Things you Need to Consider When Buying Outdoor Sheds
If you are planning to buy an outdoor shed, whether it is for storing garden tools or for your car spare parts, there are a lot of things you need to consider before you decide on what kind of outhouse you will buy. The most obvious factors you need to consider include the cost and the size of the outhouses, the color as well as the style. But you do not want to stop there.
A good storage shed is a great investment. Not only you will be looking at it all the time; you will be relying on it for the next ten to twenty years. Asking a lot of questions before you decide on the type or the design of the outhouse you plan to buy, will help you make the best decision possible, especially if you are thinking about long term. For more information about the outdoor cabin, you can always check outhouse building sites like http://www.3dshedplans.com for some guidance.
Quality versus price
Do not let the price of the shed be the sole factor when deciding whether you want to buy it or not. A lot of shoppers are drawn to things that have the lowest price. Who wants to buy something expensive if you can buy it at half the price, or even cheaper? Most buyers are blinded with the low cost and forgot they have other alternatives with not that expensive but also have good quality.
Outdoor cabins that have higher quality materials and made with solid construction are a good alternative to low-cost, low-quality outhouse. It will look much better and will last longer than the cheapest options in the market. Paying a few hundred bucks more for a quality outhouse is a good and smart investment. If money is your primary concern, it is best if you focus on well-built and simple storage cabins made with basic but quality materials instead of those that are made with fancy details and premium, expensive materials.
Consider your design
Most outdoor structures are not made or designed for storing things away. One essential feature of an outdoor structure is its appearance. But the usefulness is as important as the appearance of the property. Usually, the outhouse you choose should complement the design as well as the style of your house.
For example, if you have a modern-style home, your shed should have a modern design, perhaps made with metal, glass and energy-efficient materials. If your home’s style is more country, choose a design that is more rustic and features that match your property’s theme. You can also match some aspects of your home like arched doors or windows, keeping up with the same theme as your outbuilding.
Blend with the landscape
You need to think about how you can integrate your outdoor structure like the shed into the surrounding landscape of your property. You can put plants to help the outdoor cabin blend with the yard instead of sticking out like a sore thumb. You can put garden beds with annual or perennial plants around it to make it more natural. If the outdoor cabin has a wood siding, you can install trellises against its walls and plant wall crawling vine plants.
Siding and wall materials
There are at three materials you can choose from for outdoor storage sheds: metal, plastic and wood. Metal outhouses usually have a simple framework covered with a skin of factory-painted or metal coated in vinyl for both the roof and walls. Plastic cabins sometimes are vinyl (whether PVC or polyvinyl chloride) or other types of plastic. The color of the material is inherent to them, so there is no coating or paint to worry about.
Both metal and plastic outdoor outhouses come in Do-It-Yourself designed kits. Woodshed needs as much maintenance as a house like repainting, repairing rotted or damaged parts as well as refastening loose parts. Plastic and outdoor metal cabins don’t need to be painted and require as little maintenance as possible. But metal ones will experience corrosion if they are not painted or coated with a protective coating or the coating is damaged or scratched.
Metal doors and parts also suffer wear and tear over time. Out of all materials, plastic needs the least maintenance. Wood sheds on the other hand, usually have stud-framed walls like a garage or house, covered with plywood sliding. Upscale wood outdoor cabins may have sheathing made out of plywood over the stud-framed wall with conventional law siding over the plywood. Outdoor wood cabins also have roof frames made out of wood and standard roofing materials like asphalt shingles.
HOA Rules and zoning laws
Before you decide on buying an outdoor shed or settling on the size or design of the outhouse, you need to call the officials in your city to learn more about your city’s zoning law restrictions when it comes to outdoor sheds. In many places, outhouses up to a specific size (usually 120 square feet), are allowed by the city, according to the zoning laws without any prior approval.
But typically, restrictions on outdoor shed placement are very common. For example, the zoning law requires you to keep your outdoor cabin three feet from your property’s boundary. Your homeowner’s association can also impose the same restrictions. But just to make sure, you can always check with the city officials first. You do not want to buy and then install a very expensive outdoor shed only to find out later that the city or the homeowners association in your area will not allow it and you are breaking the law.
Installation: Hire a professional or Do-It-Yourself
If you prefer other people to do your outdoor shed, the best thing you can do is to choose an outdoor cabins from the local home improvement store near you, have it delivered at your doorstep and hire a professional to install it for you. But for people who don’t have the budget to hire a professional and likes to do Do-It-Yourself projects, you can order an outdoor cabin building kit with assembly instructions. Building a shed requires basic carpentry knowledge, not to mention power tools. Plastic and metal outhouses are designed for easy assembly, and at least two people can assemble it in a day.
