How to assemble a metal garden shed

• Cordless drill-driver with the right bit
• Spanners or socket set
• Spirit level
• Tape measure
• Work gloves and safety glasses
• Step ladders

Before you start, lay everything out on a soft surface (the flattened box works) and check it against the parts list in your manual.

• Floor frame or base rails
• Wall panels and corner pieces
• Roof panels, beams and gables
• Doors, tracks and handles
• Screws, nuts, washers and anchor kit

1. 1

   Step 1: Prepare a level base first: concrete or paving slabs larger than the shed, checked with a spirit level in both directions.

2. 2

   Step 2: Pick a dry day with little wind; loose panels act like sails.

3. 3

   Step 3: Sort all the parts by the numbers stamped on them and lay the screws out in labelled trays.

4. 4

   Step 4: Assemble the base frame and check it is square by measuring both diagonals.

5. 5

   Step 5: Build the corners and fit the wall panels in the manual's order, with screws only lightly tightened.

6. 6

   Step 6: Fit the roof beams and gables, then the roof panels, working from both sides towards the ridge.

7. 7

   Step 7: Hang the doors on their tracks and adjust them until they slide freely.

8. 8

   Step 8: Now tighten every screw, anchor the shed to the base and seal any gaps the manual shows.

• Building on an uneven base, so the doors never run straight.
• Tightening every screw fully as you go, so the last panels do not line up.
• Building on a windy day and having panels bent or blown away.