Most homes do not provide enough storage as a family grows. Instead of filling your house with clutter consider building a durable shed in the backyard. Before you begin the project you will need to determine the size of the shed, where it will be located, and what type of materials to use.
Select the Size of the Shed
Calculate how much stuff you want to store in your sheds or garages before buying building materials. Determine if you want to store the lawn mower, the kids bikes, Christmas decorations, etc in the shed. You will also need to consider your budget and how much you can afford to spend.
Determine the Location
Before building your shed decide where you are going to place it in the yard. It needs to be on level ground and away from low areas where there will be standing water. Do not build it too close to trees or shrubs. Make sure the shed is convenient for carrying items to and from the house and moving the lawnmower and bikes in and out.
Choose the Materials
Deciding which building materials to use for your shed or garage depends on how much time you want to spend on maintenance. Many homeowners are now building sheds out of plastic or PVC boards that will never rot and do not need to be painted. These materials are more expensive, but you will not need to worry about replacing or painting the shed as long as you have it. Other DIYers choose T1-11 for the sides of the shed because it is durable and works as both the interior and exterior structure. All you need to do is paint or stain the siding and it is ready to go. This material is also very affordable. If you are really on a tight budget, OSB lumber is cost efficient. While the OSB from years ago was not a great building material for outdoors, improvements made in recent years make this a material that is easy to work with. Once the walls are up you can use vinyl siding to match your home.
Overall building a shed or garages gives you plenty of extra storage space to make sure your house is clutter free. When choosing the best materials think about what will work best for your climate and how much money you want to spend.