Garden Sheds

A garden shed is an excellent way to store yard equipment and gardening supplies without cluttering up our home. Garden sheds can be relatively inexpensive and easy to assemble or design. Sheds come in many different shapes, sizes and styles, to fit the needs of all types of homeowners.

Sheds are available in many different sizes, depending on what they will be used for. Many people simply store their tools in their shed, but garden sheds can also be the area for potting or transplanting plants, as well as storing gardening equipment. Along with choosing the size of the shed, you should pay attention to shelving, as shelving can greatly increase storage potential and decrease clutter.

There are many different styles of garden sheds as well. Roofs are commonly gabled, or sloping, or shed-style, or flat. Shed roofing can be made of corrugated metal, shingles, shakes, or many other materials. The siding is frequently made of cedar or clapboard.

Shed kits are sold at many home repair and supply companies. Kits for garden sheds include everything that is needed, including the lumber, roofing, and siding. Everything should fit together perfectly. Garden shed kits are very convenient but generally cost more than buying all of the shed materials individually.

Shed plans, on the other hand, show exactly how to build a garden shed, including listing the exact materials needed to build the shed. The plans provide a guide while building garden sheds. Garden sheds built from plans can be modified somewhat, as the lumber and other materials can be bought in different quantities than the plans specify.

The location of your garden shed is also important. There obviously must be enough room for the garden shed to stand. In addition, the ground should be level, or it will have to be leveled. In some communities, setback requirements apply — the minimum distance allowable between structures — as do other building codes. Zoning regulations should also be taken into account, as they may affect the materials with which you can build your garden shed. Some homeowners' associations have additional rules about which structures are allowed in a yard.

Building permits are usually required for adding garden sheds to the back yard. Homeowners can actually be required to remove garden sheds even after they are built, if no building permit was attained. However, some municipalities consider structures such as garden sheds, which are built on nonpermanent foundations, to be exempt for needing building permits.