ShedBuilder’s Outdoor Storage Sheds

I have received questions from several readers asking what I think about office sheds. Several times before I have written that you can use your outdoor storage shed as a garden office, and I have written about office shed too, but now it’s time to explore this idea a bit more deeply.

In most cases we will talk about using the shed as a home office. It’s not uncommon for companies to use sheds as well, but the companies will probably outsource the design and solution taking process to a construction company. Unlike that, people who work from home (maybe you are one of them?), will most probably be looking for a simple affordable solution. Some will ever want to build their shed themselves.

The Reasons To Have An Office Shed

The main reason why you would want to work from a shed is lack of space. If you don’t have a special room in your house for your home office you probably have to work from the bedroom or the living room. That’s not good at all - besides the fact you are going to lack space, you are going to have a lot of distractions. I know this from experience - working in the bedroom it’s quite tempting to go to bed instead of doing some work.

Another reason to build an office shed is that you just want to work outside, closer to the nature in the backyard. A nice wooden shed with a couple of windows will let you feel much more comfortable than sitting in a basement.

Office Shed Requirements

There are no special requirements for office sheds except it to be wooden. Plastic or metal will not let you feel comfortable and be productive. There are some other recommendations that I wrote about earlier.

One thing I have missed to say is that your green office will probably need an internet and phone line. The best way is to use wireless connections, but in case you want to use land lines, make sure you don’t cut them when working in the garden. It’s very easy to forget about the phone cable when digging around a bush.

Don’t be afraid to just go ahead, buy or build a shed and give your new home office a try. Even if you decide not to use it later, you can always change its purpose to a guest house or storage space.

Build Yourself

One of the best way to save a lot of money is to build your outdoor storage shed yourself. Of course if you choose this route you will trade money for time and efforts. But most people who have built their sheds will tell you it’s more fun than efforts - and I would agree with that.

You can find economical plans, pick materials and even use ones from an old shed. If you have the basic woodworking tools (assuming you are going to build a wooden shed), you should have no problem to get your small garden building up there in a week or two.

If you want to know more, read how to build a garden shed.

Get A Small Steel Shed

This is what most people on budget do. They just go and pick the cheapest shed they can find - usually those are small 4×4 feet steel sheds. This is an acceptable option - finally you will have a shed for just few hundred bucks. If you just want to store some things out there, it’s fine.

However I am not a big fan of this idea. The shed may be a simple building, but it’s still a building. Moving and replacing are time and money consuming actions and are you sure you will still like this shed few years later? Chances are you will need a bigger one or will at least want it a better looking. So, unless you are in a hurry to have a shed and are very short in money (and cannot build yourself), better don’t buy the smallest and cheaper one.

Spend More Time Researching And Less Money Buying

It sounds very simple and yet most people skip doing it and rush into buying the first shed they liked. There is a huge difference between the prices of the sheds, the quality and the design. A careful research will let you pick the optimal shed for you.

It’s very important to know that some shed are designed to be economical. They may be better in storage and functionality than other more expensive sheds, but still be cheaper. This is possible, because they are designed with less bells and wishes but also less waste of materials. The construction of such sheds is simpler therefore they are easier for building for the producers, which leads to the lower price.

So if you want an economical shed but still want it good and functional, the best thing to do is to find plans for economical sheds (such plans will let you build easier and with no material waste) and built it yourself. Are you game?

The plastic outdoor storage sheds were not very popular in the last few years mostly because people didn’t know much about them. Now you can see a vinyl or fibreglass shed pretty often in people’s backyards. Now enough gardeners know about the plastic shed advantages so they no longer avoid this materials.

Plastic Outdoor Shed Advantages

One of the best things about this kind of sheds is the easy support. They are absolutely maintenance free - besides some cleaning, nothing else is required. They don’t rot or rust, don’t get dark with the time and don’t lose strength due to the weather condition changes.

The fibreglass storage sheds can even keep good isolation from the outside temperature so your stuff doesn’t get too hot or cold when weather changes.

These sheds are looking great and usually are cheaper than similar timber sheds. On top of all said above, plastic sheds are very light so they can be moved easily and don’t need very robust foundation.

Plastic Outdoor Shed Disadvantages

There are really very few disadvantages of the vinyl and other plastic storage sheds. Maybe the most important one is that they are not appropriate for large models that you want to use as green house/summer office.

For anything else plastic or vinyl is a very good choice for material. Not much to argue here.

Where To Find Good Plastic Outdoor Sheds And Shed Kits

If you go to Google and search for “plastic outdoor sheds” you will find thousands of results. The problem is you won’t get the best ones on the first page. Finding really good plastic shed requires some research. Here is what you must have in mind:

• The shed price. Don’t pay more than several hundreds unless the shed is really large and cool. Some plastic sheds cost a bit more than a thousand dollars, but these are only the large and complex ones. You can find a simple small plastic shed for $200 - $400 or even less.
• Processing time. No matter if you purchase online or offline, it may take some time to get your shed delivered. Don’t buy from stores that take a month or so to deliver. I’ll show you a store which does it faster.
• Seller’s reputation. Willing to save some money, sometimes we buy very low quality products. Don’t buy from store that you never heard before. Pick a reputable provider like Amazon and you won’t regret.

I already mentioned the most reputable supplier. Amazon is the best place to buy plastic storage sheds or plastic storage shed kits - just pick some and go ahead.