Forest Sheds Receive Upgrade to Superior Better Sheds
After quizzing themselves with the question "How can we make better sheds?" Forest Garden have been busy over the last 12 months upgrading and improving their existing shed range so that they now offer higher quality, cost-effective and better designed sheds for every gardener. David Coton visited their factory last week, and here is what he discovered about the relaunched Better Shed range.
Sheds, mainly wooden versions, haven't really changed much over many years, especially in terms of their traditional look and style. However, over the last 12 months, the shed team over at Forest Garden have been undertaking an important task, asking themselves a vital question as leading shed manufacturers...
"How can we make our sheds better?"
Especially without increasing the cost, how can we offer a better value, longer lasting and an all-round easier and quicker experience when it comes to installing a new shed in the garden.
You may be thinking that the most sensible and simplest answer would be to make their sheds stronger, whilst also ensuring that the construction can be completed as fast andeasily as possible, no matter the DIY competency of the user.
These points, of course, were at the top of Forest's list as a way to make a better shed for gardeners. Along with crafting and delivering the shed in sections which are easier to handle and easy to fit through most doorways and garden gates.
Another interesting point to consider was 'being adaptable to the buyer's needs'. Would you like the window on the left or the right side? Would you like the door on the front or the back? Would you like the door to open on the left or the right? All valid questions and concerns which many shed buyers have. So making a one-size-fits-all kind of shed that can be adapted to the buyer's requirements will no doubt bring a unique experience while helping to fulfil the 'better shed' aspect.
And finally, Forest is proud to manufacture their products within the UK and that couldn't change. With plantations and sawmills located in the UK, Forest didn't want to move away to producing their products overseas, as other manufacturers have done in the past. So Forest will stick to their roots and continue to produce their products at home.
In summary, the aspects of creating a Better Shed include:
Stronger Construction and Integrity Compared to Similar Brands
An Easier and Faster Method to Install at Home
More Easily Manageable Sections & Components
Adaptable to the Buyer's Requirements
Manufactured in the UK
So what does all this mean and what's changed? Let's break down some of these points and see the improvements made by Forest and what they mean to shoppers...
Making a stronger, better shed
Who wouldn't want a stronger, longer-lasting shed for the same price? Over the last 12 months, Forest has been improving their sheds' construction by upgrading the following:
Increased Timber and Thicker Framing Getting more timber for your money allows for a stronger construction due to the thicker framework.
Addition of Metal Roof Truss Brackets Adds extra strength and rigidity to the roof for improved strength and snow load.
Moving The Hinges to Make Them Hidden Moving the hinges to the inside so that they cannot be unscrewed or tampered with from the outside.
Bracing the Door with Double Z-Framing Switching from a single z-frame to twin z-frames on the door for added resilience.
Addition of a Solid Wooden Floor Forest sheds used to come with a floor made from thin OSB boards, not anymore! They're now solid floors, similar to decking.
Switching to Shatterproof PET Glazing PET is a premium quality glazing, also known as polyethylene terephthalate. It's UV stabilised so won't crack or turn yellow under the sun.
A diagram showing what makes up a better shed from Forest.
The addition of metal roof supports and 30% more timber, especially in the shed's framing means that your shed will benefit from an overall stronger construction. Match this with the solid timber flooring, as opposed to the use of thin OSB, and the shed's durability and sturdiness are increased dramatically along with creating a solid, sturdy, clean and dry place to store your possessions.
All doors are rigid and robust with double Z framing to prevent them from dropping and making them more secure and harder to break into Moving the hinges to the inside also means that the screws for the door can't be undone from the outside... win-win!
Adaptable and faster DIY installation
When buying a new shed for the garden, it's not just about which shed to buy, the price, quality and size to consider, but also how you're going to build it in the garden once it's been delivered. Sure, you can pay a little extra to have it installed, but for those looking for a cost-effective storage solution that's not always a possibility, so installing it yourself at home is the only way. And so anything to make that as painless and efficient as possible, the better!
This is where Forest's new 'modular' shed design comes into play. Firstly, Forest sheds are now delivered in more manageable sections, making them easier to handle and carry through a garden gate or doorway.
Secondly, these smaller sections allow the shed to be installed in a modular way while letting you move sections around to suit how you would like the shed to be built. Fancy having the window at the opposite side than what's pictured? Want to have the door on the opposite end of the shed? Not a problem, as during the installation, you can simply move and swap these modular sections around to suit the positions of the door(s), window(s) and even the direction of the slope of the roof on pent sheds models.
Overall, smaller, more manageable modular sections allow you to install your shed at home far easier than ever before and with an array of interchangeable panel options to suit you and your garden.
How is this all possible?
How can all this be possible without having to increase the price of Forest sheds to buyers, or without offering all of the above extras as a more expensive 'premium' option?
Investing in technology and investing in people is the answer to this, as well as keeping production within the UK.
Upgraded and improved 'modular' shed specifications, continued staff training, new high-tech machinery, upgraded manufacturing and making use of Forest's owned and operated UK forest plantations all help to make a Forest shed a better shed without the need to bump up the price drastically to the consumer. Forest is all about offering cost-effective products to gardeners while always looking to improve their existing ranges, and they have done exactly this with their range of sheds, now improved and upgraded ready for the 2020 season.
If you've been thinking of adding extra storage space or whether it's time to replace that old tired shed at the end of the garden, there's never been a better time than now as you'll be able to make the most of all the benefits offered by a new better shed from Forest.