If you are still under the impression that a garden shed is something like that rusty old building your neighbor keeps his lawn mower in, you haven’t seen the latest products on the market. For those of you who aren’t very handy, you can hire a construction company to build one for you or there are prefab metal buildings that are easy to assemble and cost effective. If you are at all handy, though, you can build your own shed as a DIY project in next to no time. For those of you that have no tools of your own, and no garden equipment because you have a regular lawn maintenance crew, why would you need a shed? Read on…
Photo by Triston Wallace
Backyard Home Office
Today’s garden sheds can be used for so many more purposes than as a tool shed, and that’s why they have become so popular. One of the most common alternate uses is as a home office for those business professionals working as freelancers or as independent contractors. Whether you buy a blueprint and go from there or get a DIY kit, there are a few things you should be aware of. One of the most important aspects of building a garden shed to be used as a home office is the fact that you will need to hire a licensed electrician to sign off on the wiring. Whether you do the wiring yourself or hire a contractor, you must have a licensed electrician in order to keep it legal.
Pool House/Game Room/Guest Room
For many homeowners, one of the downsides about having a swimming pool is the mess swimmers make when coming through the house to change after having taken a dip. The easiest and most cost effective solution is to construct a garden shed that can be used as a changing room, you could even create a dual purpose construction that doubles as an ‘outdoor’ game room.
Some models can easily be insulated so that climate control can keep the temperature comfortable and others are even large enough to section off a room to be used as a guest room. The front area can open like a garage with a sliding door opening out to the pool, with the back section being a private room as there is a separate standard sized door in most cases. You will be amazed when you see how big some garden sheds are!
Inexpensive Mother-in-Law Quarters
Throughout the UK and mainland Europe, garden shed style structures are in high demand to be used as mother-in-law quarters, however they refer to them as ‘granny annexes.’ The cost per square foot is nowhere near what the cost of adding another room to your home would be. Even if you factor in an electrician and a plumbers services for a small bathroom and kitchen setup, you would still be paying a good deal less than for an extension.
Maybe you are looking at DIY garden sheds because you really do need a place to keep your lawn mower and gardening tools and that’s okay – that’s what they are after all, garden sheds. Just be aware of the fact that you can also build a multi-function garden shed where you can store your tools and also use it for extra space at much less the cost of building an extension. Add space and save money. Now, that’s a winning combination every time.
