10 Ways to Revamp Your Garden Shed
Give your backyard structure a little TLC and reap the rewards
Many of us need a space in the garden to store tools and furniture, but often our sheds end up standing cluttered and unloved in the corner. You can change that by following these nifty tips for jazzing up your shed and making sure it’s a storage space to celebrate.
2. Dress it up. If you’re stuck for space, make sure your shed is very much a part of the garden. Having window boxes, hanging baskets, containers and a framework for climbing plants around it will prettify your shed while showing off your green thumb.
A verdant living wall camouflages the side of this shed. This can help insulate a building and maintain a lower temperature inside. Living walls can be expensive to construct and have specific maintenance requirements, so do your research beforehand.
This approach is ideal if you feel that your shed is less than beautiful since the plants will distract the eye from the structure and, in time, disguise it. It also makes sense to use every available space, especially if your garden is small.
A verdant living wall camouflages the side of this shed. This can help insulate a building and maintain a lower temperature inside. Living walls can be expensive to construct and have specific maintenance requirements, so do your research beforehand.
This approach is ideal if you feel that your shed is less than beautiful since the plants will distract the eye from the structure and, in time, disguise it. It also makes sense to use every available space, especially if your garden is small.
3. Control clutter. Many sheds are undone by their untidiness. Too often we use them to store things we don’t want lying around the house but can’t bear to get rid of. In time, it’s almost impossible to find the tools you need, and the prospect of sorting it all out seems much too daunting.
With a small space, you have to keep on top of any clutter before it becomes a problem. Be disciplined about storing just the things that actually belong in a shed, such as garden tools, pots or power tools.
With a small space, you have to keep on top of any clutter before it becomes a problem. Be disciplined about storing just the things that actually belong in a shed, such as garden tools, pots or power tools.
4. Go modern. If you have a streamlined, contemporary style of garden, it makes sense to ensure that your shed enhances that look.
Here, the shed is clad in cedar slats to match the fencing, bringing a clean, harmonious feel to the garden.
Cedar is an excellent choice of wood since, if left untreated, it fades to a delicate silver finish over time. A stronger-colored wood may have overwhelmed the design.
Here, the shed is clad in cedar slats to match the fencing, bringing a clean, harmonious feel to the garden.
Cedar is an excellent choice of wood since, if left untreated, it fades to a delicate silver finish over time. A stronger-colored wood may have overwhelmed the design.
5. Promote harmony. A shed, like any feature, always works best when it looks as though it belongs there. This one perfectly suits the garden in which it’s placed. Its traditional shape, natural color and the way the garden has been designed to lead the eye toward the shed all create a harmonious composition.
Try to avoid a situation where the shed looks like an afterthought. It’s best to incorporate it fully in your garden plan from the outset.
Try to avoid a situation where the shed looks like an afterthought. It’s best to incorporate it fully in your garden plan from the outset.
6. Keep it simple. This potting shed may be unassuming, but the combination of natural materials and colors is a winner.
This look is ideal for those on a budget. The key principles of good design become even more important in a modest space: Maximize light, ensure that it works for its intended purpose, avoid clutter and keep it simple.
By making the space uncomplicated and balancing the workaday elements with splashes of color and greenery, you can create a shed you’ll be happy to spend time in.
This look is ideal for those on a budget. The key principles of good design become even more important in a modest space: Maximize light, ensure that it works for its intended purpose, avoid clutter and keep it simple.
By making the space uncomplicated and balancing the workaday elements with splashes of color and greenery, you can create a shed you’ll be happy to spend time in.
7. Consider custom. Sometimes it’s worth getting a tailor-made solution. This shed was custom-built as part of a garden redesign. It’s hard to imagine an off-the-shelf structure working so well.
The advantage of this approach is that you can specify the exact size and shape of the shed to meet your storage requirements, and you can ensure that it fits in seamlessly with the rest of your garden.
The advantage of this approach is that you can specify the exact size and shape of the shed to meet your storage requirements, and you can ensure that it fits in seamlessly with the rest of your garden.
8. Grow a green roof. This shed has more than a living roof — it also has a vegetable garden and a bathtub for soaking in after all that heavy digging!
Green roofs have lots of benefits. They absorb rainwater, provide insulation and create a habitat for wildlife. They also help mitigate the island heat effect (when roofs absorb heat during the day and release it at night when the environment should be cooling down) since they absorb less heat.
However, a shed needs strong structural support to withstand the weight of a living roof. Get a professional to advise you on the precise requirements for your design.
Green roofs have lots of benefits. They absorb rainwater, provide insulation and create a habitat for wildlife. They also help mitigate the island heat effect (when roofs absorb heat during the day and release it at night when the environment should be cooling down) since they absorb less heat.
However, a shed needs strong structural support to withstand the weight of a living roof. Get a professional to advise you on the precise requirements for your design.
9. Go stylish on the inside. This beautifully designed interior shows that it’s possible to create a stylish shed.
Apply the same rules you’d use when designing a room in your home. Coordinated storage in wood and plywood plus a strong but limited color palette are used here to great effect.
A simple framework using pegboards creates an extremely flexible storage system.
Apply the same rules you’d use when designing a room in your home. Coordinated storage in wood and plywood plus a strong but limited color palette are used here to great effect.
A simple framework using pegboards creates an extremely flexible storage system.
10. Make it dual-purpose. As well as fulfilling the usual functions of a shed, this one incorporates storage space for keeping logs dry. You could also use the space for storing terra-cotta pots in a frost-free environment over the winter months.
Another way to make your shed dual-purpose is to create a bug hotel containing various-size compartments where creatures such as bees, lacewings and newts can hibernate over the winter in a warm and safe environment.
More
How to Add a Living Wall
How to Install a Green Roof
Hardworking Pegboard Keeps Things Organized
Another way to make your shed dual-purpose is to create a bug hotel containing various-size compartments where creatures such as bees, lacewings and newts can hibernate over the winter in a warm and safe environment.
More
How to Add a Living Wall
How to Install a Green Roof
Hardworking Pegboard Keeps Things Organized
Use exterior paint to dress it up. This blue-gray shade works beautifully with the surrounding green foliage and the gray of the galvanized containers. The restrained color palette makes the scene feel natural and restful, while the orange chair brings zing to the scheme.