Bin Store
A simple slatted enclosure that hides wheelie bins from view while staying easy to use on bin day. Slatted sides keep it ventilated and stop the worst of the smell.
What you'll need
Materials
- Posts or post bases, frame timber, slatted cladding, hinges, gate latch, optional sedum-plantable roof or pitched timber roof, stainless fixings.
Tools
- Drill/driver, mitre or hand saw, spirit level, square, spade (for setting posts), tape measure, clamps.
Material complexity: Medium
Allow 10% on cladding battens and one spare frame length.
Main risk: Sized to the bin's stated dimensions with no clearance — works in spring, jams in summer when timber and bin both expand.
Cut list
Two-bin store 1500×800×1300mm. Confirm your actual bin sizes before you cut.
- Corner posts ×475×75mm × 1500mm (1300mm showing plus a little for a shoe or a short bury). Use UC4 only if a post goes in the ground
- Long rails ×647×75mm × 1500mm (front, back and mid, three heights — or cut the front rails around the door opening)
- Short rails ×647×75mm × 650mm (800 minus two 75mm posts)
- Door stiles ×447×75mm × 1200mm
- Door rails ×447×75mm × 600mm (two double doors)
- Slats, sides and back: 95×19mm × 1200mm — about 16 for the back (1500mm at 10mm gaps) and 9 per side (800mm), so about 34
- Door slats ×16–18: 95×19mm × 1150mm
- Roof: 18mm exterior ply 1600×900mm, or slats, with a fall to the back; roofing felt or a corrugated sheet
- Bearers ×247×75mm × 1500mm under a slatted or boarded floor, sloped to drain
- Stainless hinges ×4 (two per door), a gate latch, A2/A4 screws 4.5×50mm slats and 5.0×80mm frame
Step-by-step
Measure the real bins, then mark the footprint
Measure the bins you actually own, not a catalogue drawing. A typical 240L is about 580mm wide × 740mm deep × 1075mm tall. Add 30mm each side and 200mm above the lid. Mark 1500×800mm on the ground and check the doors can swing fully open.
Tip: Wheel the bins into the marked box before you cut a single post. If they scrape now, they will jam in August.
Set the four posts and the draining floor
Set 75×75mm posts plumb on shoes, or in the ground with UC4 timber (timber that sits in soil or stays wet). Join them with 47×75mm rails. Fit two bearers and a slatted or boarded floor with a slight slope to the front so drips run out.
Watch out: Keep the lowest cladding 100mm off the ground. UC3 frame timber (kept off the soil) will rot if you bury it.
Slat the sides and back
Fix 95×19mm slats with about 8–10mm gaps so the store can breathe. One stainless screw per slat per rail, through the centre line. Leave the front open for the doors.
Tip: A spacer block keeps the gaps honest. Smell builds up behind solid boards.
Hang two doors that actually clear the bins
Build two simple framed doors and slat them to match. Hang each on two stainless 75–100mm butts. Fit a latch you can work with gloves on. Check both bins roll out without catching the frame.
Watch out: Cheap plated hinges rust and streak the cladding within a season of weekly use.
Roof it with a fall
Fit a ply or slatted roof with a fall to the back, overhanging 50–80mm. Cover with felt or a corrugated sheet. A hinged back section lets you drop a bag in without opening the doors.
Tip: Hose the floor in summer. Lubricate the hinges once a year.
Tips & traps
- Sized to the bin with no clearance — works in spring, jams in summer when timber and bin both expand.
- Solid cladding instead of slats — smell concentrates.
- Cheap hinges that fail within a season of weekly use.
- No fall on the roof or the floor — lids and the slab become reservoirs.
Planning & timber detail
Why build this?
A bin store turns an eyesore into a piece of garden architecture. It is the highest-visibility front-garden project most people will ever build — and one of the most-noticed by neighbours, posties and visitors.
Where it works best
A flat or near-flat spot with clearance for the gate to swing fully open. Allow drainage at the base — wheelie bins drip.
Planning notes
Front gardens in some conservation areas have height and material restrictions — check before building anything over 1m at the front of a property. Allow enough room to wheel the bin out on collection day.
Typical sizes
Default two-bin: 1500mm wide × 800mm deep × 1300mm tall.
Wheelie bins are about 740×580mm on the ground. Add 30mm each side so summer expansion does not jam the bin. Add 200mm above the 1075mm bin height so the lid can open.
Slope the floor a few millimetres to the front so drips run out.
Default dimensions
Default two-bin: 1500 × 800 × 1300mm.
Bin clearance: 30mm each side, 200mm above the lid.
Lowest cladding: 100mm clear of the ground.
Design variants
Two-bin (this page) — 1500×800×1300mm.
Three-bin — 2200×800×1300mm. Same height and depth, extra post in the middle.
Pitched or plantable roof — a single-pitch felt roof is the simple version; a shallow sedum tray is heavier and needs a stiffer deck.
Suitable timber options
Treated redwood for budget and durability. Cedar for kerb appeal. Larch for a slightly richer colour that ages well.
Fixing and finishing
Use stainless or coated hinges — the gate is used weekly and a rusty hinge bleeds onto cladding fast. Typical 75–100mm stainless butts, two per door, plus a simple gate latch. Frame screws 5.0×80mm; slat screws 4.5×50mm, one per rail, 25mm from ends.
A pitched timber roof or a single-pitch felt roof keeps rain out and stops bin lids becoming reservoirs. Sloped lid panel hinged at the back lets you drop rubbish in easily.
Maintenance
Hose down the inside floor occasionally, especially in summer. Lubricate hinges annually. Check the gate latch — it gets the most wear.
Replace the gate latch when it gets sticky — they're cheap and the daily use justifies the upgrade.
Timber behaviour
Durability
UC3 minimum for cladding and frame — UC3 means timber kept off the soil (above ground). UC4 for any post in the ground — UC4 means timber that sits in soil or stays wet. Keep the lowest cladding 100mm clear of the ground. Better: sit the posts on shoes or a plinth so nothing is buried.
Movement
Standard slatted-cladding movement applies — single fixings per rail, 8mm minimum gaps, expansion gaps at panel ends.
Go deeper
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