Posted by Susan M Adams
by Susan M Adams
Organizing your garden shed might be the best thing you can do for your garden this summer. If you are met with a jam packed, cob-web filled pile of rusty tools and cracked pots every time you go out to find the rake, perhaps your garden shed is not living up to it's full potential.
If you can't find your tools, and have to dig through half empty bags of potting soil and broken garden ornaments, this may lead to your gardens' worst enemy - gardening procrastination. If you think about your shed like a big closet, and the only way a closet can be useful is if it's organized, then maybe you'll finally decide to get a handle on your shed clutter.
The first step in organizing your shed is to pull everything out. And I mean everything! Garden sheds can often act as depositories for old rusty and broken junk and old paint cans filled with rock hard paint. Once everything has been removed from the shed examine the contents with a critical eye. You will want to discard or give away everything that does not have a specific use. If items have not been used in a year give them away.
Once the shed is empty give it a good cleaning. This is also a good chance to do some annual maintenance on some the shed contents. Sand off some rust spots on your garden tools and apply a new coat of anti-rust paint. Oil any parts that need oiling and generally give everything a good wash. Do not return any item to the shed unless it is cleaned and in working order.
Before putting items back into your shed take the time to add shelves and or hooks. Although an assortment of three inch nails hung your father's gardening tools, times have changed. In my opinion, those nails are an invitation for spiders to create string art in your shed. Go to your local hardware store and purchase some proper hooks. The hooks are inexpensive and sturdy and plastic coated. Proper hooks and shelving are a worthwhile investment.
Now you can put everything back into a better organized shiny clean garden shed. Knowing that everything has a place, and that you've gotten rid of the stock pile of broken tools and cracked pots, will make gardening such a easy chore now. Although it might seem like a lot of work to reorganize and fix everything up, it will be well worth it in the end.
Tags: backyard, Garden, garden shed, Gardening, Gardening Articles, home, home improvement, landscaping, shed, storage, storage shed
Posted by John A Moore
by John A Moore
A trend that I'm seeing this year with respect to backyards is a return to vogue for backyard garden sheds. And it seems that the run of the mill pre-built wooden and metal sheds are not what most customers have in mind. No, the new trend this year is custom garden sheds - storage buildings with style are what people want this season.
Homeowners who are shopping for garden sheds this year are looking for something to make a statement, something to continue their landscaping theme, or a shed which custom fits their backyard hobby. The simple shed-in-a-box with four walls a roof, and a window with nail on shutters is no longer sufficient.
Some of my clients want to make their garden shed into a design element that carries on an old English garden cottage theme, some want a rustic hunting lodge theme, others are looking for a zen garden contemporary style. On the other end of the scale are clients who want to install a totally green eco shed, made with recycled materials, and customized to take advantage of all off-grid components possible - a solar panel and backup batter to run the lights, and a multi barrel rain water system to collect runoff from the sheds roof and gutter system.
One woman asked if I had seen a popular reality TV show featuring a family with eight children. I had not. She went on to explain that in a recent episode a carpenter built the children crooked houses as play houses. She wanted a crooked house theme for her garden shed. She said it was both practical and whimsical and it would make me the most famous shed builder in the area! She is trying to locate a copy of that episode for me.
The other clients that are looking for customized backyard sheds are concerned about functionality more than style. The green thumb house owners are looking for a place to store all their gardening tools and landscaping supplies, as well as provide a space to do some potting and start seedlings in the spring. There are many others with different hobbies that would like a custom built studio for such things as stained glass, pottery, and painting. All of these are ideal uses for a cute backyard garden shed.
Garden sheds; be they wooden or metal, functional or whimsical are all the rage this year. Outdoor living is very popular. Over the past decade we have seen innovations in bar-b-ques and outside patio furniture. We have seen the popularity of backyard decks soar. We have seen the advent of bug zappers and outdoor space heaters. It was only a matter of time before garden sheds took the spot light.
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Tags: backyard, decor, design, Garden, garden shed, Gardening Articles, home, home improvement, home;improvement, house, landscaping, shed, storage building, storage shed
