You would do everything necessary to keep your garden in shape unless you are a hopeless one. In order to maintain your garden, you need a couple of establishments installed in the garden, and one of them is a shed.
A shed is as important as your storeroom. Just like your house needs a storehouse to store all important stuff; the same goes for a garden which needs to keep a shed close by. However, getting a shed for your garden is not easy, and you should do a little bit of homework before actually deciding to buy a shed.
In this article, we have shortlisted a handful of tips that you must take note of if you are going to buy a shed anytime soon. These tips are curated to give you the best advice and prevent you from getting swindled or a mediocre shed.
So, without further ado, here are 5 tips to keep in mind:
1. Wooden, plastic or metal shed
You have to decide which one you need for your garden: metal, plastic or wooden shed.
For starters, wooden sheds are composed of softwoods, generally pine, or spruce. You might find a few of them made of Douglas fir or larch.—theoretically, these should show better resistance to rot. You will usually find the rot-resistant ones made of cedar sheets, but they are superbly costly.
Metal sheds are highly resistant against burns and rot, however, a major issue with them is that they are quite difficult to assemble, and this really annoys a number of metal shed owners. Moreover, condensation affects these sheds for obvious reasons and you might find a smaller shed than the one you actually purchased.
Plastic sheds, lastly, are comparatively maintenance free and can be quite conveniently assembled together. The only issue which might bug you is that they do not usually come in attractive colors and designs.
2. The size of the shed
Now, just because you like a shed does not mean it will look good in your garden—you might end up buying a shed of the wrong size and regret it for the rest of your life. Well, size matters, and thus, gauge how much space your garden can give to a shed.
In case you have ample of space, then you should go for a shed which measures at least 6 ftx8ft. A shed of such size is spacious enough and even comes with a room where you can accommodate a workbench.
In case the shed is going to a small garden, then you need to do the measurements before buying one. You can get a customised shed for your garden from a professional carpenter.
3. Sturdiness
You need a robust shed for your garden; a weak shed will quickly develop a sagging roof, dysfunctional door, and distorted sides. You need to evaluate the sturdiness of the shed before buying: stand inside it, jump on the center of the floor and push against the same, and carefully check the roof panels. You should be convinced that the thing you are buying is strong enough.
One more thing to keep in mind is that the wooden timbers that support the roof do not have dark-edged knots since they make the shed prone to breaking down.
Only after you know your shed is strong and capable of lasting for a long time, get the purchasing done.
4. Keep them off the rain
Rain is an enemy to wooden sheds, and if you have one, then you better take precautions towards this. To reduce your problems, make sure that the roof hangs over the sides for at least 5 cm, and in the back and front for about 7.5 cm minimum.
Windows are vulnerable to rotting from the bottom if not there are sloping sills with a groove cut called drip groove. It is highly recommended that you avoid sheds which come with too many gaps—since they let inside the light easily; rain would not find it difficult to make its way.
One more thing to keep in mind is that a weather bar helps a great deal in deflecting water. It is advised you keep a weather bar at the bottom as well for better protection.
5. Shed access
Okay, this one is important—you need to make access to your shed smooth and fall-free. You need to ensure that those using the shed do not trip over the doorway or bang their head against the low ceiling.
Make sure you have got the doorway of the right size. Single doors usually come in varied sizes—get one which suits your requirement. It is good to have a wide door to let in more items at a time.
