This article is designed to not only to provide you with the basics of building your own shed but to inspire you to look at sheds in a whole new way.Your shed should not only meet your specific needs for storage but should blend in with your back yard and somewhat reflect the architecure of your home and your stryle as well. There are many shed types and designs. You can even create your own hybrid shed to suit your needs for a truly unique shed.A shed is typically a simple, single-story structure in a back garden or yard that is used for storage, hobbies, or as a workshop. Sheds vary considerably in the complexity of their construction and their size, from small open-sided tin-roofed structures to large wood-framed sheds with shingled roofs, windows, and electrical outlets.
Step1. Determine your shed needs. What kind of shed do I need for my yard? Do I need a general garden storage shed, workshop shed or hybrid?
Ask yourself how much time do I spend in the backyard and what kind of time? Am I going to be in and out of the shed just to get my tools hang them up and put them back when I'm done? Or will I spend a little more time inside the shed maybe gluing together some plywood or varnishing a bench? Do I garden more or am I a hobbyist or both? What tools do I use that are left out or need to be organized? Do I have landscaping machinery out? Maybe a wheelbarrow rusting away or shovels laying around. Perhaps just a seperate tool shed is all I need because my garage is overfilled with cabinet shelving worth of tools and there is just not enough room to move around.
Your shed can be a good investment project that not only adds value to your property but provides for an escape away from the home and away from carbon monoxidious fumes of an attached garage. Think of your shed as like a home for your gardening tools or your precious storage items that you just don't want to pay to have them stored at a local storage facility becasue you know you will end up using such item on a special occasion.
Step2. What size shed do I need?
To determine your shed size make a list of what you will be storing in the shed and who would be using the shed. How many people would be in the shed at one given time? Do I need windows in the shed for light and ventilation? Since the shed will be a general footprint think of it as a floor plan like a bedroom in your home but with built ins. What kind of traffic pattern will the shed have? What would the maximum clearance need to be? Will I be hanging anything from inside the shed? Will I be building anything over 8 feet wide? Just what are my hobbies/ daily do's. Make a general list of items you will have in the shed and sort your items according to priority and itemize them by size and weight. Then just sketch out the interiors of the shed by your items. In other words picture the shovel here in one corner or a tool here and visually build your shed from the inside.
Step3. Determine your elevation/footprint and design for your shed.
Is your yard situated on a flat lot or does it have some grading. Is there neighbors close by maybe you can block their view with your shed. Consider your local geographical demands as far as yearly weather patterns your nearby plant/tree life/soil. Do you live in a high water table area? The distance you want the shed from your home depends on generally your local zoning code and/or your lot square footage layout of your home. Take a look at your survey that you have for your home. Analyze the way they set back the building lot line from your home and work off of that. There is a reason for this and I highly recommend thoughtful planning out of placement of your future shed. Because once it's up, it's up for good and up for a while- your not just old any shed.
Here is a resource where you can find over 12,000 shed deisngs http://www.bz9.com/12000ShedDesignst including Gambrlel Shed, Run-in Sheds, Tool sheds, gable shed plans, saltbox shedplans, barn shed plans, porch shed plans, storage shed,farm and garden shed, barn shed, timber shed, and many more!
Thank you for reading this article and hopefully you picked up at least one tip you can use in building that great shed.