What to Know Before You Order a Custom Shed: A Pre-Purchase Checklist

Most people start ordering a shed online today, browsing options and requesting a quote before ever speaking to someone in person.

That’s a great way to start. But buying a custom shed still comes down to your actual site, not just a photo you liked.

The more you know about your property before you pick up the phone, the smoother the process will be. It also means a more accurate quote from the start.

Knowing what to check before buying a shed, rather than after, is what separates an easy process from a stressful one.

Whether you need a shed for machinery, stock, storage or a workspace, our custom shed design tool is a great place to start picturing what’s possible.

Before you get into the details, though, run through this custom shed checklist first.

1. Measure Your Site: Dimensions and Slope

Before you order, measure your site’s full length, width and slope, then note anything nearby that could get in the way.

Measure the full length and width of the area you’re considering.

Check for anything close by that might get in the way, like fences, trees, power lines or existing structures.

It’s worth measuring a little wider than you think you need. Most people underestimate how much clearance they’ll want around the finished shed.

Slope and fall matter just as much as flat measurements. A site that looks level to the eye can still have enough of a grade to affect how the shed sits and how water drains away from it.

Walk the site after rain if you can. Note where water naturally pools or runs off, and whether you’d prefer the shed on the high side or low side of the block.

If you’re not confident measuring slope accurately yourself, that’s completely normal.

A rough description, like “slopes gently away from the house” or “pretty flat, with a slight dip near the back fence,” is a useful starting point. Our team can help you refine it from there.

2. Think About Orientation: Sun and Wind

Orientation affects comfort and usability, so think about sun direction, entry points and prevailing wind before you order.

Think about where the sun sits through the morning and afternoon, especially if you’ll be working inside for long stretches.

Also think about where you’d like your entry points relative to it.

A shed that opens into the afternoon sun in summer can get uncomfortably warm to work in. Good orientation can help keep things cooler without any extra effort.

Prevailing wind direction is worth considering too, particularly for larger openings like roller doors.

A shed positioned side-on to strong prevailing winds can make loading and unloading trickier on a blustery day. It can also affect how comfortable the space feels when doors are open for ventilation.

It doesn’t need to be perfect. But factoring wind in alongside your access requirements tends to pay off long term.

3. Check Access for Delivery and Installation

Check gate widths, driveway surfaces and overhead clearance before ordering. Access is one of the easiest things to overlook until delivery day.

Materials for a custom shed need to get from the road to your site.

Think about gate widths, driveway surfaces, and any tight turns a truck or trailer would need to navigate to reach the site.

A few other things worth checking:

• Overhead clearance for power lines, awnings or low branches along the delivery route
• Whether the ground can handle vehicle weight, especially after wet weather
• How much room installers will need around the site itself, not just to get to it
• Whether neighbouring properties, shared driveways or easements come into play

If access looks tight or unusual, let us know early rather than waiting to see what happens on the day.

It’s far easier for us to plan around a tricky site upfront than to solve it on the spot with a truck already there.

4. Know Your Wind Region

Australia is split into wind regions A, B and C, and your region affects how your shed needs to be engineered.

A more exposed rural property, a coastal block, or a site with little shelter from surrounding buildings is likely to sit in a higher wind region than a sheltered suburban block.

That classification can influence structural specifications and which accessories suit the finished shed.

You don’t need to become an expert in wind ratings yourself before you get in touch.

Your address and a general description of the site’s exposure are usually enough for us to work out what applies.

Just knowing wind region is a factor, and having a rough sense of how open or sheltered your site is, helps the conversation move faster once you’re ready to talk specifics.

5. What to Have Ready When You Request a Quote

Before you request a quote, have your site dimensions, intended use, access notes, location and any must-haves ready.

A little preparation goes a long way when it’s time to get pricing. It’s one of the most useful things you can do to speed up an accurate quote.

Having the following ready before you call or submit an enquiry online will help:

• Approximate site dimensions, slope, and preferred orientation
• What you’ll be using the shed for (storage, machinery, a workshop, or something else)
• Any access constraints you’ve identified, even rough ones
• Your general location, so wind region and delivery logistics can be factored in from the start
• Any must-haves, like a specific number of roller doors or a particular colour

You don’t need to have every detail nailed down before you reach out.

Even a rough idea of your site and how you plan to use the shed gives our team enough to start the conversation properly.

How Best Sheds Guides You Through the Process

You don’t have to work any of this out alone. Best Sheds guides you through it from your first conversation.

From your very first conversation with us, our team helps you think through your site, your use case, and what will actually work for your property. We’re not just pointing you at a standard size off a price list.

We custom-engineer every shed to the customer’s exact requirements. That means the details in this checklist genuinely shape the outcome, not just tick a box on a form.

If you’re ready to put these together, get a free quote and our team will help you turn your site details into the right custom shed for your property.