Timber Bearers – What You Need to Know

We highly recommend using timber bearers on top of your base before your shed or garden building is installed.

Timber bearers are an important part of protecting your building long-term, helping to prevent moisture issues and extending the life of the floor.

They might not be the most exciting part of buying a shed… but they’re definitely one of the most important!

Why Do You Need Timber Bearers?

Timber bearers lift your building slightly off the base, which helps to:

  • Provide good airflow underneath the building
  • Reduce moisture build-up
  • Help prevent damp and decay
  • Protect the floor and extend its lifespan

Without bearers, moisture can sit between the base and the floor, which over time can lead to rot or deterioration.

Our Timber Bearers Service

We can provide a full set of timber bearers as an additional service and lay them down in the correct positions for you prior to installation.

It is important to understand that our timber bearer service is not a substitute for a base. Bearers are used in addition to a base, helping to protect the floor of your building and improve airflow underneath.

Timber bearers must still sit on a solid, level base, such as:

  • Concrete slab
  • Patio slabs
  • A properly prepared chipping base

If your base is uneven, unstable, or what we might politely call a bit higgledy-piggledy, the bearers will not correct this. While we can make small adjustments for minor unevenness, they are not designed to fix a poorly prepared base. In those situations, we would usually recommend considering one of our timber frame bases instead.

You are also welcome to source your own bearers if you prefer. However, if you are supplying your own bearers, you will need to lay them down and level them yourself prior to installation as we do not lay or level customer-supplied bearers.

Do You Really Need Timber Bearers?

Timber bearers are not essential, and if you choose not to use them, that is absolutely fine.

However, it's important to understand that the floor is typically the first part of a garden building to rot over time, especially if moisture sits between the base and the underside framing of the shed.

By installing bearers first, they act as a protective barrier between your base and the floor of the building. This helps your building last significantly longer.

In simple terms:

  • The bearers take the brunt of moisture exposure
  • Over time, the bearers would rot before the shed floor does
  • For the floor to rot, moisture has to get through the bearers first

So rather than your shed floor being the first thing to deteriorate, it's the bearers - which are far easier (and cheaper) to replace in the future.

Want to Add Our Timber Bearer Service to Your Order?

If you’d like to include our timber bearer service with your building, just let us know at the time of ordering and we can provide a quote.