Best Sheds in Australia – Review
It’s easy to find shed suppliers in Australia, but what is the best Shed in Australia – Review? This will give you information on where to go and what to look for in a best shed.
The majority of shed suppliers have some great names:- Best Sheds: Shed City; The Shed Company; Simply Sheds; Shed Bonanza, just to name a few!
Google “Garden sheds” or just “Sheds” and you will find pages of suppliers all claiming to have the best Australian Shed but what are you actually buying?
Garden Sheds, Country of Origin
The vast majority of sheds come in a variety of colours – Shale Grey, Smooth Cream, Mist Green, Off White and more. The buyer should be aware that these are NOT Colorbond Colours, which means that they are made of inferior imported steel, usually from China, India or South Korea.
They may be made in Australia for Australians, but they are only fabricated in Australia from cheap imported steel.
For years, the Australian shed industry has been on a downward spiral, attracting the consumer with inferior products and cutting corners on Australian Standards and quality for the sake of price.
Australian Standards- Why are they important? – Best Sheds in Australia – Review
Standards Australia is the nation’s peak non-government, not-for-profit standards organization you can find out more about Australian Standards on their website.
Standard work helps to ensure everyone’s safety. They ensure that every worker is doing the right thing by following the specific set of rules and processes. This helps to reduce errors, waste, and risks. When it comes to sheds, it is important that the structure you install is not going to blow away. This can cause injury or kill someone and it must be “fit for purpose” and last a long time.
Australia is a country of high winds and cyclones. In cyclonic areas the Australian Standards will be higher. Those in our southern parts (Wind Region A) will be different too, and again Standards will be different for those who get high winds but not cyclonic conditions (Wind Region B).
Insurance Claims on sub-standard sheds
Insurance companies will not be happy to pay out insurance on a shed that has been damaged or pay out on the contents of a shed that has not been built to Australian Standards.
Who Certifies Sheds to Australian Standards?
It is the job of a fully qualified engineer to review a structure and test it to ensure it is ‘fit for purpose’. The engineer will issue certification to state the structure follows the many standards involved in engineering a shed. This is your ‘proof’ that the shed you are buying is certified to the appropriate Australian standards.
Australian Standards – The deceit -Best sheds in Australia – Review
There are engineers employed by shed manufacturers that seem to be happy to certify building that are below our nation standards. What does this mean for you the consumer?
With your certification, a local council will probably approve the installation of the structure. However, it is highly likely that when you have a problem with these falsely certified products, your insurance company will reject any claims as the structure is not up to the minimum standards stipulated by law. Worse still, is the fact that a sheet of thin steel blowing off in a high wind may end up maiming or killing someone.
How do I check if the shed I want is up to Australian Standards?
One of the easiest checks is to look at the thickness of the steel being used. This is just one simple point. Thickness of steel that Colorbond sheeting must be attached to. You can check this out from the manufacturer’s web site here. Most sheds have TRIMDEK or CUSTOM ORB or a Chinese import attaching to 0.75mm or less BMT (Base Metal Thickness). But the manufacturer specification is a minimum of 1mm BMT!
Unless the framing is close (400mm-450mm which is unlikely on most structures), they do not meet manufacturer specification. They therefore do not meet NCC compliance – no matter what the engineering certification says!
Base Metal Thickness (BMT) measurements on some imported steel will even include the thickness of the colour/paint. This gives the impression that the steel is thicker than it is!
Engineering involves a lot of complex calculations. For years, most Australian shed businesses have been on a race to the bottom trying to offer cheaper and cheaper sheds.
Cheap Sheds at the expense of quality and strength
This has been done at the expense of quality and strength. Certifiers have been able to ‘hide’ behind their complex calculations. Now, it is easy for anyone to check for Australian Standards with the Shed Health Test – no more hiding! Make sure you buy the best – or at the very least, a shed that is Australian Standards compliant.
Another simple ‘test’ is just to look at the mass (weight) of the shed you are buying and compare it with a truly compliant shed like the Professional Choice range.
Best Sheds in Australia – Review
Back to where we started, and an easy answer. Nearly all sheds in Australia will not pass Shed Health Test. It is very difficult to find the few businesses that take Australian Standards seriously. You will find the Professional Choice range of sheds will be up to 40% heavier than almost all sheds of a similar size. To keep their sheds reasonably priced, they ensure that there is NO waste of expensive steel. Yet, to maintain the Standards set, the shed must be so much heavier than almost anything else available today.
Summary Best Sheds in Australia – Review
It is you, the consumer, who is responsible for the ‘race to the bottom’. Price and buying cheap imported product for your “Australian Made” shed has encouraged the industry to lower standards and quality..
Now that Shed Health Test is freely available to you and your insurance companies, it should be easy for you to find the best sheds in Australia and have some peace of mind.
Why not start from this point here and be sure of what you are buying? You have over 43 choices and accessories with Professional Choice Sheds® from the obvious – dimensions and colour – to solar ready and mezzanines. Have a look at your shed guide by clicking here for some further ideas!
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