Backyard garden sheds are available in many sizes, styles, and materials. Some common materials used to build backyard garden sheds are concrete blocks, wood, metal, plastic, and vinyl. Backyard garden sheds can be freestanding or attached to a house or other outbuilding.
Many backyard garden sheds are enclosed and can be locked to protect the contents from theft, and some are open on one side. Some sheds are constructed with a low ceiling, and some have high ceilings with a loft for extra storage. A garden shed can be as small as a closet, or as big as a garage. Some feature windows and skylights.
Garden sheds can be plain and functional, or decorative. Wooden and concrete block backyard garden sheds can be beautified with fashionable paint colors and shutters at the windows to give them a homey look. These types of backyard garden sheds are always built on a concrete slab, providing the perfect place to store a riding lawn mower along with rakes, shovels, and bicycles.
Wooden sheds can be the most decorative. A front door and porch embellished with window boxes filled with colorful flowers can provide an attractive entrance to a garden shed that has an oversized door in the back for ease of hauling in tools and supplies. Another option in wood is a log cabin garden shed. This type of shed will enhance the yard with a rustic feel while providing needed storage for garden supplies and equipment.
One popular style of shed is the barn. Traditionally, this style of shed was made of wood, but now it is available in metal as well. A wooden shed is often painted red, and a metal one is often made with red metal to most closely resemble a barn. Sometimes barn-style backyard garden sheds are done in the same colors as the homes nearby, but choosing a red color for a barn style of garden shed is one way to bring a touch of the country to a more urban setting.
Both metal and plastic backyard garden sheds are durable and require little maintenance, while wood requires periodic painting or staining in order to preserve the wood. Some styles of plastic sheds are modular, which allows for ease in adding an extension or adding other items such as pegboards and shelves. Plastic sheds are generally smaller than other garden sheds and used to store equipment that doesn’t take up much room.