Design the ultimate garden shed with shed designer.

What is a garden shed?

A garden shed is a small, steel-framed backyard building used to store mowers, garden tools, bikes, pool gear, and the bits that no longer fit in the garage. Most Australian garden sheds run between 1.5 x 1.5 m and 3.0 x 4.5 m, sit on skids or a thin slab, and use 100% Australian-made BlueScope steel framing with Colorbond® cladding. They are the most common first-shed purchase on a suburban block and the building most often built right at the council exemption threshold so no development application is needed.

A garden-shed template covers the shell, the door, and any add-ons (window, second door, lean-to, vermin skirt). Pick the closest one, set your dimensions, drop in your access door, and submit your design once for free comparable quotes from ShedSafe accredited dealers in your region. Browse the full Sheds range for larger workshop and storage builds.

Garden shed sizes that actually fit a suburban block

Three numbers anchor a garden shed that earns its space.

Small (1.5 x 1.5 m to 2.0 x 2.0 m, 2.25 to 4 m²). Suits a push mower, the line trimmer, a wheelbarrow on its end, and a wall of hand tools. The footprint that fits behind a side fence on a tight block.

Medium (2.4 x 3.0 m to 3.0 x 3.0 m, 7.2 to 9 m²). The most common garden-shed size in Australia. Fits a ride-on or self-propelled mower, a workbench, and seasonal gear (Christmas decorations, camping tent, pool toys). Sits comfortably under the 10 m² exempt threshold most states use.

Large (3.0 x 4.5 m to 3.6 x 6.0 m, 13.5 to 21.6 m²). A purpose-built potting room, a kayak and bike store, or a small workshop and garden combo. Above 10 m², plan for a council development application unless you are in a rural zone or in NSW where the SEPP threshold is 20 m². For a dedicated styled garden room see she-sheds, and for a larger workshop fit-out see workshop sheds.

Wall height. 2.1 m is the suburban benchmark and clears the 2.4 m blanket exemption used in Vic, Qld and WA. 2.4 m gives you ride-on clearance and shelf height up the back wall. Above 2.7 m, you are usually building a skillion-roof shed or a small workshop and the planning conversation changes.

Council exemption thresholds by state

Garden-shed buyers usually want one number: how big can I go without a development application? The answer varies by state and by zone.

• NSW: The State Environmental Planning Policy (Exempt and Complying Development Codes) 2008 allows a garden shed up to 20 m² in residential zones (50 m² in rural zones RU1 to RU5), 3.0 m maximum height, set back at least 900 mm from any boundary, behind the building line, with no more than two per lot, and not on environmentally sensitive land (NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, Exempt Development).
• Victoria: Most councils allow a garden shed up to 10 m² with a maximum height of 2.4 m and a 1.0 m boundary setback under the Building Regulations 2018 without a building permit.
• Queensland: The Building Regulation 2021 sets the exemption at 10 m² maximum, 2.4 m height, and no side longer than 5.0 m, on a fixed slab or footing with stormwater discharge to a lawful point.
• South Australia: No development approval is required for a garden shed up to 15 m², roof span under 3.0 m, height up to 2.5 m, set back at least 900 mm from boundaries, on natural ground level (Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016).
• Western Australia: Sheds up to 10 m² with a maximum height of 2.4 m and 900 mm boundary setback do not require a building permit under the Building Act 2011, subject to local council overlays.

Local council overlays (heritage, bushfire-prone, flood-risk) can reset the rules. Always confirm with the local council before pouring the slab.

Before you get quotes

The garden shed is the cheapest building you will put on your block, and the one most often bought twice because the first one rusted out, blew over, or was too small inside six months.

100% Australian-made BlueScope Steel. Structural framing and Colorbond® cladding. BlueScope's COLORBOND® steel cladding for sheds and garages carries a warranty of up to 15 years against corrosion to perforation, with the exact period set by location and application (BlueScope, Garages & Sheds Warranty). Check your build on BlueScope's online warranty estimator. On a coastal block within 1 km of breaking surf, ZINCALUME® or marine-grade Colorbond® specifications apply.

Engineered to your wind region. Garden sheds sit on the same wind-region map as every other steel building. AS/NZS 1170.2:2021 splits Australia into Regions A through D, with Region B further split into B1 and B2. Even a small garden shed needs the right anchor count and slab edge for the actual region. Tie-down on a 9 m² shed in coastal NSW (Region B2) is materially heavier than the same shed in inland Vic (Region A).

ShedSafe accredited dealers, no exceptions. Every dealer on ShedDesigner is third-party assessed under the Australian Steel Institute's ShedSafe programme, which checks dealer design and engineering against the National Construction Code and AS/NZS 1170.2 wind loading.

One design, multiple quotes. Your garden-shed design goes out to ShedSafe accredited dealers in your region. Every quote prices the same shell, the same Colorbond® colour, the same engineering, so the quotes you get back are directly comparable, down to whether the vermin skirt is included.

Browse the broader range on our Sheds page or compare against our shed kits for self-install builds.