Much of the east coast was blessed (or was it cursed?) with a brief taste of warm, spring weather.  There’s something about those mild temperatures that excites a renovation bug within our bellies.  After all, isn’t that what spring cleaning is all about?  Throw open the windows, move the furniture and vacuum up all that dust, finally get through that half-completed re-organization project sitting in the corner.

The same is true of backyards.  Once the weather starts to get warmer, all I can see are garden centers and outdoor living retailers creating gorgeous outdoor spaces.  The way the snow melts into the soil smells like opportunity.  A shiny new spring, a fresh new look at your backyard that hid under that snow all winter, a brand new chance to make your home exactly the way you want it to be.

One of the best backyard projects is an effective outdoor storage system.  No great gardens or outdoor dining areas can be created among clutter and tools laying around.  Creating an efficient and functional outdoor storage structure will help get all of your tools and supplies in line to create a more beautiful outdoor space.

Deck Boxes:  For those with minimal storage needs, one or six deck boxes might be a great solution.  Many deck boxes are made specifically to hold outdoor furniture cushions and other outdoor textiles, to help keep your patio furniture accessories clean and well-maintained in inclement weather.  Deck boxes are incredibly versatile, as they can double as patio chairs as well.  Though not terribly glamorous, deck boxes and patio storage can be used as a quick outdoor bench in a pinch.

Potting Benches: Potting benches are a godsend to any avid gardener.  A beautiful and high quality potting bench can add a dynamic element to your backyard space, as well as getting you organized.  Many potting benches have basins for potting soil, and all have specialized storage sections made specifically for a gardeners’ needs.  Say good bye to the pile of garden tools sitting in a rusty bucket by the backdoor. Say hello to your fashionable, functional outdoor potting bench.

Storage Sheds: If you’ve outgrown your current patio storage needs, and are currently re-configuring your garage’s intricate hybrid game of jenga and tetris… it’s time for a backyard storage shed.  The world of backyard sheds has come a long way, before you grimace at those plywood sheds often seen lined up in roadside parking lots.  Stylish backyard sheds can be customized to fit any space requirement, and can be built with high quality tongue-and-groove cedar interiors.  Work benches, green house windows, and porches are all available options on any top-grade backyard shed.  Create a garden structure that stores your stuff and elevates the style of your outdoor space!

Depending on your storage needs, a simple deck box may be all you need.  But, if you’ve been putting this off for awhile, a backyard shed might be the solution to your car perpetually parked outside your garage!  It’s nearly spring, start planning projects that will renew your home and garden now.

In the past, a storage shed was made from wood scraps and provided just enough protection to prevent the rusting of a hammer and nails.  Nowadays, the exterior of your backyard shed acts not only as a functional compartment for tools, but is also more of a visual focal point than it would have been on a homestead on the prairie. Whether it’s the siding, doors, or the outdoor work space available, decking out an attractive exterior allows you to maximize its addition to your property.

Proper Siding Joins Your Storage Shed with your Home Design:  Just like the siding on your home, there are plentiful options for siding your garden shed.  Dura-Temp and Vinyl siding are well-known for being maintenance-free.  Dura-Temp combines a solid plywood core with a Douglas Fir wood composite face that is easy to paint, while Vinyl siding requires an occasional cleaning to keep it looking shiny and new.  If a more natural façade is desired, make it a Pine Shed or Cedar Shed to create an entirely different effect with naturally resilient cladding for your potting shed. Besides their obvious matching vernacular to a log cabin home or the surrounding trees, natural oils of pine and cedar preserve the siding, offering better insulation than non-wood options.

Extra Wide Doors and a Porch Space Help Create Space:  If you use a lawnmower, ATV, quads, or other vehicles, install extra wide doors for easy access and see the potential space and organization of your storage shed reach its maximum potential. Another way to work with the space that a backyard shed creates might be to add a small porch outside.  Using a shed with a porch provides an unexpected landing that is great for extending your work outside under the roofed portion of the outdoor shed on a warm (or rainy) afternoon. Use it as creatively as you wish as a space to drape freshly-laundered clothes or as a sheltered place to read if the work bench inside requires extra motivation.

Add lasting durability and a cohesive home and garden shed effect by considering all of the exterior options available.

You can only arrange and rearrange tools, yard equipment, and seasonal decorations under your deck or in your car garage once before you’re ready to revamp into a more efficient backyard shed system. Corner Nook Sheds, Potting Sheds and Canvas Sheds are three of the most popular types of storage structures. They easily contain all of the above without demanding master tetris skills to tuck them away. In order to know which type of shed is best suited for your space, it is important to weigh out their individual characteristics.

Nestle into Corner Storage: The Corner Nook Storage Shed is known for its somewhat obvious corner placement in the backyard that offers more central space for gardening, playing, or outdoor dining. Often picked for its ability to round out fence corners and open up the middle of small yards, the Corner Nook Outdoor Shed is also useful for its double-wide doors that easily open and close for larger machinery and easy access.

Become an Expert Gardener: Similar in tidy appearance to the Corner Nook, the larger Potting Shed is ideal for gardeners. Its line of greenhouse windows brings in light for nurturing plants from cuttings or seed without exposing plants to the harsh conditions outside. It also contains a long shelf for storing supplies inside that is built for the active lawn and garden population.

Affordable and Portable Options: A totally different take on outdoor storage comes in the form of a Canvas Shed. The most affordable option of all three sheds, it is also the least permanent. Perfect as a temporary solution or one that can be moved around the yard as necessary, a canopy shed is a simple, attractive solution for storing ATVs, lawn mowers, dirt bikes, and other motor equipment outside.

Often overlooked when admiring fabulous backyard spaces, a storage shed picked to meet your needs is often the key to a pristine and manageable outdoor area.

‘Tis the season for New Years Resolutions.  Are you planning a weight loss strategy? Finally going to quit smoking? No matter what bad habits you’re endeavoring to kick, everyone could use a little organizational help.  After all, who doesn’t have an issue with the constantly building piles of supplies, tools, half-finished projects, as well as all of the general odds and ends?

Of course, you can optimize your existing shelving, re-structure your closet, and even add convenient hooks to well-traveled sections of your home.  But, wouldn’t it be better if you could just move it all out of your home and out of your mind?  Building a backyard shed can create usable, convenient, and separated storage for anything from muscle cars to crafting supplies!

Potting Sheds for Gardening Storage: The fall arrives, so you empty your large container gardens that are too large to bring indoors into your cedar compost bin.  Now, you have a stack of terracotta pots and white cedar planters, gardening tools, a half used bag of potting soil, and a kitchen windowsill all too cluttered with your cuttings and plants that you brought indoors.  Having a potting shed will not only give you a place to store all of your garden supplies and tools, it also has greenhouse style polycarbonate skylights to allow you to cultivate plants year round.  Get all of your gardening gear organized and in order.  That way, you can breeze out to your garden shed by the time its time to plant bulbs!

Deluxe Estate Shed for Motorist Storage: Is your family garage dedicated to a sports car that doesn’t see the road all that often?  How about all of that prime storage space?  Is it filled with spare parts, mechanics tools, and car supplies? Whether you’re looking to protect your motorcycle, antique car, or ATV, using a Estate backyard shed will keep all of the motor action in one convenient spot.  Wide double doors on either side allow you to simply “drive through.”  Work benches and ample storage space let you hold all of your tools.  Electrical packages make battery charging and electric tools easy to use as well.  Keep everything out of the rain and out of the not-so-gear-headed family’s hair!

Cabin Shed for Crafting Storage:  How many baskets, hat boxes, and piles of half-finished sewing, quilting, crafting, and creative projects do you have?  If you can’t answer that question within a few seconds—you need crafting storage!  Whether you’re over-run with textiles, beads, quilting, or wire… keeping everything sectioned off in one closet can be a nightmare.  Using a cabin style outdoor shed for storage, you can also create a work area so you can focus your creativity energy.

Having a backyard shed can serve a myriad of purposes.  But, especially as the new year is upon us, make a commitment to effective, convenient storage that doesn’t include finding more ways to fit more stuff in that hallway closet!

As September drops temperatures, many people are looking for solutions for winter storage.  Patio furniture covered in outdoor furniture covers, gardening equipment, outdoor furniture cushions, and other supplies and pieces often must be stored inside over the winter.  But, most of the time, garages and basements are already filled with other storage. What to do? Sounds like it’s time for a garden shed!

Forget the boring particle board sheds you may remember, garden sheds have made a complete turn-around in styling and options!  And, just as New York Fashion Week is gracing the streets of Manhattan this week with brand new fashions, so too are sheds shocking people with their brand new features! Here are some highlights:

Sheds with Cedar Tongue and Groove Siding: For a rustic appearance, try a storage shed with cedar tongue and groove siding.  The cedar wood is naturally resistant to insect damage and decay and will keep the interior smelling fresh. The horizontally stacked siding almost looks like a log cabin, and will blend in flawlessly with any country inspired space.  Plus, going with a high quality material like cedar will ensure you can use your shed year after year, instead of having to replace it after a few seasons.  There’s no reason for your garden shed to be an eye-sore, so get one with a gorgeous exterior to compliment your home

Sheds with Porches: Surprised? Don’t be! After all, porches are one of the most coveted features on a home… why not have  a garden shed with a porch?  Aside from the aesthetic benefits and the perk of being able to hang a hammock or set out some patio chairs, porches are also extremely functional for a storage shed.  Shielded from the rain and the harshest of the weather conditions, a porch becomes the perfect place to work on a bicycle when the grass is still muddy or to let a garden bench dry after you’ve painted it for the spring.  Plus, if you’re worried that a shed will bring down the look of your garden, a garden shed with a porch makes the structure almost look like a guest house!

Potting Sheds: If you have more plants and garden tools to store than patio furniture and outdoor décor, a potting shed might be your perfect option. With an expansive polycarbonate skylight, your potting shed can be used for both storage and growing! The Polycarbonate skylight is actually a 4′ x 8′ sheet of a multi-wall insulated material that is often used in greenhouses.  If you always wanted a greenhouse but worried about space… a potting shed is a perfect solution.  There’s still room for your family’s storage, but the skylight allows you to use your potting shed to keep plants warm and healthy!

Though the coldness of winter may seem far off, now is the perfect time to start thinking about and planning your storage shed.  It will be installed and ready to go by the time your patio furniture and gardening supplies need to be put away, and you can enjoy the peace of mind of quiet winter!

Have Fun!

Hazel

Have you ever considered using a storage shed as a stylish garden structure to heighten the fashion and function of your backyard? Many people worry that storage sheds are just cheap, composite-board structures that look clunky, uninteresting, and should only be used for storing weed whackers and lawn mowers.  But, while this may have been true in the past, it is certainly not true anymore!

Storage sheds have jumped on the fabulous outdoor living trend and dolled up their appearance to be a true contender for your outdoor living space.  No longer are they the simple, square or barn-shaped structures (though those are still available, of course) of days gone by.  Storage sheds come in all shapes and sizes, with unexpected roof lines and eye-catching color combinations.  Are you ready for the count down?  Five ways storage sheds are cleaning up their image!

Storage Sheds with Porches: You love to decorate your porch with patio furniture, why not gain another porch on your storage shed?  You don’t have a porch? Well, now you can have one!  Complete with porch railings and posts; your shed’s porch will give you a place to pull your art or gardening projects outside, while stay within reaching distance of your tools and supplies.  A porch will also allow you to keep the windows under the porch open, without worrying about a lot of rain blowing in.  Even if you just use your storage shed for lawn equipment, having a small attached porch will elevate it stylistically.  Passersby will assume your shed is used for something rare and unique, and you’ll never worry about it being an eyesore.

Potting Sheds Instead of Storage Sheds: Many storage sheds have made a full transformation into potting sheds.  Potting sheds are specialized structures used for nursing plants in the same way as a green house, as well as a place to store all of your garden tools and do your indoor gardening tasks.  Outfitted with rows of windows, as well as a large polycarbonate skylight that takes up nearly the whole side of the roof, you’ll create a veritable greenhouse that can be used for so much more!  Potting sheds also feature a long work bench so you can work on your container gardens and do all sorts of outdoor projects and crafts without dragging any dirt into your home.  A potting shed is a near necessity for any serious gardener, and is now as widely available as traditional storage sheds.

Storage Sheds with Skylights: So, potting sheds have skylights to create a greenhouse.  But, even if you’re not interested in doing gardening work in your shed, you can still have skylights!  No more dark, dingy, and mold-smelling storage sheds… imagine a world of bright and well lit storage that can be used endlessly.  See your tools and supplies with a skylight in your storage shed.  Just like a car is instantly more fun with a sunroof, your shed will be immediately upgraded with a skylight.

True, Screened, Opening Windows in your Storage Shed: Skylights let in light, of course.  But, a window can do so much more than just let light in.  New storage shed styles feature true, house-like windows.  Complete with screens to keep bugs out and the ability to open vertically, these are real windows! Again, if you’ve ever been in a more traditional shed, you know that the stuffy heat can be overwhelming.  But, imagine just opening up those windows to allow cooling air flow to flood the space.  Not only do the windows allow your shed to look more like a little house in your backyard than just a shed, you can get them complete with shutters in any color to truly design a stylish structure. Now, that’s a place for a lawnmower!

Storage Sheds with Flower Boxes: You may have assumed that flower boxes attached to windows should be an attribute included in the sections about windows.  But, I disagree!  Though attached to windows, flower boxes add so much more than just window décor to your storage shed.  You can add bright colors with flowers and plants that will liven up your structure.  It adds a homey, cottage feel that will lend your shed to a little hideaway, instead of just a storage spot.  It encourages you to do to some fabulous container gardening, right next to your gardening storage.  Flower boxes turn drab storage sheds into quaint retreats, truly.  Plus, if your husband needs a place to store his ATV or antique car, you can compromise on a storage shed with strong enough floors and large drive-through doors… that you get to decorate!

So, yes.  It’s true.  You can now create lovely little cottages like the charming wee bungalows seen in fairy tale art prints, and use it to stow your dirty lawn mower!  The only downside is that now you have even more options to try to choose from when considering a backyard structure!  Oh well, you’ll just have to get more than one!

Hazel.

There are tons of projects for us to do, in and around our homes; but, at least, we get to work with houses that already exist.  Imagine the monumental challenges that our earliest ancestors faced, when, surrounded by wilderness, they had to construct various forms of shelter from whatever was at hand.

Many of those who weren’t lucky enough to find caves to live in (the “high society” crowd), made huts from wood and branches, while others draped animal skins over wooden frameworks, or used the bones of mammoths for the skeletal (literally!) structures, then covered them with the skins.  In any case, it took a lot of effort to build even the most makeshift abode.

Even so, it wasn’t long before people began adding on rooms to these modest dwellings, and furnishing them with chairs and tables that had been crudely fashioned from rocks, wood, and branches.  Outdoor furniture, I guess, was anything that was found lying around on the ground.  Perhaps a felled tree could have been used as a lounge chair, a smooth rock, as a garden bench (or, if it teetered on an uneven surface, a rocker), and an animal pelt tied between two trees, as a hammock, a hammock chair, or even a porch swing.

Naturally, people quickly began accumulating more possessions, in an attempt to keep up with the Joneses – or, the Oggs, as the case may have been.  Then, because of the apparently innate compulsion of the human race to hoard things, even when there’s no place to put them, the first storage sheds were created; and, like many homes, and some inhabitants thereof, they were nothing but skin and bones.

Throughout the ages, they have really fleshed out, appearing in many forms and materials, in virtually every culture, evolving into the good old backyard structures that we’ve all come to know.  In the 21^st century, however, apparently unsatisfied with being used only for storage, the shed has once again changed the way it is perceived in society.

Today, there are several styles of sheds, made from vinyl, cedar, and pine, available with features that include skylights, insulation, window boxes, and dozens of colors of siding and roofing.  Along with their impressive, new looks, garden sheds are taking on daring new roles, as home offices and gyms, studios, playhouses, guest rooms, and hobby rooms.  In fact, because they have proven that they can successfully serve all of these purposes, and many more, sheds have become almost as popular as gazebos.

It just goes to show that great things can happen when you’re courageous enough to shed your old image.

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Every year, thousands of people are discovering that sheds are good for a lot more than just storage.  Furthermore, because we offer them in so many attractive designs, with tons of features, including various kinds of flooring, walls, and windows, steel doors, cupolas, lofts, vents, skylights, shutters, flower boxes, and several types and colors of shingles, trim, and siding, they can be just as beautiful as gazebos, cabanas, pool houses, and sunrooms. 

At GazeboCreations.com, you can get a pre-designed package, or customize your own gable, saltbox, hip roof, or barn-style shed in just a few steps.  While you’re waiting for your easy-to-assemble kit to arrive, you’ll want to make sure that your chosen building location is properly prepared.

As long as your site is fairly level, you shouldn’t have any problem getting it ready, because the shed will be sitting upon 4 x 4 runners.  If necessary, you can use bricks, concrete blocks, or pressure treated lumber (2 x 4, 2 x 6, or 4 x 4), cut to about 8”, as shims, to level it. Each runner should contact either the ground or the leveling materials at each end, and at least one point in the middle.     

It’s okay if it’s not perfectly level, because a slight grade will help with drainage; and using shims to level the shed will maintain a steady flow of air beneath it, which is important for keeping the inside dry.  For the same reason, if you want to put skirting around the bottom, it’s best to use lattice, or another ventilated material. 

Now, if the ground is too uneven, it can compromise the stability of the shed.  If it’s less than 24” out of level, you can still shim it, using concrete blocks, but make sure that the ground beneath the piers is level, and that each runner has at least four points of contact. 

If it’s more than 24” out of level, you’ll have to use 6 x 6 posts, cemented into the ground.  The rule of thumb is that for every foot the post is above ground, at least half of that length should be underground, which means that if it’s 5’ above ground, 2½’ should be in concrete.  Check your local codes, however, as they may require posts to be a minimum depth that is equal to the “frost line,” which varies among climates.      

If you want to dig out a level spot instead of using posts, make it 12” to 24” larger than the shed’s perimeter, to give yourself enough room to build.  If the area is more than a few inches deep, taper the slope of the ground, and plant grass, or put in a retaining wall, so that the ground won’t cave in against the shed. 

Once you’ve prepared your site, you’d also better prepare your sight, because our sheds are so eye-poppingly gorgeous, that you may have to hang onto those eyeballs!

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Things in the world are changing so fast that we can’t seem to go a day without hearing about something being the “new” something else.  All of a sudden, 40 is the new 20, 60 is the new 40, 80 is the new 60, bald is the new hairy, fat is the new thin, geeky is the new cool, left is the new right, up is the new down, and on is the new off.  Whew!

Whether or not any one of these is true – or even makes sense – this trend clearly indicates a struggle to alter images, attitudes, and ideas about people, products, animals, and, well, nearly everything else.  In a way, it’s encouraging to see that society is becoming less inclined to cling to out-dated notions and, perhaps, is even willing to let go of long-held stereotypes; and, no doubt, there have been some dramatic changes.  

One of the biggest revolutions has been in the world of outdoor structures.  Take the shed, for instance, which has certainly had its share of image problems.  At one point, according to many old movies and TV shows, it was a dreadful place where parents took their kids to punish them.  More recently, it has been perceived as a crumbling backyard building – often having a leaky roof, and uneven doors that are secured by a rusty latch and a padlock – that is used strictly for storing lawn mowers, tools, folding chairs, hammocks, outdoor furniture cushions and covers, fertilizer, and countless miscellaneous items. 

That is no longer the case, however.  These days, the shed is enjoying a newfound status as a beautiful and versatile building that can serve dozens of purposes.  This upgraded standing is thanks, in large part, to GazeboCreations.com, where you can customize your own cedar, pine, or vinyl shed.  Just choose the style – barn, saltbox, hip roof, or gable – the size, and the material you want, then select from a menu of options that includes several colors of siding, trim, shingles, and shutters, various window styles and types of flooring, cupolas, vents, skylights, and window boxes.  You can also build a gazebo, sunroom, cabana, or pool house using the same method.

These durable, multi-talented sheds have inspired several “new” expressions, which vary from person to person.  Because these buildings are being used in so many different capacities, you’ll hear people claiming that the shed is the new spare room, home office, home gym, weight room, laundry room, artist’s studio, playhouse, pottery room, potting hut, hobby room, supply room, or greenhouse, just to name a few. 

But, because the possibilities are endless, we’ll just simplify things by saying that the shed is the new “it” building.

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

These days, everywhere you turn, someone is getting a makeover and/or competing for some kind of prize.  In fact, these contests have becomes so widespread that they no longer involve only humans, as animals, and even buildings, are getting new looks.  That’s what’s happening now in the world of backyard structures, as they vie for the “Most Popular” title; and, among the contenders, the pool house is making a big splash. 

Although it has been on the scene for years, there is a new wave of interest in it, sparked by a spectacular makeover that has given the structure many extremely desirable new traits.  Now, besides being as practical as it is beautiful, it very deftly combines the best characteristics of its competitors, the gazebo and the garden shed.

Indeed, the pool house is not only as drop-dead gorgeous as a gazebo, but it is available with the same highly sought-after options, such as finished walls and ceilings, screened floors, cupolas, skylights, double-paned, shuttered windows, insulation, and steel doors. 

It also has quite an extensive wardrobe, which includes a rich, luxurious cedar coat, as well as vinyl siding in several luscious colors.  To top it off, the pool house also sports over a dozen colors of durable shingles, as well as a cedar shake roof, and accessorizes with eight shades of trim.    

Another of its many attractive attributes is its willingness to be seen in a less-than-glamorous role, as it performs all of the same duties as a shed, holding safe anything and everything that a person can to stuff into it, without losing its composure.  It also acts as the quintessential cabana, where people can change into and out of their swimwear.  Furthermore, just like gazebos and sheds, pool houses can be furnished with beautiful porch chairs, settees, lounges, and accent tables, and used year-round as spare rooms, guesthouses, home offices, entertainment rooms, or anything else that one wishes to make of them.

At GazeboCreations.com, you can customize your own pool house in a few, easy steps.  You can create as many as you want, dress them up any way you like, and save them to your own, personal gallery, where you can compare them side by side and choose your favorite.  As a matter of fact, you can do the same with their gazebos, sheds, cabanas, and sunrooms.  The best part of all is that, no matter which one you select, you’ll be picking a winner!

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy