Here in Canterbury we have three wheelie bins. One for refuse, one for recycling, and one for green garden waste, which is all very good but where are you meant to keep them? They’re not exactly pleasant on the eye so I recently set myself the aim of building a shelter for them so they could be stored out of the way but still be accessible.
Whilst it’s possible to buy some very nice shelters, you’re looking at upward of £300 for a triple bin shelter, which is pretty steep, especially when you consider what it’s being used for. There are are still some good deals to be had but my decision, and let’s face it the only decision for me, was to build it myself!
It’s pallet time!
I’ve been collecting pallets over the past few months with the aim of building…something, and so here was my opportunity. I had previously thought about building a shed from pallets but then went and bought one and boy am I happy I made that choice! Getting enough pallets and taking them apart is hard work, even for just a bin shelter.
The photo below is from near the end!
The Design
I had quite a few ideas running through my head by eventually I went for something quite plain and knew that it would be a bit organic in the design process too. Obviously the first step was measuring the space my bins would need and also adding room for maneuvering too and this formed the basis of my plan to build a frame and then cover with wooded planks from the pallets.
Materials
Here’s what I used for my bin shelter
- I’ve already mentioned the pallets and it’s hard to put a number on the amount you need. Get as many as you can!
- Wood for the frame. I used 2″ x 2″ lengths from the timber merchants.
- Screws and nails. Screws were for putting the frame together and the nails were for attaching the pallets. I generally get mine from either ToolStation or Screwfix. If you get yours from retailers like B&Q or Homebase then you’ll generally be paying double the price, but can be more convenient for many.
- I sunk the corner posts of my frame into the ground and used Postcrete quick drying cement to fix. It gets pretty windy around here so wanted it to stay where it was.
- Paving slabs. This ensures you can wheel your bins easily onto your path. I luckily had some perfectly sized ones already. You may also want some sharp sand to bed them on.
- Timber stain/preserver. This was the final thing to ensure my shelter stays there for years to come.
Putting it together
As I’ve already said, it’s was an organic process but get your frame together first. It may seem a little flimsy but once the pallet lengths are added on then it becomes very sturdy. Have a look at the photos on to see how I made mine and it may give you inspiration.
It’s not an easy job I I reckon it took me 2 days to finish, but I reckon part of that is due to me not having a rigid plan and making stuff up along the way!
It it finished?
Here is where I’ve got to so far.
Next job was to put some doors on so click the link to find out how I did that. If you have any questions then let me know in the comments below.
More Wheelie Bin Ideas
If you want more wheelie bin ideas then check out this Pinterest board.
Don’t want to build your own?
There are plenty of wheelie bin shelters so have a look, get them ordered, and make your bins look lovely! Click here to see some of our favourites.
Hi, great idea, going to make one for my daughter, one problem I have experienced, having used reclaimed pallets previously, is the taking of them apart without destroying the timber.
Do you use any particular tools and what methodology?
Hi Ray. I’ve found that you get quite a lot of wastage when using pallet wood as inevitably some will break or split. I don’t use any specialist tools but there are plenty of different methods out there.
Good luck with the bin shelter and let me know how it turns out.
You can purchase a pallet buster. Well worth the money.
I’ve seen these, and they’re good, but I was quite happy to cut off the ends so I had uniform lengths of wood.
Novice DIYer here but I’ll have a go at anything, have built trough stands out of pallets, so here goes silly question no. 1, did you slope the roof? Silly question no 2, how much space do you allow around the bins please?
1. I didn’t slope the roof as there are gaps between the slats.
2. For space around the bins, they don’t need much, just enough to be able to comfortably get them all in without it being a fuss.
Good luck with the build!
Hi Adem, Love it! Stumbled across this page in Google Images. I like the simplicity of it and the re-use aspect of pallet wood. I was put off by what the frame might look like but I can see it’s good to keep things simple. This will be my spring project so we don’t have to keep traipsing the bins around the back of our Victorian mid-terraced house, through the next-door neighbours garden. I’m liking the horizontal/vertical slats too.
It’s definitely practical being able to keep your bins by the front of the house. I’ve even seen some where they’ve put a planting area on top to improve the kerb appeal.
Hi i have some pallets in my garden and i need something to hide the ugly dustbins., I saw your page brilliant idear it would look even better when painted, iv checked the prices for dustbin covers . wish i was a man .
Hey Linda, You don’t need to break the pallets down like I did. I’m sure you could even just use pallets as they are and give them a lick of wood stain.