What type of shed is right for me? Apex vs Pent Shed

If you’ve opted for a wooden shed beauty then you’re in the right place. 

So now, let’s talk about design.

There are two main designs of shed which you are most likely familiar with. 

1. Apex Shed
2. Pent Shed

These are determined by the shape of the roof.

This may be a simple decision for you in terms of how you prefer it to look or you may want to dig a little deeper to make sure you choose the correct design and it’s fit for purpose.

Let’s dig in…

What is an Apex Shed?

The Apex shed comes with a traditional A frame-shaped roof. As you can see from the image, it comes to a gorgeous peak in the middle.

If it is additional height space you need, for example to store tall items then the Apex shed is perfect for this purpose.

The Apex shed will give you more overall space to work with compared to a Pent Shed.

Pitch is important on this roof to allow rainwater to fall away effectively. The steeper the pitch (what we call a high pitch) the quicker rain gets off your shed. This is especially important for wooden sheds as you don’t want rainwater hanging around. Wood is a sucker for and of water which causes damage to your shed.

You’ll find as Apex sheds get larger, the steep becomes flatter (a low pitch). This is to avoid planning regulations. However, with a lower pitch, the harder it is for rain water to move and drain off your shed.

We opt for a 26 degree high pitch and 18 degree low pitch.

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The larger your shed, the more robust roofing material you will be after. For example – Steel Box Profile (Corrugated Steel) Roofing.

Apex sheds are great in any space. Perfect standing tall and gorgeous on their own in your garden, or in a wee discreet corner.

What is a Pent Shed?

The Pent Shed is a shed with a sloping roof. One side of the shed will be where the high side is and the opposite side will be the low side.

Pent sheds are ideal if you want something that is a bit more discreet. They are perfect for fitting in tighter spaces, placing along the side of the house, sitting flush near walls, if you have concerns about height, pleasing neighbours or looking for that geometrical neatness. 

The pitch on a pent shed has to have balance. Ideally we’d like to have a high pitch on this to allow the rain water to get off fast. However, the higher the pitch – the higher the shed is. It must meet planning regulation height of 2.5m.

Not to mention the higher the pitch – the dafter it looks.

So we have to opt for a low pitch at 9 degrees. This is where roofing material is important.

The Gillies & Mackay Pent Story

We have experimented with Pent Roof pitches over the years and opted for a 9 degree pitch which we find is most effective.

What wasn’t working was the use of felting on these styles of roofs. We found that using felt was not allowing water to drain away effectively off the buildings and oor #Sheddies we’re having constant issue with water ingress. 

We changed the standard roofing on our pents to Steel Box Profile roofing and added a bit of an overhang at the front and back to protect the shed from water.

The water now glides off the roof, the water ingress issues erased and a sexy looking Pent Shed.

What’s the lesson? – Make sure if you opt for a pent shed that you want to last that it has high quality roof material.

So, what Shed is right for you?

So, that’s it, the story of the Apex and the Pent shed. 

Having a little think about it upfront will help you choose the shed that is right for you. 

So, what will it be?

Pretty and pointed…

Or 

Smooth and discreet. 

You decide…