Bin & Bike Storage Ideas

Bins and bikes are a practical fact of life in any UK home, and both tend to end up in exactly the wrong place, wheelie bins blocking the front path, bikes leaning against the hallway wall or taking up a parking space. Good storage for both is a small, cost-effective project that improves kerb appeal, reduces clutter and, in the case of bikes, can meaningfully deter theft.

This guide covers the most practical options for typical UK properties: terraced houses, semis, detached houses with side returns, and flats with communal areas. Planning considerations are different for each.

Bin Storage Options

Slatted Timber or WPC Bin Stores

The most popular option for front gardens. A slatted wooden (or wood-plastic composite) bin store has a lid, a front-opening door, and handles to pull bins in and out for collection day. Sizes typically accommodate one, two or three wheelie bins side-by-side.

• 1-bin store: £80–£300 flatpack / £150–£400 installed
• 2-bin store: £150–£370 flatpack / £250–£500 installed
• 3-bin store: £200–£700 flatpack / £350–£850 installed

At the budget end, a basic wooden single store was £79.25 on the B&Q website in September 2026.¹ A pressure-treated redwood single store sold through the same site was £462.11.² A pressure-treated softwood store typically lasts ten years or more if it is re-treated; composite (WPC) versions usually last longer with less upkeep.

Wicker or Rattan Effect Stores

Moulded polyrattan is UV-stable, lightweight and smart-looking. Popular in urban terraced streets. Similar price point to timber stores. Less durable in high-wind locations.

Lean-To or Side-Return Enclosure

For houses with a side passage, a lean-to store (steel, timber or brick) can accommodate bins, bikes, garden tools and recycling in one enclosure. Costs vary widely: a simple corrugated steel lean-to runs £400–£800; a properly built rendered blockwork store with tiled roof costs £1,500–£4,000. A detached store with no sleeping accommodation and a floor area of no more than 15 m² is exempt from the Building Regulations, but one built against the house may not be, so check with building control before you start.³ Planning is covered by the permitted development rules below.

Recessed or Built-In Stores

Some new-build and renovation projects include recessed bin stores built into a front wall or garage projection. These look the neatest but require structural consideration and are most cost-effective when planned into a renovation rather than retrofitted.

Bike Storage Options

Wall-Mounted Horizontal Racks

The cheapest and most space-efficient indoor option. Steel or aluminium hooks mount to a timber stud or a solid masonry wall. Bikes hang horizontally, one above the other. One pair of hooks costs £8–£20; a full system for four bikes costs £30–£80.

Use 8 × 70 mm coach screws into noggins or studs for wall fixings; do not trust standard screws into hollow plasterboard for a 15 kg bike.

Floor-Standing Stands

Vertical or angled floor stands accommodate one to six bikes and require no drilling. A two-bike stand costs £30–£80. Less space-efficient than wall mounts but useful in shared hallways or garages where drilling is not permitted.

Outdoor Cycle Sheds and Shelters

For bikes that cannot be brought inside:

For security, any outdoor cycle store should be anchored to a concrete pad or secured with ground anchors. Combine with a quality chain (Kryptonite or Squire rated Sold Secure Gold) looped through frames and the anchor point.

Ground Anchors

A ground anchor, either set into new concrete or bolted to an existing slab, is the minimum for outdoor storage; look for one rated by Sold Secure, which grades anchors Bronze, Silver, Gold or Diamond.⁴ Some councils and housing associations will provide cycle parking in shared areas on request.

Security Considerations

Many bikes are stolen at home, and sheds and garages are a particular target because one outbuilding often holds several bikes.⁵ Police crime-prevention advice is to lock bikes inside a shed to a purpose-made shed shackle or a ground anchor fixed to the base, using a security-rated lock.⁶

• Bikes kept outside should always be locked to a fixed anchor, not just locked to themselves
• A second lock (D-lock through the rear wheel + ground anchor) makes a thief’s job slower still
• Security lighting triggered by motion can help deter thieves, even in rear gardens

Cycle insurance policies often name a minimum Sold Secure rating for the lock, commonly a higher one for more valuable bikes, and may set conditions for how a shed or garage is locked. Check the wording of your own policy rather than assuming.

Planning Permission

In England, outdoor bin stores and cycle shelters at a house are generally permitted development under Class E of the General Permitted Development Order (no planning permission required) provided:

• Height no more than 2.5 m within 2 m of a boundary; elsewhere up to 4 m with a dual-pitched roof or 3 m with any other roof, with eaves no higher than 2.5 m⁷
• Not forward of the principal elevation of the original house (usually the wall facing the road)⁷
• Buildings and enclosures together cover no more than 50% of the garden and grounds, not counting the original house⁷
• The house is not listed, and permitted development rights have not been removed by an Article 4 Direction (common in conservation areas) or a planning condition⁷

In a conservation area, National Park, Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty or World Heritage Site, a store between a side wall of the house and the boundary is not permitted development, which rules out many side-return stores.⁷ A bin store in front of the house is also outside these rights, so ask the council before building a permanent one there. Many councils publish maps of conservation areas and Article 4 Directions on their websites.

These rights apply to houses, not to flats and maisonettes, so check with the council before building a store for a flat.⁸ For flats and leasehold properties, you will also need to check your lease and obtain landlord or managing agent consent before installing any permanent fixture in a communal area or garden.

Practical Layout Tips

• Place the bin store as close to the street boundary as practical, wheeling bins to the kerb on collection day is a surprisingly important use consideration
• Ensure the lid of the store opens away from the house wall, not inward into the property boundary
• Leave a gap behind the store for ventilation and cleaning
• For bike shelters, fit a motion-sensitive light and consider a visible CCTV camera pointed at the entrance
• If integrating bin and bike storage (popular in narrow side returns), ensure bins can be extracted without moving bikes first