A Garage AND A Shed: The Best Of Both Worlds

Every now and then you see something in the marketplace that is the best of both worlds; peanut butter and jelly in the same jar, toothpaste that comes with a free trial size for traveling, and coffee already in a filter or cup that you just have to slap in to a machine.

If only someone would invent a diaper for my kid that also cleans up after itself….BUT anyway……

So many homeowners think of a shed as a place they can put their “stuff”.  True enough, it is that. But if you’ve got the room, can you imagine enlarging that and making it a multi-purpose building?   A place where you could park that special car, or bike, AND have a workshop, AND have place to store your “stuff”?

I for one might spend more hours inside the shed than I would the house!  A stocked mini-fridge or Kegerator and I would be all set….

Heartland has a building called the “Vista” that comes in either 16ft. x 20ft., or 16ft. x 24ft., with an 8ft. x 7ft. sectional garage door.  With a 4ft. storage loft, this building offers a lot of space for storage, a workshop and storing a vehicle ( comes with a wood floor though, an FYI for those storing vehicles) .That’s a lot of space for a man cave!

 

So why not just get a garage you ask?  Simple….too mundane, too close to the house, and too small…you’ll have family members putting boxes in it all the time and taking up your space which in time, will cease to be “your space” and the next thing you know, you’re competing for room with faux Santa Clauses and other holiday decorations. With a shed that is also a garage, it is defined as YOURS.  It’s not “the garage”, viewed as communal property amongst the family, but known as “Dad’s Workshop”, or “The Hubby’s Man Cave.” that is off limits.  So look into getting yourself a Sher-age, or a Gar-ed.

 

5 Great Ideas For Your Child’s Playhouse

I am sure most of us can think back to our childhood and remember using the boxes that the appliances came in as like a “fort” or play house.  Bring in some crayons and markers to decorate and you had yourself a decked out play area!

Well, we’ve come a long way since then.  Play houses are ideally made out of wood for the maximum return on investment, and can be easily customized to your little one’s preferences.  It’s so easy to add a little touch to a play house and have it go a long way.  So let’s cover some of the basics your child’s play house should have:

1. A theme.  Nothing will make the play house seem more like their own than decorating it to how they want it.  Sure, it might stand out like a sore thumb in your yard but that’s not as important as creating some awesome, lifelong memories for your child.
2. Decorations:  If he wants a space ship theme or she is into Barbie, go wild with some decals, appropriate colors, and other decorations.  What to do if you have 2 or more kids who will be sharing the play house?  Well, the best I can do there is wish you luck!
3. Personal touches.  Make it seem like a real house with play cell phones, mini furniture, play kitchen, or if you have a son who is into cars, make it like a mechanic’s garage in there with some play cars and tools. Check out these tips from other moms
4. Waterproof/Bug-proof storage:  Your kid needs to hide his candy stash.  It just makes them feel special to have something to put it in to keep it fresh.  Or a storage container is a great place to store her dress up clothes.  You know they’re going to take out some “valuables” out there, might as well be prepared to keep them safe and clean.
5. A little landscaping:  Mulch works beautifully around a play house, as does perennial flowers and even bird feeders, wind chimes, and things like a thermometer really give kids a kick.  Of course if you went with a spaceship theme, perhaps a “telescope”, real or made from PVC pipe, is a better way to go.  The point is to decorate the outside as well as the inside of the play house.

 

Now if you want to REALLY maximize that return on investment I mentioned above….buy a play house that converts into a shed for when your children are grown, such as this one by Heartland called the “Cobblestone Cottage“.  A wood play house is estimated to last about 40 years….might as well convert it into YOUR playhouse when it’s your turn!

 

Sheds: DIY vs. Professionally Installed

Storage space is at a premium for many people. Attics, garages and basements are stuffed full of belongings. Adding a shed to the property will greatly help to improve problems people may have with their storage space. Adding storage buildings can either be professionally installed or they can be built by the homeowner through using shed kits and appropriate shed plans.

When building a shed, it will be easiest to do this through the use of shed plans and shed kits. Depending on the needs of the homeowner and the type of storage space that is desired, there are shed kits that can accommodate any situation. This storage space can be a simple shed for storing the lawn mower and extra gardening tools, or can be one of several storage buildings that are erected on a property. Shed plans in the kit will give the homeowner clear directions on the preparation and building of the shed. This will also give the user a detailed list of tools that are required and materials that are needed to appropriately build this storage space.

In addition to the shed plans, the use of shed kits will make the building of storage buildings extremely easy. Shed kits will generally provide the homeowner with most of the items needed to build the shed. However, shed kits can be quite varied. Some will include pre-fabricated sections, so all that needs to be done would be to piece the shed together. Other shed kits are not as detailed and may just include the basic shed plans and some general items required for the building process.
When it comes to having a professionally installed storage space, there are pros and cons to this. When storage buildings are purchased, there may or may not be shipping and delivery charges that are added to the cost. This certainly adds to the overall price of the shed and can make it significantly more costly than one built by the homeowner through the use of shed plans.

Convenience is definitely one main reason to choose having a shed professionally installed. The homeowner can also be confident in knowing that the storage buildings that are professionally installed will be built properly and should last for years to come. If unsure about one’s building skills, having a shed installed for you is the better way to go, especially if it comes with a labor warranty.

Whether one uses shed kits and builds on their own or has professionally installed storage buildings, the homeowner is certain to gain valuable storage space.

 

How The ‘Ipod Factor’ Could Influence Your Choice Of Shed

Many thanks to our guest blogger, John Coupe, who runs a fantastic website at:
www.secrets-of-shed-building.com.  Go check it out, it’s so informative!

It was summer and I was searching for fossils on the beach with my 9 year old son. And being August in the UK it of course started to pour down with rain!

That was OK…we had sort of expected it and had our rain coats on. After half an hour we were soaked to the skin. I found out when I got back home that my new ipod which I kept safely in an inner pocket of my coat had got wet….. very wet.

Disaster, the water had caused damage so that the music player no longer worked.

I tried drying it out slowly, no luck.

I tried getting help at my local Apple shop, no luck.

I tried a specialist repairer, no luck.

It turns out that once your ipod goes wrong you need a new one.

What has all this got to do with shed kits?

 My experience with the ipod had got me thinking. How easy is it to repair different types of shed kit?

There are three basic materials that a shed kit can be made of.  The three common materials are:

• Metal

• Plastic

• Timber

Good looking sheds can be made from each of the different materials. But some of the materials are inherently more robust and repairable than the others.

What is robustness?

When I am talking about robustness, I am not just asking whether they will support the load from a heavy fall of snow or resist the force of a 112mph wind. For a small structure such as a shed these things are fairly easy to achieve. Manufacturers of the sheds, made from all types of materials, that you see advertising will quote tests and research that show their product will resist all sorts of forces.

I want to look at two types of commonly occurring incidents that demonstrate robustness;

• The first one is a relatively small high speed impact, like that from a high speed baseball.

• The other is more major damage such as that caused by a large branch falling on to the shed roof.

Damage sustained to Metal Sheds

First let’s look at what might happen to a metal shed if it was hit by a speeding baseball.

The sort of damage that you can expect from a speeding baseball on a metal shed is a dent in the metal. The depth of the dent depends on the thickness of metal that is used. The cheapest metal sheds are made of corrugated steel and after a severe impact they would most definitely have a dent in the side.

Dents in corrugated metal are not that easy to seamlessly repair. The paint on the surface of the metal is cracked and so the corrosion system is compromised. After the next winter or two, rust will start to appear. The area of the dent will look unsightly too. Beating the dent out and using filler, like a car body repair, is not really an option, there will always be creases and ripples. The best option would be to replace the panel – does the manufacturer of the shed sell replacement panels specific to your shed model?

As to damage from a falling branch well the whole roof would be bent and several panels would need to be replaced. From my experience of metal sheds, a new shed would be the order of the day.

Damage to Plastic Sheds

Plastic sheds come in a variety of strengths and types. Many plastic sheds are quite impact resistant. However if the ball was travelling fast enough to damage the shed then a a replacement panel from the manufacturer would be required. Once again the problem here is does the supplier of your plastic shed individual panels?

As to the falling  branch major damage would mean several panels to replace. I would say that once again a new shed would be required.

 

Damage to Timber Sheds

For damage to timber sheds I could talk about all sorts of timber cladding. Instead I will just talk about the ½ inch thick Smartside siding that is supplied on the Heartland sheds. From my experience the baseball would just bounce off, perhaps leaving a small mark on the paintwork.

As to what would happen when a tree branch fell on the roof. Assuming that it was a big tree branch, it could cause certain areas of the structure to crack or break.  Heartland sheds are built of timber of a commonly available size and the siding and roofing material are easily available too.

Major repairs would need a trip to the timber yard and a few hours replacing the damaged parts.

No new shed needed there…. just a few quick repairs and we are back in business.

When considering which type of shed you are going to buy- think about the “ipod factor”

We can see that for both metal and plastic sheds they look attractive when new. However, fairly common impacts can result in damage that requires replacement of specialized parts or even whole new shed.

The timber shed by contrast is more robust and is able to shrug off smaller impacts. When it comes to the larger impacts repair is a good option using locally available building materials.

Now then… remind me to write a letter to Steve Jobs asking him to make the next version of the ipod a bit more like a timber shed. ;o)

Article by: John Coupe from www.secrets-of-shed-building.com 

Read more case studies about shed builders of all types at the building a shed page on his website.