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Choosing a Site for Your New Storage Shed

The Best Location to Erect Your Storage Shed

Choosing a site for your storage shed will depend upon a number of factors, not the least of which is what you are intending to store inside it. An outdoor shed generally represents a reasonable amount of expenditure so you will want to locate it in such a way as to maximize its life, insofar as it is possible to do so. Another important consideration is the layout of your yard or garden and whether or not you want the shed to be visible or largely invisible, as well as the terrain of any proposed location.

Materials

Starting with the obvious, it’s important to note that storage sheds are generally made of hard plastic resin, although of course wood and metal are also used depending on buyer preference. Now hard plastic resin is strong and designed to withstand most weather conditions, however it is only common sense to ensure you don’t locate the shed directly underneath trees that are likely to drop heavy branches onto it. The same goes for metal and wooden sheds. You will naturally want to avoid this type of location in the interests of prolonging the useful life of your shed.

Size and Shape

The size and shape of your outdoor shed will also be important as to where in your yard you intend to locate it. If you have a very small shed that is designed to hold your trash cans, you will likely want to locate it reasonably close to your house and not at the far end of your yard where it might be inaccessible for its purpose. Some sheds are rectangular in shape while others are square and some will have side, front or top opening doors. You will need to take this into consideration before you purchase the shed so that you don’t have a problem when it is delivered. Are you intending to put in a pool or extend your house in the near future? It’s worth a thought before you settle on a final location for your shed.

Purpose

Outdoor storage sheds are used for a variety of purposes and this can impact your choice of site for locating it. Some folks will want to store pool equipment in the shed, while others might want to store garden tools in there. You might have a separate shed for each or perhaps one, large, multi-purpose storage shed. Alternatively, you might want to use it as a place where you can affect small repairs and use it as a small workshop, for example. Need to store kid’s bikes and/or toys? This too will influence where you decide to locate the shed. It doesn’t hurt to think ahead a little either.

Flat Terrain Always

Regardless of the site you have in mind, the most important criteria for choosing a site to locate your outdoor storage shed, is the terrain. It must be flat and if not, you will need to make it so. Even though most sheds will come with flooring of some description, they need to sit on a perfectly flat surface. This is because the clip lock construction, where pieces literally snap together to create the finished shed, will not work properly if the shed is sitting on uneven ground. Many people find their shed will not clip together and it is generally a problem with the ground not being perfectly flat, rather than an issue with the shed.

Visible or Invisible

Some people are pretty choosy when it comes to how their yard looks and others aren’t. If you fall into the first category you will need to decide if you want your storage shed to be seen or not. These days though, storage sheds are generally neutral in colour with white window trim and some even have a skylight. This being the case, the neutral colors and the overall design of the shed will blend seamlessly into the garden environment. If you don’t want your shed to be visible, you will want to locate it out of your line of sight behind bushes or trees.

Conclusion

You need to think about and decide where you are going to locate your storage shed before you buy it in order to avoid possibly having to return it. An outdoor storage shed is a heavy item and you won’t want to be manhandling it any more than is absolutely necessary. So take heed of the above tips before you buy and you should have no problem with the final location of your shed.

How to Maintain Your Garden Tools

Keep you Garden Tools in Top Shape

There are any number of tips and tricks about how to maintain garden tools, but probably one of the main things to consider is how you look after them. Yes, they need to be cleaned, dried, sharpened, oiled and mended, but most importantly, they need to be properly stored. Leaving them lying around the yard won’t help with longevity no matter how many times you sharpen and mend. So the underlying factor in maintaining those often expensive garden tools is quite simply, proper storage.

Rain and Damp

This is a big factor in proper storage of your tools. If you store them in a rain and damp free zone, you are actually ensuring that rust is largely avoided. Even when no rain is on the horizon, moisture in the form of wet grass can be enough to start rust if you are in the habit of leaving tools outdoors in the yard. The simple act of storing your tools in an outdoor shed will go a long way towards maintaining your garden tools. If you take this a step further and create a place with a label for all your tools, it will help you to not only keep track of them, but act as a prompt to put them in the place you have specially created.

Storage Options

You can organize a system of hooks, shelves and storage baskets for your tools as a way of keeping them off the ground inside your shed. A hanging rack for example, is a good way to store long handled tools in a small space and will also aid in the prevention of damaging edges you might have painstakingly sharpened. If you are in the habit of glancing around your shed and notice there is a blank space where a particular tool should be, you will automatically be alerted to the possibility of a tool which is still somewhere in the yard.

Hanging Baskets

These work really well for storing small tools such as clippers, trowels and shears for example, or you could use a shelf and label where each tool sits. Things like nozzles and connectors for garden hoses will never become lost if you have a handy basket to store them in and the plastic won’t crack and break from constantly being left out in the weather.

Other Maintenance Tasks

While appropriate storage of your tools will in itself prove to be a major maintenance activity, you will still need to do a few minor tasks to maintain your garden tools and keep them in good condition. The most obvious of these is to make sure they are clean and dry when you put them away. You can hose the dirt off easily enough, but you should also dry them off as well with an old towel or a rag kept specifically for the purpose. This also applies to small tools like shears and pruners which may also need a wipe down with turpentine to remove any sap from the blades.

It doesn’t take much for rust to take hold of metal garden tools so a preventative spray with a protective rust proof coating is also handy. A little linseed oil will also work wonders on the wooden handles of your tools to prevent them drying out and cracking. And yes, keeping pruners sharp will always ensure they do the job for you.

Conclusion

If you maintain your garden tools, they should last you a long time and keeping them out of the weather in a garden shed is the best thing you could possible do. Following up with a little cleaning, oiling and sharpening will put the finishing touch on your garden tool maintenance efforts.

Maximize the Space in Your Storage Shed

An outdoor storage shed can be a big investment and you will want to get the most out of your money by maximizing the storage space. You can do this by organizing your storage shed with shelving, hooks and peg board to keep things on the wall and free up floor space for larger tools and equipment.

Your house isn’t the only structure you should think about about when it comes to spring cleaning. What about that outdoor storage shed? If your yard is ready for a spring or summer improvement and possibly new plants, you’ll be spending a lot of time in your outdoor shed during the coming summer months. Take a few minutes and sweep out the debris that has collected, clean tools and equipment, organize any tools or smaller items that may be strewn about and evaluate how you can increase your floor space.

CHECKLIST

Think about the following shed storage accessories to maximize your storage shed space.

Peg Strips – Use these handy strips to hang all types of equipment in all sizes from scissors to shovels.

Shelving Units – Use shelving units to keep smaller items organized. Shelves also help keep fertilizers and other chemicals out of reach of children and dry. You can also take advantage of the corners of your shed with handy corner shelves.

Bike Hook – A bike hook can be used to suspend your bike from the ceiling or wall freeing up a tremendous amount of space and making the bike easier to access.

I’m sure you will feel much better once you have everything organized in your shed, I know I do, this also makes things easier to find. I hope this article helped you with some organizing ideas for your outdoor shed.

Storage Shed Reviews

STORAGE SHED REVIEWS OVERVIEW

Welcome! If you are in the market for a new Storage Shed you have come to the right place. I have created this website to give detailed and thorough reviews of the top rated storage sheds currently available on the market. With many models to choose from, it can be a daunting task to figure out which shed will work best for you.

Where do you keep your yard and gardening tools, or maybe your car or riding lawn mower? Some people leave their tools in a side yard – no cover, no security – nothing! Would you do that? You may have hundreds, if not thousands of dollars invested in your equipment. Well a storage shed is the perfect place to store all of your valuable equipment. The storage sheds I review on this site are easy to erect, secure, come in many different sizes from small boxes to sheds large enough for cars and the sheds are also easy to maintain.

There are many different brands and types of storage sheds on the market. Each has their advantages and disadvantages depending on size and storage requirements you need. I know when I first started researching storage sheds I had no idea of the difference between metal, wood or polyurethane model, for example and the advantages of each, but after doing some in-depth research about sheds I can share my knowledge with you.

I have spent many hours and days compiling this detailed information so you don’t have to. This is your one-stop-shop when it comes to finding the best storage sheds. Read all of the reviews and compare and contrast different features so you can easily find a product that will meet and exceed your needs and expectations. I have also broken down the sheds by price as some are looking for the perfect storage solution within your budget.

In order to make your shopping experience easier, I am going to provide you with an in-depth review for a number of different sheds. Under each review you will find details on the product design, features, pros and cons, and actual consumer reviews to help give you a clear understanding of how the product will fit your situation. I will also provide a link to the best online price I found along with free shipping options when available.