, we have compiled a list of the top Shed manufacturers in Fife so that you have all of the information needed to make a decision on the Shed for you.

Happy reading, sheddies! Now, let’s get a #sheducation.

How does our garden shed review work?

We know, we know! We’re shed manufacturers! So you might not trust that we are going to be unbiased in our Fife shed review. That’s why we thought that we’d lay out the rules before we begin. 

We looked at Google to find shed manufacturers in Fife using the search term “Garden Sheds Fife”. 

We’ll review those who show up on page one of Google, including on Google Maps. We’ll exclude paid ads as they tend to be companies not local to the area we’re interested in.

So, let’s dive in…

Who will we be reviewing?

In this piece, we will be taking a look at:

• Forest Craft Sheds
• Anchor Timber Buildings
• Aberhill Joinery
• Central Fife Sheds

Who is not included in this review:

• Premier sheds and garages – not enough information.
• Timber garden buildings – Read their review HERE
• Sheds First – UK-Wide Supplier
• Sheds Warehouse – UK-Wide Supplier
• Easy Shed – UK-Wide Supplier
• I Like Sheds – UK-Wide Supplier

*Suppliers are not included in this blog as they are mass-manufactured and do not take responsibility for the sheds supplied. You’ll find suppliers offer the lowest quality sheds and services on the market and that is how they keep the prices low and have never-ending sales. They will not end up being on our best lists because of this but it’s good to be aware. Always check out their reviews.

• Learn more: What to look for when buying a shed

1. Forest Craft Sheds

So at first glance, we felt the home page was good. It shows exactly what products are on offer. It appears to give customers a glimpse into what they could purchase, which is always a good thing.

However, what we noticed is the lack of personality. There isn’t really a human voice or presence on this page.

Even when looking at the About Us page, there isn’t an image of a person. The human factor is really missing here. 

As a customer, this is disappointing because it doesn’t help you to feel secure in your purchase. 

If you can’t see people behind the business, then it will simply look like a mass manufacturer, which is not where you’re purchasing from. I don’t know if I can trust them. I would love to see a more human presence on here – who’s building my shed?!?

• Learn more: What to look for when buying a shed

Forest Craft Sheds: What are their garden shed specifications?

So, Forest Craft offers detailed specifications for each Shed model on their site. This is great, it shows people right away what they can get.

It is upfront and honest, which is good, that’s what we want to see. But it is rather limited in many ways.

There isn’t a massive breakdown or specificity making it difficult to know what it is I’m buying exactly.

Timber thickness

15mm and 19mm are offered as upgrades. If you’re after something that will last and is sturdy – 19mm always.

They do not state what their standard thickness is – interesting! Usually, you’ll find on the market the next thickness down is 12mm. I find it strange that they haven’t offered this upfront. I can say now from our experience – anything less than 15mm in Scottish weather is not going to stand.

• Learn more: What is the best timber thickness for a garden shed in Scotland?

Shed Roofing

Standard felt roof – works well for smaller sheds. You’ll be looking for something more substantial on larger sheds – like steel.

• Learn more: Steel Box Profile on Sheds and Garages

Shed Framing

Nothing about the type or size of framing from Forestcraft. I would expect to see this in the specification description so you know if the bones of the building are going to hold well.

In short: C16-graded framing is usually used in internal constructions. You’ll find that this is used in the shed market as a way to keep costs down – however, it’s not made for withstanding the external elements. Resulting in leans, a lot of movement and sagging.

C24-graded timber framing is superior and stronger making it ideal for the external climate and a sturdy, long-lasting structure.

If you’re on any shed hunt – ask the manufacturers for this info to keep you right.

Forest Craft Sheds: How much does a Garden Shed cost?

So Forest Craft has told customers what to expect in regard to pricing for their different buildings:

10ft x 8ft             £1255.00   

Price-wise, this is decent based on their specification. However, this is based on their lowest specification – if you’re looking to upgrade to better timbers etc then the cost will increase.

They have not stated how much to expect the increase so you’ll need to contact them for more info.

Looks like the purpose of the pricing is to give a ballpark figure.

Forest Craft Sheds: What are customers saying?

We checked online to see what people were saying about Forest Craft and its sheds.

Google shares 4.3 stars out of 63 reviews which is decent.

Google shares 4.3 stars out of 63 reviews which is decent. In general, the positive reviews talk mainly about quality, service and decent price for what they have received.

Negative reviews generally talk about quality – mainly leaks, quality of timbers and construction.

Great service from the team, however, it’s difficult to tell what kind of product you are going to be faced with.

If you are looking for a high-quality sturdy building that withstands the elements, passionate about sheds and you’re willing to spend a bit more. Then Forestcraft is likely not right for you.

However, if you’re on a strict budget and desperate for a shed. They have good options to cater to your budget and you get what you pay for.

Based on our experience, we’d expect these buildings to last 10 years and it’s likely going to require a lot of maintenance.

Next…

2. Anchor Timber Buildings

Anchor Timber Buildings had a very inviting website. It’s engaging, and interactive. Finding much more information on there, and pictures to get a better understanding of the product and what we’re buying.

Looking a bit deeper, we find that Anchor Timber Buildings are actually an agent/supplier for TGB Sheds.

We’ve done a full review of TGB here:

Garden Sheds Scotland: TGB Review

So, let’s jump in…

Anchor Timber Buildings: What are their Garden Shed specifications?

Timber Thickness

As standard, Anchor (or TGB) offer 12mm thickness. The low standards here, but they do offer upgrades which I’ve done to get to a more robust shed.

We’ve gone for the 18mm premier cladding, the thickest felt and added the battens (also known as bearers) for the shed to sit on.

The thicker the cladding, the better protection against the Scottish weather.

It’s good that they offer different options to cater to different budgets.

Framing

Based on the sizes of 44mm x 32mm – they are offering the C16-graded framing. As explained with Forestcraft – expect this to last around 10 years and face potential issues of leaning and timber movement.

Roof

Standard felt works well with the smaller-sized sheds no bother. You’ll definitely want to upgrade to something more substantial for a larger shed. We’d usually say from a 10’ x 8’ size onwards is where you’ll want a roof upgrade.

• Learn more: Steel Box Profile on Sheds and Garages

Anchor Timber Buildings: How much does a Garden Shed cost?

Costs are widely displayed on the website. Bonus points!

The more you dive in, the more you can see prices for each type of option.

Taking the upgrade options we shared above – their 10’ x 8’ Apex Shed will cost: £2,177.25

I would argue that based on the specification that it could be a bit above what to expect.

My question would be – what type of wood do they use? Why? Because imported timbers from the coldest climates cost much more than Scottish timbers and are much more substantial.

TGB states on its website that they do use Redwood from sustainable forests. Yes – this is excellent! I would love to know where it is sourced from.

• Learn more: Steel Box Profile on Sheds and Garages

Anchor Timber Buildings: What are customers saying?

We have had a hunt through reviews for Anchor Timber Buildings.

On Google Reviews, the company scores a 4.⅗ which is a pretty good score…

The good reviews mainly talk about the selections available and the service provided.

The bad reviews also talk about the service provided, the aftercare service and the quality of the buildings.

It’s difficult to tell what kind of service you are going to be getting with Anchor. However, people do appreciate the amount that is on offer.

Similar to Forest Craft – if you’re in the market for a shed as quickly as possible and your budget is strict then Anchor has many options that can cater to you. If you’re looking for something more robust, long-lasting, something to be proud of and reliable then I might be looking elsewhere.

3. Aberhill Joinery

Aberhill is based in Leven and has been operating for over 25 years.

At first glance – I like their website. It’s giving off a different feel from other shed companies on the market. Less supplier-like and more design. Definitely makes them stand out in the market.

However the deeper we get into the website to look for more info, I’m afraid we’re not getting much from them. 

Aberhill Joinery: What are their Shed specifications?

The shed page gives a general idea of sizing and at the end of each building section, it says individual requirements can be discussed.

There is very limited information available other than this, which means we’re not truly getting a proper understanding of the product before enquiring.

This is a little disappointing because the specification is important. All those basic questions you are asking. How much does it cost? What are the size ranges? What wood do you use? How thick is the timber? Does it come with a door and windows? What roofing material do you use?

I’m sure Aberhill are getting asked these questions all the time and they could save themselves some time in their communications by laying it all on their website. Answer questions – build trust.

Aberhill Joinery: How much does a Garden Shed cost?

As mentioned, Aberhill does not have any prices on its website.

Why do we need prices?

Because we need to know if we can actually afford you. If I should spend my time, your time, our precious time with you.

If I have a budget of £1,500 for a medium-sized shed and you are costing £2,500 – then I’ll need to look elsewhere.

It’s one of the first things we look for.

I can’t imagine how much time Aberhill is spending giving out quotes on basic products – get them online and save yourselves some hassle lads and lassies.

Put the power in the sheddies hands.

Aberhill Joinery: What are previous customers saying?

Now, this is where things get more interesting. According to Google Reviews, Aberhill got a 4.6 out of 5. Which is a very high score!  

Customers are saying how happy they are with the products they have received. Mostly raving about building quality and customer service.

This is great for Aberhill. I’d love to see more reviews come in for them and increase their business by sharing more info on their website for you Sheddies.

Despite the lack of information, with the reviews I am curious. I would consider enquiring with them about their sheds and finding out more. Just going to take a bit more effort to get there.

4. Central Fife Sheds

Central Fife Shed’s based in Glenrothes and have been going since 2017. Fairly new to the market.

They’ve got a nice website and good design. I like how they are using real shed photo’s in actual gardens to show off the products.

On their shed page – I would love to know what the difference is between superior and heavy-duty. In my mind, they’re both the same thing. Maybe a wee initial explainer would help.

I will say this – they have done an explicit job of laying out the specifications and pricing of the buildings. Bonus sheddies points here. Very clear what’s on offer. 

Central Fife Sheds: What are the Shed specifications?

For the purposes of our review, we are going to use a 10’ x 8’ Heavy Duty Apex Shed as our example.

Timber Thickness

15mm Redwood Cladding – yes to the Redwood. And even better – it’s Scandinavian Redwood. Ding, ding! These guys know the good stuff. I’m thinking if it’s going to be classed as a heavy duty – they can definitely go for 19mm thickness and offer the fue shebang.

Roofing

As the others, you’ve got your standard felt and again for something bigger I would go for a more substantial material like Steel for ultimate heavy duties and protection.

Framing

Framing is slightly thicker than the others above – again I would suggest going C24 graded for something to be classed as heavy duty.

Central Fife Sheds: How much does a Garden Shed cost?

The price for a Heavy Duty 10’ x 8’ Apex shed is: £1,889.00

Great price based on the specification. Cheaper than Anchor for something a bit better. Based on the spec and price, I would be considering them.

Central Fife Sheds: What are customers saying?

Central Fife Sheds score 4.6 out of 5 on Google out of 44 reviews. Not too shabby at all.

Let’s see what people have been saying.

Mostly good reviews about the service and quality of the product. Well done Central.

On occasion the odd review about lack of communication and when things are happening.

It can happen – you have to have your eye on the ball with these things at all times. We need to be communicated to and updated.

Overall, good specifications, decent pricing and good reviews. I wouldn’t go for a standard shed – but definitely worth checking out the upgrades. I would say these guys are mid-market depending on your budget.

Who makes the best garden sheds in Fife?

There are certainly plenty of them. I would say these manufacturers sit about mid-market for pricing and specification.

It looks as though Central Fife Sheds are the most reliable here and offer a decent mid-market product out of everyone. I wouldn’t completely exclude Aberhill though. It’s worth visiting them and seeing what kind of spec is on offer based on what you’ve learnt today.

Top tip: Always check the specifications of sheds when you’re on your search and if they have a show area, go and visit it and check out the quality of the sheds yourself.

That was fun Fife – who’s next?

If you’re looking for a garden shed in Fife then book a consultation with one of our experts to get you on your Sheddie way.