A Simple Guide to Reorganising Your Garden with a Shed
A garden isn’t a garden if you don’t have a shed in it. No matter how big or small your garden is, having a shed can help keep your tools organised and your outdoor space clean. As a result, a shed can also increase your property’s value by improving the visual appeal of your garden. All these benefits are great, but what do you have to do to make the most out of them? Let’s start with finding the right shed for your needs and space.
What to Look for In a Shed?
Material
There are three main materials a shed can be made of – steel, plastic and wood. Steel sheds provide a strong and stable construction which doesn’t require a lot of maintenance. No matter if you get a 2m, 3m or a 4m shed, if it’s made of steel, it will always be heavier than any other shed material. Wooden sheds are the most popular due to their ease of personalisation and aesthetically pleasing look.
Whilst moderately durable, wooden sheds require a lot of maintenance as they can easily rot if they are not properly taken care off by waxing and sealing when needed. Plastic sheds are the most cost-effective solution since they require very little maintenance and are quite sturdy. They are stain-resistant and do not require painting whilst being easy to assemble too.
Size
When it comes to size, people with a lot of outdoor space prefer a 5m or 4m shed that offers plenty of storage. These kinds of sheds are large enough to conveniently store a variety of tools in addition to vehicles such as motorbikes, bicycles or scooters. However, if your garden is already packed, you need to look into smaller solutions, like a 2m shed that can store the basic garden tools you use regularly.
Foundation & Flooring
Wooden sheds come with plywood flooring whilst both steel and plastic sheds require you to buy the flooring separately. But before choosing what type of flooring to get, you need to install a foundation first to make sure your shed is raised off the wet ground. No matter if its a 2m or a 4m shed, an elevated or well-draining foundation will keep it safe from corrosion and rot especially when it comes to wooden and steel structures.
Roof
There are mainly three types of shed roof designs: apex, dutch apex and pent roofs. An apex roof is the classic design found on houses with a point in the middle. While this design doesn’t allow for double door access, it offers quite a lot of headroom when standing in the middle.
Dutch apex roofs have a two-section slope which allows for a lot of headroom throughout the whole shed. If you are storing tall items this is the ideal roof design.
Pent roof sheds have a flat roof that is lower on the back and higher up on the front. This design is ideal if you have windows on your shed as the roof itself sticks out enough to provide solid protection from the elements.
Finding The Best Shed Location
Accessibility
A shed should be placed in a location that allows you to access what’s inside it easily. If you put it far out back in your garden behind a big tree or behind some bushes, then it loses its purpose.
Purpose
Talking about purpose, it’s important to know what exactly will you use the shed for. Is it to store gardening tools, your bike or bikes, lawnmower or you just want to have a man cave? If for example, you want to store your gardening tools in it, make sure to put it closer to your garden and if you ride your bike quite frequently, make sure to place it closer to the exit.
Appearance
Since a shed can add value to your property, it is wise to put it somewhere where it will be easily noticed. Showing off your shed is a good thing as long as you have one that goes well with your home by matching the colour of the shed with your exterior and building a clean path to it. You can also use greenery in the form of vines or hanging plants to decorate your shed with.
How to Move a Large Shed?
Of course, as homeowners we like to make changes to our space from time to time, and this also goes for our gardens. So, there may come a time in the future when you want to move your shed to a completely different spot than the current one. But this can be a problem when you have a large and heavy shed.
Evaluate
While small sheds can be moved by hand, 5m and 4m garden sheds require much more than that. First, determine how your shed can be moved. Is it moveable with a forklift, trailer, truck bed or only by dismantling it?
Moving
- Make sure before moving the shed that you have it emptied out and all the supplies needed for the move have been gathered. Prepare the area you’ll place your shed by having a clear path to it and the area itself cleared so that nothing is in your way.
- Get yourself some pipes and roll your shed on top of them. Just like the Egyptians did when building the pyramids. When your shed gets near to the pipe in front of it get the one far behind and put it in front and so on until you arrive at the location.
- Unload the shed from the pipes with jacks to keep it lifted and remove the pipes. Once the pipes have been removed, you can settle the shed into its place. Obviously you wouldn’t do this if you dismantle the shed completely or get a shed kit.
