how far from house to put garden shed?

cathy427

What is the minimum recommended distance to put a garden shed from a house?
The current one is only a couple of steps from the back door and is very handy for solid fuel.

However it is failing down and badly needs to be replaced and now I have discovered that there are mice behind it - which I hate - and am afraid they are too close to house.

I want to set the new shed down the garden to keep any mice well away from house,
him-indoors says the layout of the garden suits where it is and that all gardens have mice and that the lawn will get destroyed carrying in solid fuel over the winter if we put it any where else. Also that the whole layout of the garden suits the shed where it is.

What do people reckon is the minimum distance a shed should be from a house?

Xantia

Repair the shed and weatherproof it.
Buy a cat
Get 'him indoors' to do it...

Xantia

Repair the shed and weatherproof it.
Buy a cat
Get 'him indoors' to do it...

double post

cathy427

:-) Thanks, looks like it is beyond repair.
Afraid that now the mice are there they will keep coming back to that spot.

Xantia

I have found that if you can close off the bottom of the shed then they have no where to hide.

Is the shed up on blocks or is it just on the soil?

cathy427

Its up on blocks.

How far is yours from the house?

Xantia

Well I have 2.
The old one got the felt blown off in the last gale.
Must replace it again.
And paint it with preservative, I guess that will keep it going for another year or so.

The 'newer' one I put down a concrete screed, then blocks. Then I put a tarpaulin under the shed to preserve it.
Hopefully it will last a bit longer.
However in a hurry I put a clothesline on to it and it has lost some of its 'structural integrity' lets say

The are not cheap, but you could shop around.
Some of them are quite nice nowadays.

Plastic and metal ones available as well.

Xantia

Mine are as far away from the house as I could put them.
I think that is the best especially when you have petrol cans for lawnmowers and gas bottles stored.

cathy427

Xantia wrote: »

Mine are as far away from the house as I could put them.
I think that is the best especially when you have petrol cans for lawnmowers and gas bottles stored.

Thanks, do you use it for solid fuel?

Xantia

No, fortunately we have natural gas.
While the open fires were great they caused a lot of ash and dust and it was always raining when I had to go and get the coal from the back!
We did have a coal bunker made from blocks, but yeah if you are drawing solid fuel then you would need a shed that can keep out the weather.
You might be able to get a fuel storage unit that might be more suitable?

cathy427

Ya the thing is the current location
of the shed is ideal for the solid fuel
hence the suggestion to put the new
one in the same spot.
Its the visitors that are worrying me!

lgk

Xantia wrote: »

The 'newer' one I put down a concrete screed, then blocks. Then I put a tarpaulin under the shed to preserve it.
Hopefully it will last a bit longer.

Make sure there is sufficient space for airflow under the shed, otherwise it'll rot before its time.

Darwin

OP in relation to the mice problem, try putting down lots of cotton wool soaked in peppermint oil (such as this). I found evidence of mouse droppings in my garage and it appears to have done the job in getting rid of them.

Ger Byrne 1

You need to keep a garden shed up on blocks to let the air under firstly
And also if it is open under the shed mice are less likely to stay under it
If you close it up under the shed you are making a home for the mice

If you contact Abbeylawn garden sheds on 0402-34703 they will help you
They advised me when i got my shed i had the same problem
And now no more problems

Lex Luthor

mice are the lesser of 2 evils when it comes to vermin living under your shed...you could have rats

a shed 10 foot or 20 foot from your house i cant see there being much difference regarding the mice

i have the door of my shed about 10 foot from my back door...makes it handier in winter when going back and forth

also i ditched the wooden shed about 5 yr ago for the metal ones...defo more expensive but well worth it