Garden Sheds are Great for Storage

As many homeowners have realized, there are a lot of things that need to be stored outside your home. For instance, a typical home requires a lawnmower to maintain the lawn, an edge trimmer to keep things looking neat, lawn chairs and garden furniture for seating, a BBQ for outside meals, and numerous other items that are bulky but essential.

Storing these items becomes a bit of a challenge for those householders who don’t have garages. Even for those with garages, the garage space fills up speedily, leaving the cars parked in the drive or on the road. The answer to this problem is a garden shed.

Garden Shed Options

There are alternatives when it comes to building up a garden shed. Before investing in a garden shed, it’s a good idea to make sure it will meet your current and future needs. Take a look at the alternatives available for purchase before choosing the garden shed for you.

– Site-Built Garden Sheds

A site-built garden  shed is one that you build yourself on your property. The advantage to this type of garden shed is that you are able to entirely customise it for your needs. This type of garden shed has many distinct disadvantages.

The disadvantages of constructing your own gardenen shed include the time, money, and work involved in making this type of structure. Building a garden shed is not a weekend project and should not be attempted by the first-time do-it-yourselfer. It’s often more costly to buy the materials and construct your own garden shed than it is to buy a pre-built unit.

– Pre-Built Garden Sheds

A pre-built storage shed is assembled at a factory and comes completely fabricated at your doorstep. You do not need to be a carpentry expert to have one of these garden sheds, and you do not have to spend a great deal of money on one of them as you would on constructing your own garden shed.

As they’re pre-built, these garden sheds are not fully customizable. However, there are a multitude of options available that are likely to meet the needs of any householder. In addition to being less pricey and less work, pre-built garden sheds also allow you to store more quickly.

Before You Buy a Garden Shed

There are numerous things you had better consider prior to you investing in a garden shed. In order to finish up with the right garden shed for you, you should make certain you have a clear idea of your garden needs.

To get a good idea of what size and type of garden shed you need, make a list of everything you think you may store in the building. Some common items include the following:

– Lawn chairs and other garden furniture are a general storage items. If left outside year-round, your lawn piece of furniture will have a much shorter lifetime. In addition, exposure to the elements will make your piece of furniture less attractive and will contribute to peeling paint, fading, and mildew growth.

– Tools and yard equipment demand a home too. Lawnmowers and other yard equipment are useful but also amount to an expensive price tag. It’s crucial to protect your investment from damage by the elements and potential theft. A garden shed is the best solution.

– BBQ’s last longer when kept protected also. If you want your BBQl to last many years, it’s crucial to protect it from rain, snow, and harsh winds. 

Knowing what you plan to store in your new garden shed will help you choose the pre-built shed that’s perfect for your needs!

Love the outdoors and anything to do with gardening. Really like spending quality time in my Garden Shed

Finding The Right Gardening Furniture

Garden furniture is now a fashion item as the patio and garden increasingly become an additional functional space to the home.

Before you buy any garden furniture it is strongly recommended that you do some research. Doing so will greatly increase your chances of buying garden furniture that is right for you and will last you a long time. Following are some important tips you need to consider before you buy.

Firstly decide whether you want stackable or foldaway furniture that will be put away in the shed or garage in winter or if you want permanent solid garden furniture that remains in situ all year round. If you want your garden furniture to be a permanent part of your garden for esthetic reasons then it is recommended that you go for heavy furniture made from hardwood, aluminum or wrought iron with rust proofing. It is well worth spending the money on the heavier more durable materials as this will be much more cost effective in the long run.

Choosing the right type of material and construction is paramount. Decide what kind of material for your garden furniture would best compliment your patio or garden. Select a material that will stay in balance with your garden.

Wood is the best all round as it is lightweight, esthetically pleasing and comfortable but requires some maintenance. Choose a tropical hardwood which is high in natural oil content like teak, iroko or courbaril. These woods are weather resistant and can be left outside throughout the year.

Make sure that mortice and tenon joints are used for your teak garden furniture and not bolts which corrode. If any metal fittings are used in the construction make sure they are made from brass, stainless steel or aluminum which are corrosion resistant.

Make sure the construction is only premium grade teak for our garden furniture, so any knots, cracks and other defects are eliminated before the timber is used to build the furniture. Additionally, Make sure your teak garden furniture is kiln dried to optimise moisture content and ensure shape is maintained and cracks are eliminated.

Teak garden furniture that is assembled using epoxy based glues tend to have the best performance and durability of all the types of joints as the epoxy resin used will not be affected by rain or frost.

If your teak garden furniture becomes dirty it is easy to clean with warm soapy water and a scrubbing brush which will enable you to restore the beautiful silver grey weathered look. If required a pressure hose can be used at 60-80 bar [900-1200psi] at a distance of no less than 30cm.

Once your teak garden furniture has weathered the colour will be enhanced by an annual scrub. A small amount of bleach added to the water will suppress any algae growth.

Any stains and grease spots can be immediately removed by washing down using a light detergent then rinsing off with clean water as soon as they occur. However, this is not essential as nature will take its course over time.

In dry weather small cracks will appear in the end of the grain timbers. This is natural and no action needs to be taken as when the moisture in the atmosphere increases the timber will return to its original condition.

It is not necessary to use teak oil or varnish as these will not extend the life of your garden furniture and are purely cosmetic. However, if you wish to preserve the as new appearance of your teak <a rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(‘/outgoing/article_exit_link’);” href=”http://www.arboreta.co.uk”>garden furniture</a> the application of teak oil when the furniture is new will give a more lustre finish than leaving untouched. Please ensure you follow the manufacturer’s instructions as usually this is a three stage process. Make sure the timber is completely dry when you apply the teak oil, otherwise the furniture will blacken.

Wrought iron garden furniture generally looks the best as it is usually hand crafted to give a unique look. The disadvantages of wrought iron furniture is that it is not as comfortable as wood and heavier to move around. Additionally, iron rusts so wrought iron garden furniture has to be especially coated to prevent it from rusting so make sure the supplier gives you at least a one year warranty against rust.

Finally, if you can, it is recommended that you invest in a cover for your garden furniture. Covers now come in all shapes and sizes and are well worth the money as they add years to the life of your garden furniture. Simply place the cover on your garden furniture every evening or when it rains, you will see the benefits in the long term.

Learn about gardening terms and garden snails at the Starting A Garden site.