SHEDS - NECESSARY EVIL OR GARDEN ENHANCER?

Fantastic sheds

Love them or hate them, sheds are an integral part of the garden. Cheekily, most garden designers conveniently forget to include them in their masterpieces in order to save spoiling their lines. But the fact of the matter is that gardens need maintenance; maintenance requires tools, and tools need to be housed!

Dr. Who inspired shed

Most people’s idea of a shed is of a rather shabby building hidden out the way in a dark corner of the garden. Of course that may fit your requirements exactly, but with a little imagination a shed can be an extremely practical and adaptable outdoor building. Get it right and it can also be a dramatic visual feature that not only enhances the garden but adds value to your property too!

If you already have a shed and feel a little embarrassed about it when friends come round, then a lick of paint and a few DIY planted containers could be all you need to clear your conscience. You could also consider to adding a fancier false roof if you are feeling particularly artistic! However, if you are starting from scratch then a little preparation and research can not only save you money it can pay out dividends; metaphorically speaking that is.

Concrete bases are better than wooden bases and as long as your shed isn't huge they are fairly simple to construct and worth having a go at yourself. 

Think about running a permanent electric point to your shed (there is nothing worse than trying to find tools at night with just the light of a cheap torch to guide you).  Once you have gone to the effort of digging out the trench for the armoured cable, it is worth asking yourself whether you want a water supply down there too?

Amazing garden buildings

You can always do what I have done and spend so much on a shed that after I put in the water, electric and drainage I decided to go the whole hog and have it carpeted and furnished too. Of course, once completed I ended up having to buy a second shed for the tools so that I didn't get the first shed untidy or dirty!

The cheapest sheds will be made to a price and probably clad in feather edge timber. They are great ways to store your garden items for minimal cost but for better weather proofing you can consider a shed constructed from tongue and groove. Log effect edging is going to be the most attractive of the three, but will also the most expensive for a standard shed. Of course you can spend as much as you like on a shed, but if you are looking for a little bit more from your garden building then you can always trade up to a log cabin!

My advice is this. Research first and never buy a shed without physically checking the build quality. That being said, you are generally going to find the largest selection and best prices on-line so once you are happy that you know what you are looking for then this is the place to go.

For related articles click onto the following links:
FENCE PANELS FOR YOUR GARDEN
SHEDS - A great security feature for your home
SHEDS - NECESSARY EVIL OR GARDEN ENHANCER?
THE BRIGHT FUTURE OF GARDEN BUILDINGS