How to turn a shed into a pub (and keep it warm in winter)

A shed pub starts as a joke and ends as the best room in the house. The trick is to get the boring parts right first: dry, warm and safely wired. After that it’s all signs, stools and a name over the door.

How big does it need to be?

• 8 by 6 feet fits a small bar and three or four people.

• 10 by 8 feet gives you a bar, a few stools and room to stand.

• For darts, you need about 3 metres of clear floor in front of the board. The throw line is 2.37 metres from the face of the board.

Measure the inside, not the outside. Walls, insulation and a counter take more room than you’d think.

Do you need planning permission?

In England most garden buildings don’t need planning permission. The usual limits are a height of 2.5 metres if it’s within 2 metres of a boundary, nothing in front of the house, and outbuildings covering no more than half the garden. Listed buildings, conservation areas and flats have stricter rules, and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own. If in doubt, ask your council before you build.

Keep it dry and warm

• Insulate the floor, walls and roof. A shed loses most of its heat through the floor and roof.

• Line the walls with a breathable membrane under the boards, so damp doesn’t get trapped.

• Run a small dehumidifier when it’s not in use, to keep the damp off the glasses and the upholstery.

For heat, an oil-filled radiator or an infrared panel is the safe choice. Never use a patio heater, gas heater or barbecue inside a shed. They give off carbon monoxide, which you can’t see or smell.

Power: get an electrician

A new circuit out to a garden building is notifiable work, so use a registered electrician. They’ll fit the cable, protection and sockets so the fridge, lights and heater can all run at once. A row of extension leads from the kitchen isn’t the answer.

The bar itself

• Counter height is usually about 105 to 110cm, with stools around 75cm high.

• The fridge matters more than you’d think. Many fridges stop working properly below 10°C, so look for one sold as garage-ready or rated for cold rooms.

• A back wall with shelves, an optic stand or a few bottles on display makes it look like a pub straight away.

• Lighting should be warm and low. One bright bulb in the middle of the ceiling makes it feel like a shed again.

Give it a name

Every pub needs a name and a sign over the door. Then give it a menu: see what to put on your home bar menu for how many drinks to list and what to call them.

Do you need a licence?

You don’t need a licence to give drinks to friends at home. Selling alcohol is different. Charging for drinks, asking for “donations” or selling tickets that include drinks all count as selling, and in England and Wales that needs a licence, such as a temporary event notice for a one-off. Keep the shed a free house in the old sense: your bar, your guests, no till.

Let guests order from the garden

With Orders Up, your shed pub gets its own menu and a QR code for the tables. Guests order from their phones, the order lands on yours, and you can pour without shouting across the garden. It takes orders, not money, so it suits a bar that doesn’t sell drinks.

Questions people ask

Start your bar