How to build a shed that’s functional, eye-catching, and durable

A shed is a structure placed in your yard a fair distance away from the home, that is often used to store outdoor maintenance materials, such as gardening supplies, a lawn mower, or power tools. Regardless of what it’s holding, your shed can both serve a functional purpose, while being durable and pleasing to the eye as well. Continue reading for some tips on how to create a functional, eye-catching, and durable shed.

What materials should I use to build a shed?

There are several types of wood that are good for building a shed. According to Backyard Oasis, some good options are pressure treated pine, fir, redwood, and engineered woods like plywood. If you’re looking to go the more affordable route, pressure-treated pine is your best option. If you’re looking for the most durable material, plywood might be your best bet.

How do I design a shed?

When designing a shed, you want to think about a couple of things. First, what functionality is your deck serving? Do you need a big interior space to put a tractor or snowblower, or can you put more shelving in for your gardening equipment? Answering these questions will also help to determine your size. In terms of color and aesthetic, you can have a bit more fun with this compared to a deck, since it’s a standalone structure. It can complement your house, but doesn’t have to look exactly like it. You can also look online for inspiration photos to base your design off of.

When thinking about maximizing the space inside of your shed, think about building vertically, not just horizontally. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a very large structure in your yard that isn’t connected to your house. And if that’s what you need to fit things like a tractor, then that’s great. If not, and you’re mostly just storing lots of smaller, outdoor supplies, utilizing wall space will be your biggest asset to properly organize your tools and other outdoor materials. Something you can also think about is whether any of your tools could have a custom organization module made for it. If you’d like anything like that made, the shed could take more time, but it could also add extra functionality to the structure.

How long does it take to build a shed?

This depends on several factors. The first is whether you plan on doing this yourself, or with the help of a contractor. If this is a project that you plan on tackling on the weekends, it might take a bit longer than if a contractor is completing the project for you. Another variable to think about is how large you want the shed to be. The large the shed, the longer it might take. If you need prep work done to your yard, such as flattening out the ground to make a solid base for your shed, that might also add to the time needed to complete the project. Lastly, if you have a more complex design for your shed, with custom interior modules, or an intricate exterior design, that will more than likely take more time. Once you have all of these variables in place, you’ll start to figure out whether this is a weekend project, or it could take a few weeks.

Choose SJ Carpentry to build your shed

Looking to add a shed to your backyard? SJ Carpentry can help design and build a shed that is eye-catching, functional, and durable. We’ll work with you from start to finish, to ensure that your vision is being implemented, every step of the way.