Researching Garden Sheds

Our house doesn’t have a basement and the people who built the 2 car garage made sure it was exactly 2 cars. So needless to say we do not have enough storage space. The garden shed out back is about to fall down so I’ve not felt comfortable storing more than large garden items (mower, wheel barrow, etc) in there.  So I think this year I’m going to purchase a new one.  Question is…which one?  If you haven’t shopped for a shed lately, you’re in for an eye opener.

When people think of garden sheds, the age old tin roof, no frills shed comes to mind. At least that is what I first thought I was going shopping for. Those days are long gone. Now-a-days, garden sheds can be so much more than a simple place to store your tools. Today, many sheds are designed not only for functionality and storage, but are also built to act as a decorative centerpiece for your lawn or garden. Given that I have such a small backyard, the shed will be visible no mater where you are, including the deck we plan to build in a couple years. So a nice one would sure be…nice. 

A quick search turned up one online store that had more than 140 different kinds of sheds. 140!! With so many options available, I could easily choose a shed to help accent the backyard, the garden, or even the newly sided house. These upscale sheds are usually called ‘Cottage sheds‘. And they are an excellent example of how a shed can become an extension of the house itself. Traditional sheds are usually windowless and are nothing more than a place to house your garden tools. There are plenty of these to choose from of course. However, Cottage style sheds often times come equipped with shingles, windows, shutters, flower boxes, real lockable doors…you know…the equipment you might need to actually like the shed. Many of the models come already painted, but you can usually purchase an unfinished model and paint it any color you want. Only issue with the Cottage shed is the price tag…it’s practically a little house…so they run about $2500. However, I should point out these sheds are not all bells and whistles. They also offer the same storage space as their ugly cousins, if not more, and most come with shelving and other storage options. You can basically make them a detached closet if you want. So when you compare that to adding on a closet or storage room to the house, the price looks down right cheap.

If that’s out of the price range there are many other shed styles on the market today. So it should be fairly easy to find one to fit my particular needs. I just need to figure out what those needs are. Perhaps I don’t need the shed to be quite as eye catching. Sometimes the simplest option works the best. One option that has caught my eye is vinyl. But I haven’t found one that looks sturdy enough for me. I want a shed that will stand up to someone trying to kick in the door…or at least the local raccoon and skunk gang trying to kick in the door.  And I need the shed to be good enough to store more than garden tools in there. I need a place for Christmas stuff, luggage, camping and backpacking gear…stuff I don’t use all the time but stuff I don’t want damaged or stolen.

The key with sheds though is to figure out how much space you need first, and worry about how it looks later.There’s no point in spending the money on a high quality garden shed if some of my tools…er…toys..end up getting left out in the cold.

I’m still looking for the right shed for MyChicagoGarden. What do you all have for garden sheds? And do you like what you have?