Every spring there is a line up at Building Supply stores or specialty stores that sell products or materials to construct outdoor storage.
This is to accommodate the miscellaneous materials that have accumulated either from moving, downsizing or extra purchases. Often this accumulation ends up in the garage and you are forced to inconveniently park your car in the driveway or on the street.
There is a lot more to a storage shed or building than simply building a box with a roof over top. Plan ahead as to what you are going to be storing in the shed, hand tools, garden tools, garden chemicals “ugg” or car parts and so on. You may find that in many cases a lot of items should have been weeded through, thrown out or donated to charity. As you start your planning do not forget to check your local city or municipal bylaws as well as your strata if you live in a complex. Regulations may govern what size you can build, what are the height restrictions, foot print size and even sometimes the materials to be used as well as what it will be used for. The bigger the structure the more potential use of adjustable racking or shelving.
I do not recommend a combo structure with a storage area and a children’s play area attached. The reason for this of course is that you don’t know what type of items you may be storing i.e. dangerous or combustible materials and/or garden chemicals, sprays or weed killers. Separate storage areas are needed for these types of materials.
Now the big question? Will the structure be wood, plastic or steel? Whether it will be a home built or a packaged type will depend on what type of cosmetic look you want in your back yard area. As a safety precaution you should consider not placing the structure away from a fence unless you are able to get behind or beside it and if so use a gate that allows for access but not a security breech. I’m sure by now you can see that there is a little more to outdoor storage than just assembling a building and sticking it somewhere on your property.
Here are some items to consider;
Wood is your best choice, you can build shelves inside, paint or stain to match your home and control entry and security.
Plastic: a lot to choose from but still plastic with no or limited ways to add shelving for best use of area to yield storage.
Metal: Similar to the previous plastic choice with the exception that it is metal and in most coastal regions salt air will cause havoc with the exterior and any movable rollers etc.
The end result of any additional storage being provided is to develop a plan, create it, build it and commit to keeping it tidy.