You might have seen our fancy timber Workshops, and thought about adding one to your own garden. You’ve got good taste! But maybe you’re a little doubtful about how a timber Workshop is going to hold up against the Scottish weather. Surely it’s going to leak? Not a G&M Workshop – and there’s a clever reason why. Let’s take a look at exactly why timber workshops leak, how to avoid it, when to opt for a more substantial construction, and how we build our Workshops to keep them completely watertight.
Is a workshop just a big shed?
Well, it depends who you ask. Here at G&M, we’ll tell you that a Workshop is absolutely not just a big shed. But, many timber building suppliers treat them as one and the same. The only difference here is the name and maybe the size – but there’s no difference in construction or materials.
That’s not how we roll at G&M. Our Workshops have their own unique specifications that are completely different from the way we make our Sheds. Workshops feature a 3-Tier wall, a uPVC window and door, and can be built up to 20’ x 10’. All these factors mean they offer a higher level of performance compared to a Shed.
There’s one way to easily tell a real Workshop apart from a big shed. If it has a single-skinned construction it isn’t really a Workshop. It’s just a big shed. And if a big shed sounds like exactly what you’re looking for then that’s great. The problem is when you’re expecting something from a building that its construction simply cannot deliver.
What is a single-skinned building?
Most sheds are single-skinned, meaning one layer of timber makes up their entire wall. The cladding is attached straight onto the framing, with nothing in between.
This construction is perfectly fine for general use like storing garden equipment, watering your plants, or working on the odd DIY project. But, it’s important to understand the limitations of a single-skinned building.
The main thing to consider is that a single-skinned timber workshop is not guaranteed to stay watertight.
Any timber building that’s single-skinned will always be susceptible to some level of water ingress because timber is porous. This means that air can pass through, but also means moisture can seep through the walls.
Most of the time a little water ingress in a single-skinned timber workshop is completely natural and not much of a problem.
What’s the difference between water ingress and a leak?
Water ingress happens when there’s a lot of moisture in the air (such as after heavy rainfall) causing moisture to seep through the walls of a single-skinned timber building.
There are things you can do to prevent water ingress, like painting your workshop with a good water-based paint, regularly ventilating the space, and choosing a workshop made from high-quality timber (we recommend Scandinavian redwood).
Water ingress can become more of an issue over time as the problem compounds. In winter, you might find that moisture that’s seeped into the timber can freeze. This causes the pores in the wood to widen, letting more water in each time this happens.
Continued water ingress can also cause mould or rot in the timber boards of your workshop. This can weaken the integrity of the wood, causing it to warp or split, letting water in through the gaps created.
If your workshop is leaking, water is getting in through a gap or hole in the structure, rather than seeping through the walls. This amount of water won’t go away by simply ventilating and painting the building. You’ll want to consider replacing full boards of your workshop to get the problem under control. Leaks like this are more likely to occur in a poorly-constructed workshop made from thin or flimsy timber.
So, a little water ingress is normal for a single-skinned workshop, as long as you manage it, but a proper leak in the building is more of an issue, and should be addressed.
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When is a single-skinned workshop not enough?
There’s a few situations where a single-skinned workshop isn’t going to meet your needs or expectations:
How do you plan to use your workshop?
If you want to work away in your workshop for hours on end, in all types of weather, you’ll probably want more than one layer of timber separating yourself from the outdoors.
Or, if you plan to store expensive tools, machinery, delicate fabrics, motorbikes or anything that you wouldn’t want exposed to moisture, then you need a Workshop that’s guaranteed to stay dry.
If this sounds like you, then a G&M Workshop could be ideal.
How big do you want your workshop to be?
At G&M, we used to build all of our buildings as single-skinned constructions, including our garages. But over time we noticed that the bigger the single-skinned building was, the more issues it had with water ingress. Our Sheds were fine to be built as single-skins (and still are today) but big builds like Workshops and Garages needed an extra level of protection to keep the water out.
That’s when we decided to develop our 3-Tier specification. This is a layered timber wall, with an air cavity, that keeps our Workshops completely watertight.
Now any building over 12’ x 10’ is automatically built in our 3-Tier specification, because we cannot guarantee that a large single-skinned building won’t have issues with water ingress. This isn’t the norm across the market though, you can easily find a single-skinned “workshop” from a supplier that’s as big as 20’ x 10’.
We’d strongly urge against buying a massive single-skinned structure – your money is much better spent investing in a smaller building with a better construction. The larger a timber building, the more important a good-quality construction and moisture management system is. Because a leaking shed isn’t that much of an issue, but a 20’ x 10’ workshop that’s letting in too much water is going to quickly become a problem and an eyesore.
How do we keep our Workshops dry?
At G&M, we build all of our Workshops in our 3-Tier specification.
Any moisture that seeps through the outer layer of cladding, cannot go any further than the air cavity and membrane. The moisture then dissipates before reaching the interior walls of your Workshop.
This works because moisture cannot jump across the air cavity or penetrate the damp-proof membrane, and the result is a completely dry Workshop that you can always rely on.
It’s not only about the walls though. All of our Workshops feature sturdy steel box profile roofing. The steel is extremely weatherproof, and effectively sheds water, protecting your building.
Underneath the steel is a 16mm tongue and groove timber roof. The timber roof is covered in a damp-proof membrane and battens to create an air gap between the steel. This ensures moisture doesn’t build up and penetrate your Workshop.
We also chose uPVC windows and doors to uphold the watertight nature of the building, offering you the ultimate defence against water.
This watertight construction means we can guarantee our Workshops for 30 years. While some suppliers offer material guarantees based on the pressure-treatment of the timber used, there’s no one else out there offering a guarantee on the building for anywhere near this length of time. Build better, expect better.
Will a timber workshop leak?
A single-skinned workshop will always be susceptible to water ingress, but might be the right building for you if you’re not that fussed about a little moisture. If you need a Workshop thats dry, dependable and fit for year-round use, then a G&M 3-Tier Workshop is exactly what you need.
To discuss your Workshop plans with our expert Sales Team book a no-obligation Consultation.
Ready to see a Workshop in person? Pop out to our Show Area in Errol, to see the craftsmanship of our timber Workshops up close.
