The Garden Shed
There’s no need to blush or get embarassed, unsightly as they sometimes can be, a shed is an integral and essential element of most residential landscape layouts.
The first question you need to ask yourself is, “Am I going to be able to see it”. Obviously, you can purchase a simple, low cost structure if you can tuck it away behind something, however, often there is just not enough space in the garden to do this.
So keep it cheap and hide it or spend a few quid and make a feature out of it? The choice is yours!
That decided, your next step is to figure out how big it has to be. Remember, think about the future, this shed has to suffice your needs for at least 10-15 years.
A good idea is to, make a list of all the things that need to go in to it, for example:
· Bicycles
· Patio furniture during the winter
· BBQ
· Lawn mower
· Boiler, washing machine, tumble dryer, etc....
· Kids toys
· DIY stuff: paint cans, gardening tools, etc....
· Fuel storage: coal, timber, turf.
· Animal housing, you may divide your shed into two, allowing housing and storage separately
Next, how often does it need to be accessed ? Once in a blue moon ! then maybe some nice stepping stones like Tobermore’s Tobishi range, cheap and easy to install in lawn or gravel. For daily access, you will require a more substantial paved pathway, Tobermore Retro is my favourite, particularly for wavy paths.
Lastly, think about style and construction, if it is going to be visible, it should reflect a similar theme as it surroundings, bearing in mind, the construction material will have a big influence on maintenance and initial cost.
Here are a two examples, a feature shed and a hide shed, behind a Secura lite raised bed.