Search Articles

Back To Articles Home

 

Featured Articles

• Contractors, Subcontractors, and Employing Them

• Eco-friendly building materials

• Top 10 DIY Renovations

• Going Solar

• Bathrooms - What’s New

Garden Sheds

A garden shed can be an important part of any backyard.  But what is available and how do you choose what is right for you?

Choosing a Garden Shed

When choosing a garden shed, you need to consider what you will be using the shed for.  Do you need a small shed that simply stores garden tools, or will you need a workshop that is capable of housing vehicles?  Sheds are available in a huge range of sizes and configurations, allowing them to fit perfectly in their space.

How visible will the shed be?  A shed that will be on display should be more decorative than a standard utilitarian shed.  Matching the shed to the style of the house will create a sense of uniformity throughout the house and garden.  If the shed is in a less visible area, or you want to hide it, then the materials you use will not matter as much.  Lattice screening or some other type of screen will help to hide the shed from view, as well as being able to be used to grow climbing plants up.

Consider the amount of space that you have available.  There is no point in planning a shed that is capable of holding a ride on mower, all of the gardening tools, and a motorbike if you live on a property that only has a small garden.  Try and keep things in proportion.  Similarly, ensure that you have good access to your shed.  You do not want to be hitting yourself in the head when you are accessing or putting away tools, or find that you have difficulties getting the lawn mower in an out thanks to an awkward corner or a too-close fence line.

Types of Garden Sheds

Garden sheds can be prefabricated or custom-made.  Prefabricated sheds are a convenient option and you can build these yourself if you desire, or have the shed manufacturing company install them for you, depending on your level of confidence.  Most prefabricated sheds will come in some sort of steel for durability and ease of maintenance.  Due to the ability of the steel to be powder coated, prefabricated sheds are available in a huge range of colour styles.  They come with one, two, or even three doors, depending on your needs, and come in a range of roof styles – flat, gable, and skillion, to name a few.

If you are opting for a kit form prefabricated shed, rest assured that the kit will come with a detailed instruction sheet that is easy to follow.  Many sheds come as complete walls and roof panels to make the process even easier.

Custom-made sheds are more flexible and thus give you more room to move, design-wise.  They can be made from steel, or from timber or even stone.  This allows you to match the design of the shed more closely to that of your house – which is especially useful if you have unique design features that are unlikely to be replicated in a standard kit shed.  Timber sheds will need more maintenance than their stone or metal counterparts but you have the flexibility of deciding their look through paint, oils, or stains.  Just ensure that the wood that you choose is suitable for outdoor use.  Stone sheds will be more expensive to construct but, done correctly, will transform into a real garden feature and truly stand the test of time.

If the amount of space in your garden is limited, storage units that fit underneath the eaves of the home while still being large enough to store tools and gardening equipment are ideal.  These are usually made from some form of steel.  For the larger items such as trailers, boats, or cars, a utility shed is perfect.  These have extra large door openings, and a personal access door.  Workshop sheds are great for those that have hobbies requiring a lot of room, such as woodworkers or metalworkers, or if you simply require a lot of room for storage or for tinkering. 

Garden Shed Trends

One trend when it comes to garden sheds is to have the shed partially hidden or to look like it’s always been a part of the garden.  This requires careful planning and design, in order to avoid the “standard metal shed” look.  Materials come into their own here, with pine, cedar, and corrugated iron all being options for building a shed.  Woods such as pine and cedar are versatile and can be used to create a traditional look, right through to a beachy or modern look.  Corrugated iron is a rustic option and helps to make the shed look like it’s been there for longer than the garden itself.

The heritage shed is a relatively new innovation that allows the garden owner to match the shed to their older, heritage-style homes, with matching finials and colour schemes.

Finally, the backyard buddy is a great new innovation that allows people with less room to have a shed.  Backyard buddies are steel lockable storage cabinets with a roller door front and they have been designed especially to fit into small spaces.  Their width and depth are customisable to fit in even the most awkward area of the garden and they are available in a huge range of colours.

Related Categories