Choosing A Garden Shed
The garden shed has become a regular fixture in many a gardeners garden and the reason is simply that a garden shed is so useful for storing gardening equipment and tools and these days also for storing patio furniture and other items we use to make better use of our gardens.
Options For Garden Sheds
The options for gardens sheds have increased in recent years and now you can have a pre-manufactured wooden shed, you can build your own DIY Sheds & Garden Buildings or buy a metal sheds but a more recent garden shed option is to buy a self assembly plastic shed in much the same way as you would buy a bedroom cupboard or drawer unit.
All types of sheds have their own advantages and disadvantages. If you have the skills for working with wood and you have the time to do it then building your own wooden shed is likely to be a very satisfying experience. You can get some great DIY shed guides and build it over a period of time. Whether it works out cheaper than a purchased timber shed will depend on your skills at sourcing materials at rock bottom prices but you will know your garden shed has been properly constructed and assembled.
Wood is a traditional material that has always been used to make garden sheds and it is an excellent material for the job. The maintenance requirements will mean you need to treat the wood every couple of years or so and maybe re-felt the roof after five years but a strong wooden shed would be an asset to most gardens.
Plastic Garden Shed
The modern alternative is the plastic garden shed. Pre-manufactured and fairly quick to assemble the plastic shed offers you a weatherproof building that requires no maintenance and should last you for many years. Plastic sheds are usually made from a double walled plastic sheeting material which provides some degree of insulation as well as making the shed remarkably robust.
I was rather skeptical when I first heard of plastic sheds. I expected them to be flimsy things made from cheap plastic bag type materials but I could not have been more wrong. I helped a friend assemble a plastic shed they had purchased and I was very impressed. Like most self assembly products there was a bit of confusion over which parts went well but once the instructions had been fully understood it was reasonably straightforward and I guess it took between two and three hours to build.
Once complete it proved to be a remarkably tough garden shed. You can assemble your shed and then move it complete to wherever you want it to be positioned. This ability to be moved in one piece will be more useful to some people than others but if you are unsure where to place your garden shed or you decide to change your garden layout in the future it saves you having to dismantle and rebuild your shed. You can simply empty it out and move it around because it is so light and easy to move.
This lightness could be seen as a problem if you get some strong winds but from what I have seen there is no problem once you put your gardening equipment in it because the weight on the floor holds the shed firmly to the ground.
A Weatherproof Garden Shed In An Afternoon
A plastic garden shed provides a weatherproof garden shed in an afternoon. It looks smart when new and retains that fresh look for years afterwards. Once assembled you can almost forget about it because there is no maintenance to worry about. You don't need to paint it with preservative or re-felt the roof. I have looked at the prices of sheds and it seems that a plastic shed is not the cheaper option you might expect. Timber sheds are usually available in similar sizes for less money but the standard of construction and the quality of timber used can be variable if you are looking at the cheaper sheds.
Having helped in the construction of a plastic garden shed and seen it over several months just doing its job very well, I have to say I am impressed. Being something of a traditionalist I would not have considered a plastic garden shed myself if I had not seen this example doing such a good job.
If you are considering a new garden shed then I suggest you consider the options for garden sheds and make sure you check out Plastic Garden Sheds.