Building a Garden ShedTips for Helping You Build Your Own Garden Shed

Owning your own home,yard and garden can bring you much pleasure and satisfaction. Part of that pleasure comes from the maintenance and care required to keep your place beautiful and tidy, as well as productive. To perform the many different kinds of jobs you need a variety of tools and equipment including garden tools, lawn mower, wheelbarrow and perhaps, even a snow blower. These require a storage shed and therefore, allow room for the car in the garage.

To build a garden shed yourself may seem like a difficult task, but with a good set of detailed plans and instructions, and helpful advice from building suppliers, you should be able to do a first rate job; One that you can be proud off. In fact, planning the garden shed can be almost as much fun as building it. Imagine the compliments you could get from friends and neighbors.

These five things should be considered while you are making your garden shed plans.

1. The location: You want the shed to be conveniently located to get equipment or tools in and out. In cities or towns there may be building codes, such as distance from streets, sidewalks and neighbor’s property lines. In the country, these restrictions may not apply.

2. The size: The shed should be large enough to neatly house the tools and equipment you have, as well as items you plan to store in the future. You also need to check building codes in your city to see if you require a building permit. Some cities require a permit only if it is larger than nine square meters. Be aware of penalties if you violate their regulations.

3. The type and shape: You want the shed designed so it will be easy to get equipment in and out, as well as, blend in with other buildings on your property or neighbors’ buildings nearby. In order to maintain friendly relations with neighbors, you may wish to discuss your plans with them. They may be able to give you a few helpful ideas. Furthermore, the people at the building supply stores are usually eager to show you pictures and brochures of different designs and building plans. Even shape and size of your yard, as well as the number of trees can also affect your decision.

4. Materials and colors: There are a wide variety materials available; steel, wood, plastics and asphalt (for shingles). You should be able to choose the materials to make a durable structure that will last a long time with little maintenance, particularly in areas where there is a wide range of climate conditions such as, hot sun, heavy rainfall, high winds and snowfall. You may want the colors on the shed to blend in or contrast with those of nearby buildings and the general landscape.

5. The cost: Factors, such as how large or how fancy you wish to build the shed and how harsh the weather conditions are in your area, can greatly affect the cost. Windows, skylights or electrical wiring from the house are quite convenient, but add to the cost. Another variation in cost can be the kind of foundation, such as treated wood on gravel, cement block or poured concrete. Therefore, the size of your budget can to a large extend affect your building plans.

While considering these five conditions, you should visit various building suppliers in your area. Browse through the lumber areas and discuss your plans with them. Most places have “how to” books, brochures and pamphlets; Some for free. You can also find valuable information on the internet. After all your reading, organizing and planning, you should be able to build a garden shed with confidence and satisfaction; A structure you can be proud off.

Planning to build a garden shed yourself may seem a bit challenging if you have little building experience, but with adequate research and planning you should handle every task with confidence. One of the first major decisions will be whether to purchase a set of plans to build the shed from scratch or to purchase a shed kit with plans, all materials and instructions included. Each method has its merits. These five tips may help you decide which method to choose.

1. If you choose a shed kit, most or all of the materials are included so there is little choice over the kinds of materials to use. To build from scratch you can choose from a wide variety of different kinds lumber, sheeting, roofing and fasteners that meet your requirements. However, if you have limited building experence, the kit method with all the instructions and materials included could be the easiest plan to build.

2. Building a shed from scratch using your own plans or plans you purchased can make it easier to make changes. If cost is a problem, you could design it so that windows, vinyl siding or electrical wiring from the house can be added later.

3. The cost of building the shed from scratch could be somewhat lower because you have more control over the kinds of material you purchase. Sometimes good quality materials can be purchased at sale or surplus prices. In fact, you could also consider buying good used materials if they are available in your area.

4. Garden sheds built from kits are often displayed outside at building supply stores. Some of these sheds have been outside for several years in adverse weather conditions.. Examine these sheds to see how they stood up to heavy rainfall, snow or hot sun. Sometimes the particle type sheeting on the roof is too thin and sags between rafters over time. With your own plans, waterproof plywood and a size thicker would be a better choice.

5. The foundation and floor of the shed is usually not included in the shed kit and therefore, you will need to choose the kind of foundation that is best suited for its location. In wet areas or where high winds are a problem you may want to consider a concrete or a cement block foundation, but in a drier level area treated lumber on a gravel base may be quite satisfactory.

To help you make an informed decision, these five tips along with plenty of research should help you choose between building the garden shed from scratch or from a shed kit. Remember, the time spend looking at different sheds and gathering all the plans and ideas necessary to make wise choices can give you the confidence to build a structure you will be proud off.

My wife and I recently moved house and fortunately there was not a lot of redecoration required as the previous owner, an elderly lady, had been very house-proud. The garden was rather neglected with a rickety outdoor garden shed that needed coming down before it fell of its own accord. It didn’t take me long to empty the shed and demolish it but it became obvious that it would need replacing as the old lady had left us all of her late husband’s gardening tools plus flowerpots, bags of compost and so on and there was no room in the garage.

I had some experience in building a garden shed so the first item on my list was to get a good set of outdoor garden shed plans.

There are quite a few things to take into consideration when planning your shed and I’ll list just a few here:-

- Is your area liable to suffer from heavy snowfalls in the winter if so you made need to a stronger roof or a flat roof may not be ideal at all.

- Strong winds would require you to use better fixings, tie downs etc.

- Security, is your area prone to burglary, sheds attract petty thieves looking for stuff to unload at flea markets? If so a good solid door and heavy padlock would be the ideal.

- Does it get really hot during the summer months; this may require venting the roof so as not to damage your contents. Also you will need to consider what roofing felt or sealant will be needed.

- Avoid using cheap timber and buy good sealants and paints.

A good set of garden shed plans should cover all the above scenarios and more. Some will include other projects that you might like to try.

Here’s a tip that you probably won’t find in your set of plans: I would seriously recommend that having decided on the size of your new shed that you select the next size up, if you only choose one with enough storage area for your present needs next year could see you without space for new acquisitions.

While planning to build your own garden shed, you first need to decide how large to build it, as well as, the type or shape. There are many different shed designs to choose from such as, a barn type, a square type with gable roof, a diamond shape to fit into a corner or a lean to shape. While driving around the neighborhood and to building suppliers such as Home Depot or Lowe’s, you should look at the various shapes and designs. The following five tips as well as, your particular appeal, can help you plan which type or design of garden shed to build.

1. The amount of shed space needed; The shed should be large enough to house all your garden tools and equipment, as well as, provide workshop space to do small jobs indoors like building, repairing or painting small projects and therefore, keep paint odors and dust out of the house. The extra space you free up in the garage can then provide room for the car. Remember also, that the size of the shed must conform to local building codes.

2. The size of your lot or yard; In a small yard there may be only enough room for a small shed, but in a large area the maximum shed size would be determined by building codes. In the country, this may not be a problem. A larger shed can provide more room for shelving, work space and additional equipment.

3. Blend in with other buildings and landscape; The appearance of the garden shed, it’s shape, size and color should blend in with other buildings on your property and perhaps those of the neighborhood so it will not stick out like a sore thumb. The landscape including trees, lawn and slopes can also influence your decision.

4. The size of your budget; If you don’t have enough money to build the garden shed you really want, consider building it in stages. Start with a basic shed and design it so that windows, vinal siding, trim and electrical wiring can be added later as your budget allows. You may also try to get good used lumber and sheeting by looking in newspaper or Kijiji ads or buy new lumber in clearance and economy areas where available. Building the shed yourself instead of having someone else building it for you would save you a considerable amount.

5. Weather conditions in your area; To build an attractive and long lasting shed, the kind of weather, heavy rainfall, depth of frost or snowfall and high winds or twisters must be considered. In a generally wet area, sloping ground, deep frost, high windy or twister zone you should consider a concrete foundation with the remainder of the shed well anchored to it. On level ground and moderate weather, a foundation of treated lumber on a gravel base may be satisfactory. This may also lower the cost.

With the large number of shapes and designs of garden sheds and building plans to choose from, you should be able to select one that fits perfectly into your back yard; One that is both practical and attractive. Therefore, planning and building a garden shed should bring you much enjoyment and satisfaction.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Angus_Martin

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Every bloke has one, but what about the women?

Building a garden shed does not have to be for the tools, the kitchen sink or the boy’s toys it could be slanted towards an extra room for art, crafts, dressmaking studio. The first choice before drawing up building plans is to decide the purpose of the building and who will be using it the most. There are many great plans for building different styles of shed but the basics remain the same.

• The site being of main importance as the shed /studio will be there for a long time. The fact that the property will be sold a number of times also means that the building needs to be attractive, functional, and handy to the home on the section.

• Accessibility should also be considered as there may be a need to unload items from a vehicle or trailer if it is being used for storage.

• Surroundings such as location of utilities and the likelihood of existing services at risk of being damaged from building excavations, site preparation.

• Siting for the sun of huge importance, the main part orientated to the sunny side because the sun has a feel good factor, makes the shed/studio warmer and more pleasant to work in. Obviously, this depends where in the world you are building.

• Materials that you plan on using and where you will get them. eBay, your local hardware shop, the neighbor, demolition yard, or manufacturer.

• The council permits that may be required, they will be different depending on the council involved.

• The cost, always allow more than you budget, even the very best laid plans can go astray, Murphy’s law has a lot to answer for sometimes!

• One of the most important suggestions is talk to your neighbor and tell them your plans. The shed may spoil their view, cut down on the amount of sun their garden receives in the course of the day. They may also have some good ideas that may be of help in your building project. Who knows, they may even help building your shed.

• Measure your planned site. Will it fit? Distance from your home, access, services.

• Who is going to have the use of your shed or studio, and what inside finishing it may need. The lady of the house may want to decorate appropriately, if it’s going to be for her. A blokes shed will need a beer fridge and very little else!