Shed Planning
Planning a shed for your backyard is no trivial task. Time spent in this activity will pay off during the course of building your shed. Any obstacles you can think of during your planning phase will allow you to accommodate them in the building phase.
What Type of Shed Do You Need?
When planning your shed, probably the first consideration is the purpose of the shed. Most people build sheds to store the things they own that don’t need to be in their home or are too large to fit. Examples would be seasonal items like Christmas decorations, window screens, outdoor chairs, etc. Mowers, snow blowers, wheel barrows, and other large lawn equipment are usually stored in sheds as well.
But you could already have a place for these items and simply need a place to work. Garden sheds make a great place to do potting and growing seedlings. A hobby shed allows you to pursue your favorite hobby without having to clean up each time you stop.
Backyard sheds can also serve to provide a shaded and screened outdoor living area. A screened shed or gazebo makes an excellent addition to anyone’s yard.
Where to Build Your Shed?
Once you have made a decision as to the use of your shed, you next decision will be where to build it. Following is a list of items to consider when locating your shed on your property:
- Covenants and/or setback requirements
- Easements
- Permits and zoning requirements
- Utilities (including whether you shed will need any or whether you will build your shed near utilities lines)
- Topography of your property, including location of structures and trees/shrubs
- Aesthetic aspects of your property (views you don’t want to obstruct, sunlight, etc.)
- Landscaping considerations (tying the shed into your landscape)
- Drainage around the shed
What Type of Building Materials to Use?
There are two main considerations when considering the type of building materials to use. The first is aesthetic and the second is cost. The primary consideration for a do it yourself shed is how will it look with the existing landscape and structures. If your home and the homes in your neighborhood are all brick, would a shed built of recycled lumber fit in? Equally, if the roofs of the homes in your neighborhood are all cedar shingles, would a tin roof look good?
After aesthetics, cost is a primary consideration. Sheds tend to be structures that are not meant to be as permanent as homes. Consequently, it is acceptable to use not as rigid construction standards when building them. For example, you could use a concrete foundation with a concrete floor for your shed. But it would be perfectly acceptable to just lay down a treated wood floor on top of treated wood timbers laying on top of the ground. The concrete option would certainly cost more than the treated lumber one. But either one could be used.
You will also want to consider what type of doors and windows to use. You could use insulated steel doors if you plan to insulate the interior space. Or you could just use a door made with wooden slats nailed together. Don’t forget to consider whether you want electricity in your shed, as you will have to allow for connecting to an electrical source and what the power requirements will be.
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