How To Choose A Great Garden Shed

you love to work in your garden, but need a place to store those tools and pot those plants? With a garden shed, you don't have to go back and forth to the basement or garage. You are also more likely to take better care of your tools. Whatever your reasons for wanting a garden shed, here are some tips for choosing the best one for you:
1) Materials
Choosing your shed material is important and can be affected by the area you live in. Garden sheds can be built using different materials like wood, metal and pvc.
Wooden sheds have a natural look that can blend in well with garden environments. However they need regular maintenance like periodically re-staining or varnishing the wood. Despite the strength of wood, over time it can rot, split, warp or become susceptible to mold and mildew, and can be susceptible to termites - so wood sheds should be treated for protection.
Another option is metal sheds. These usually come in pre-fab sheets and are more durable and cheaper than wood. They don't look as natural as wood and can make the yard look a little dull.
Plastic shed kits utilizing heavy molded plastics such as PVC and polyethylene are less expensive than sheet metal sheds. Plastic sheds are not susceptible to termite and wood-boring insect damage, and are virtually maintenance-free. They can also come in many colors and styles to suit your existing architecture. Plastic sheds are extremely durable and very low maintenance.
2)Function
The most important thing to consider with any garden shed is what it will be used for. Will you use it for potting seedlings? Or just as storage? Would you rather use your shed as a workshop or a potting area? If you are thinking of using it as some kind of potting area, you might want to consider what is known as a potting shed. These are little structures that are the perfect size for potting up hundreds of fragile seedlings.
Think about what materials or functions you will need from your shed. Will you need large bins to hold compost, potting soil, mulch, and other bulky garden materials? Shelves that store pots and indoor potting benches give you an easy place to re-pot your transplants even when it's raining outside. A small, outdoor storage shed or potting shed can be a big advantage.
Make sure you have enough space to work in. If you have to remove a lawn mower, garden cart, and other tools before you can work at your potting bench or screen your compost, your garden shed will not be as useful as you had hoped. Some gardeners prefer a built-in potting bench, while others prefer a wheeled bench so they can work outdoors in good weather and indoors when it rains.
3)Design
You generally have 3 choices when it comes to constructing the shed. You can have it delivered pre-assembled, get a pre-fab kit where partial assembly is required, or build it yourself. It all depends on your budget and your skills.
The simplest, least expensive sheds are available in kit form. The variety of sizes, shapes, styles and designs is literally endless, ranging from a simple, small structure for keeping your gardening tools dry, to a back yard barn large enough to house a large lawn tractor, all the family's bicycles, boating gear, and still leave enough room for other tools.
If you are tight on space the garden hutch is great for small spaces for outdoor storage. If you are only looking for a space to store tools an outdoor cupboard, either in kit form or out of plywood or fibre cement sheeting, may be all that's necessary.
If you want to go the whole distance, extra details such as barn-style doors, cedar shingles, shutters, windows and window boxes add style and charm.
Many plastic sheds are modular to allow for easy extensions, peg-boards, shelving, attic-storage, windows, skylights, and other accessories to be added later.
Make sure any windows and doors you choose are lockable. Also check that any doors or windows are positioned to suit the site where you want to put the shed.
As you can see there is a lot to consider when choosing a garden shed. If you follow these simple steps, that choice should become a lot easier, and more importantly you should have a garden shed which you enjoy for many years to come. Feel free to visit my website for more information on garden sheds.
Jim Carnegie is passionate about all things to do with sheds and storage. He is a keen gardener and over the years has constructed many garden sheds. You can visit his site Sheds and Storage.
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