Garden storage

Garden storage sheds are used to keep items secure without having to clutter the home. They are usually used for the following purposes: tool storage, firewood storage, potting shed, bike store, garden office or for DIY equipment/materials and come in a range of materials including metal, wood and plastic.

As well as the fairly large standard apex or pent storage sheds available on the market, there are also a huge range of smaller garden storage products. These products are ideal for smaller gardens as they can be easily tucked away in a corner.

Garden Wall Store

The most popular and useful types of smaller garden storage products available include: storage chests or boxes, wall stores, bike stores and log stores. Also now due to the increase in the number of wheelie bins required for each household within the UK, wheelie bin stores have been introduced to hide these unattractive wheelie bins.

Pressure treated timber garden sheds

Pressure treated garden sheds are made from timber that has been placed in a vacuum chamber which has the air removed, then a preservative is injected into the chamber which penetrates deep into the structure of the timber. Although more expensive to purchase, pressure treated garden storage sheds cost much less to maintain in the long run as the timber is preserved for longer. It's not neccessary to treat a pressure treated shed each year as is required for a normal timber shed.

Most companies selling pressure treated products offer a 15 year guarantee against rot, this proves that companies are positive about these products lasting a long time and therefore gives good value for money.

Pressure treated storage sheds are available from a wide variety of companies including:

• B & Q
• Buy Sheds Direct
  
• Simply Summerhouses
• House Charm
  

Garden shed accessories

There are a large variety of accessories available on the market for garden sheds, workshops, log cabins and all other types of storage shed. These accessories range from security items to simple storage products such as racks and shelves. Using storage accessories within your shed helps maximise the use of space.

Common shed accessories include:

• Garden hose tidy
• Bike rack
• Tool rack
• Garden power tool hanger
• Shelving
• Safe
• Hooks
• Workbench

For more shed accessories visit:
http://www.home-garden-centre.co.uk/diy_buildings/accessories_storage or http://www.simply-summerhouses.co.uk/biohort_accessories.htm

Wooden garden shed construction types

Overlap Garden Sheds

Overlap is a traditional method of construction used to build small garden sheds or storage buildings and fencing. Each board overlaps onto the adjacent edge of the next board. Every board used to construct an overlap building/fence has square cut edges. Each overlap board is nailed to vertical bearers, each board needs very little preperation and therefore it is a fairly quick method of construction. This means that Overlap construction is cheaper than Tongue and Groove, however overlap sheds tend to distort over time due to temperature/humidity unlike Tongue and Groove.



Tongue and Groove Garden Sheds

Tongue and Groove (also known as shiplap) is a superior form of shed construction involving joining each piece of board by interlocking a joint made by a tongue (rib on one edge) that fits into a corresponding groove on the edge of another piece of board. This type of construction gives a tight flush joint between each board, therefore each garden building constructed using tongue and groove has a smoother finish and has no gaps between boards which means it is more rigid and weatherproof. Tongue and Groove sheds are slightly more expensive than Overlap, however they do not distort over time, therefore this extra cost is worth it in the long run.

Buying a garden shed...points to consider

Garden sheds are ideal for a number of different purposes including storing garden furniture, tools, clutter from your house and using as a workshop or office etc. You may think that choosing a garden shed is an easy task; however there are hundreds of different types and sizes of sheds available and therefore the following points should be considered before purchasing a garden shed.

Points that should be considered include:

• The material used to construct the shed - will it rot or rust and therefore have to be replaced in a few years. Does it come with a guarantee?
  
• Is it difficult to assemble, are lots of tools required?
  
• Are all the components included in the shed, such as the floor?
  
• Is the shed waterproof?
  
• Does the shed require yearly maintenance/treatments?
  
• What size shed will fit comfortably in your garden? Will you require planning permission?
  

Metal sheds

Metal garden sheds are popular for storing garden equipment as they are fairly easy to construct and don’t require yearly maintenance/treatments. They are ideal as a storage shed to place at the bottom of the garden. Metal sheds are made from metals such as steel, aluminium or corrugated iron, making them fairly cheap sheds.

There are many different sizes of metal sheds available on the market; however the smaller sheds tend to have wooden bases which could be a disadvantage. If you have decided to build a metal shed you will not necessarily need to build a foundation, however this will make the shed stronger especially if it is windy.

The main downside to metal sheds is that that although they are robust, they tend to rust which is not helped by the damp environment within the UK. There are a number of metals with alloys that are resilient to rust however garden sheds built using these metals are a lot more expensive.

Workshops, garages and offices

Workshops and Offices

There are many different sizes of garden sheds currently on the market made from a variety of materials including timber, plastic and metal, ranging in sizes from 4' x 6' to 16' x 8'. Many of the larger sized sheds are suitable for using as a workshop or an office in order to keep work away from the general living space within your home. They can also be used as a studio or to store work equipment. The best type of shed for this purpose is a timber/wooden shed as it is much sturdier, warmer in the winter, it can be custom made to various sizes and painted a particular colour inorder to have the least dramatic impact on your garden.

Garages

There are also a range of wooden garages which are the equivalent to a huge shed. They are solid and sturdy, and can be used to store loads of clutter, mowers, motor bikes, a car etc. These wooden garages look handsome compared with the normal brick garage, they take less time to construct and you can choose what colour you would like it to be by treating it with a specific colour.

Is planning permission required for a garden shed?

Generally speaking in England and Wales planning permission is not required to put up a shed in your garden as long as you follow these rules:

• Your shed must not cover more than half of the area of your garden.

• If the shed is built out of a combustible material for example wood, then it should be at least 2 metres away from your house.

• No point should be less than one metre away from any boundary.

• It is only used for domestic purposes, it should not contain any sleeping accommodation and the floor area does not exceed 15 square metres.

• It can be no more than 3m in height for a flat roof, or 4m for a ridged roof.

• No part projects beyond any wall of the house that faces any highway.

• The shed is for use only by those who occupy the house.

For more information about planning permission please click on the following link - http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/england/genpub/en/1115315233173.html