What Will You Do With Your Garden Shed?

All of us know that garden sheds are structures in the garden, generally made of wood, used for the storage of mowers and other gardening equipment. But this scenario is fast changing. Garden sheds are evolving in a lot of respects, from the kind of material used to build them, to their usage. This article will tell you all you need to know about garden sheds - from their construction and to the new trends that are setting in.

There are four major styles of garden sheds, classified on the basis of their roofs: the Gable; the Salt Box; the Cottage-Style Shed; and the Gambrel. The Gable has a triangular shape, while the Salt Box has a short gable-like roof in the front and a deep slope in the back portion. The Cottage-Style Shed is also called the Hip Roof-Style Shed and is characterized by four sides, all of which are sloped. The Gambrel has a roof that resembles that of a barn. The look of garden sheds is fast changing from a traditional, subtle structure to a modern, stylish one.

Traditionally, garden sheds have been constructed of wood. However, in today’s times, a number of materials are being used. Metal garden sheds as well as those made from heavy-moulded plastics like PVC and polyethylene are all the rage now because wooden garden sheds need to be maintained to protect them from wear and tear and the effects of harsh weather. Metal sheds are more resilient and durable but they need to be protected from the formation of rust. Whereas PVC or polyethylene sheds are sturdy, rust-proof and are less affected by weather.

Nowadays, ready-to-construct garden sheds are available in kits. The detailed instructions included in the kit make it quite easy for you to construct a shed and save you the trouble of buying materials and constructing a shed from scratch. There are a number of online and offline stores selling such kits at reasonable rates. In case you do not wish to put together your garden shed on your own, you can have the shed erected by a professional. However, there are some people who would prefer to construct a garden shed from scratch, as it gives them immense satisfaction. If you are one of them, you can either design it yourself or choose a suitable design from books or the internet.

After a wooden or metal garden shed has been erected, it needs to be maintained properly to ensure durability. There are several maintenance products available in the market within different price ranges, and with different degrees of effectiveness and such products can be easily applied using a sprayer. Painting the shed protects it to a large extent and if you want to paint your garden shed, it would be advisable to go for a three-step process of preservative-paint-waterproofer, rather than applying only paint. The selection of the right kind of preservative, paint and waterproofer is of paramount importance in this case. Nowadays, products that combine all three - preservative, paint and waterproofer – in a single package are available in the market, and is very easy to use.

Like the materials used to construct garden sheds, their uses are also evolving in today’s times. A garden shed has changed from a humble structure for the storage of gardening equipment to much more. Some people use their garden sheds as a retreat out of the house, home offices, workshops and a playhouse for the children. It is only your imagination that restricts the use of your garden sheds!