How to build a wheelie bin store

Video by The DIY Fix. This guide draws on "How to build a wheelie bin store" from The DIY Fix, a well-regarded UK home improvement channel. The build covers a two-bin timber store from foundation to finished door — the section on hinging and getting the doors to hang square is particularly useful if you have never fitted external hinges before.

1. Plan the size and position

Standard UK wheelie bins are around 560mm wide, 730mm deep, and 1050mm tall. A two-bin store needs an internal width of at least 1200mm to allow the lids to open properly without binding on the side walls. Add 50mm clearance at the back and allow the doors to open to at least 90 degrees — anything less and getting the bin out becomes a two-person job.

Position the store so the bins can be wheeled straight out to the pavement on collection day. A gentle slope down to the gate is ideal. Avoid putting the store against a fence panel without leaving ventilation — bins that cannot breathe smell worse.

2. Choose the right timber

Use pressure-treated softwood throughout. The ground contact posts — if you are setting them into the earth — should be UC4-rated for permanent ground contact. For the frame, rails, and cladding, UC3 brown-treated timber is fine and widely available from builders’ merchants.

Common sizes: 75×75mm posts, 75×38mm frame rails, and 100×19mm featheredge or square-edged boards for the cladding. Some people use shiplap boards for a neater finish. Either works well outdoors provided the timber is treated.

3. Build the base frame

The base frame sits on paving slabs, a small concrete pad, or gravel boards set level in the ground. Do not sit timber directly on bare soil — it will rot from the bottom up even if it is treated. A frame of 75×75mm timbers with a central joist gives you a solid, level platform and stops the bins sinking into soft ground.

Check the frame is square by measuring the diagonals before fixing. A base that is even 10mm out of square will cause problems getting the doors to hang straight later.

4. Build the side and back frames

Cut the corner posts to height and fix them to the base. The front of the store needs to be slightly taller than the back to give the roof a fall — 50–75mm of slope over the depth of the store is plenty. This stops rainwater pooling and sitting on the roofing material.

Add horizontal rails top and bottom on the back and both sides. Pre-drill all fixings to stop the timber splitting. Use 100mm exterior-grade screws and apply waterproof construction adhesive to the joints for extra stiffness. Clad the back and sides with your boards, working from the bottom up and overlapping each board by around 15mm if using featheredge.

5. Fit the roof

A simple mono-pitch roof suits a bin store well. Fix two or three roof joists across the top from front to back, then deck over with exterior-grade OSB or plywood — at least 12mm thickness. Cover the deck with mineral-felt roofing or a self-adhesive bitumen sheet and turn the edges over the fascia boards.

The front fascia board doubles as the stop for the doors and gives the store a finished look. Make it slightly wider than the roof depth so it overhangs the front opening by 20–30mm to shed water away from the door frame.

6. Hang the doors

Make each door as a simple frame of 75×38mm timber with a diagonal brace running from the bottom hinge corner to the top latch corner — this stops the door dropping over time. Clad the door frame with the same boards used on the sides. The brace direction matters: it should be in compression (pushing the hinge side up), not tension.

Use heavy-duty exterior strap hinges with stainless fixings — standard cabinet hinges will not cope with the weight and the exposure. Hang one door at a time and check it swings freely before fixing the second. A magnetic gate catch or a simple barrel bolt keeps each door closed.

7. Finish and treat the timber

Even pressure-treated timber benefits from a coat of exterior wood preserver or a timber stain. It evens out the colour, covers any pale end-grain cuts, and adds a further layer of protection to the parts that see the most weather. Do the end-grain cuts especially — any saw cut through treated timber exposes untreated wood underneath.

Re-treat every two or three years. The roof felt will need checking annually and replacing every five to ten years depending on quality. A well-maintained store will last fifteen years or more.

When to call a handyman

Call Richard if you want the store built to match your fence or gate, if it needs to be bolted to a wall rather than free-standing, or if the ground is uneven and needs levelling before the base goes down. Bespoke sizes — for three bins, or for oversized clinical waste containers — are also straightforward to quote for.