How to Design a Storage Shed

By Phil Benevides on Design

How to Design a Storage Shed

As a child I watched my grandfather and dad build the shed in our yard, that still stands there to this day. I have countless memories of getting something out of the shed for my dad or just visiting it frequently because that’s where my sports equipment and other outdoor toys were stored. If you’ve been thinking about adding a shed to your property this is a great place to start!

A Shed can be a great addition to your home and yard, providing you with practical storage for tools, lawn care products, firewood, bikes, and toys while giving your yard architectural interest IF the shed is designed and built to professional standards.

How To Build A Wood Shed

Whether you are a DIYer or a contractor working on your own home, inspiration, design, and product selection are important milestones to ensure the shed you purchase, have built, or build yourself becomes that beautiful, well built, and practical storage solution you dreamed of.

Find Inspiration

The first place to look for inspiration for a shed project is the existing structure on the property… YOUR HOUSE! The most typical design choices for constructing a shed would be to use the trim details, material choices, and proportions of your home to match the two buildings. Of course this is not the only option, but definitely a good one.

The surroundings of the shed could invoke some design choices that make the shed “fit in” it’s natural setting. Here in New England it’s almost always fitting to have a red barn style shed with a cupola. Use your region, yard space, etc. for inspiration.

How to Design a Shed 1

Still stumped? Try using LP Outdoor Building Solutions Shed Visualizer to create a look that you can use to start building your own shed, or pass on the design to your contractor. Sometimes a clear image of what the customer wants is the best place to start in regards to working with a contractor.

Determine a Design

From the inspiration gathered from your home, your yard, and resources like LP Outdoor Building Solutions you can begin to make decisions regarding the design of your shed. First and foremost you’ll want to think about size, location, and budget.

Local building codes will impact the size and location of your shed. Maximum size, set back from the street, and property line will be dictated by your town or city’s building department.

Exterior details will be what your neighbor’s drive by each day, your company sees at barbacues, and what you’ll look at everyday when you come home. The exterior of the shed, regardless of the utility of the storage space, will be the most prominent characteristic of the structure.

Building A wood storage shed

Here are some basics for matching exterior details. Use the same shingles as the home, color and style should be matched. Siding, clapboard, shingles, vinyl, etc. whatever exists on your home you should match it. These two material choices will get you 80% there. Of course you can choose complementary siding that doesn’t match exactly but fits in with the style of your home. Same goes for color, matching color is a simple way to go or use a complementary color instead.

Building A wood storage shed

The final 20% must be executed with the exterior trim details, window and door selection. If you have divided windows or paneled doors try to use a similar style on the shed. Pay attention to how the doors and windows are trimmed, by matching the moldings and style your shed will blend right into the landscape with your home. These details, the labor involved with the trim and the cost of windows and door units can have a major impact on your budget. So when considering budget, material choices are key.

Select your Materials

Materials are an important consideration when it comes to design, your choice in materials will directly impact your budget, but more importantly will impact the performance of your structure. LP Outdoor Building Solutions has some unique products specifically engineered for sheds.

How to Design a Shed 3

LP is a well known manufacturer of durable treated engineered wood siding/walls,roof and flooring products that I would recommend to the right client if designing and building a new shed. I would take a look at some of their shed specific products that can make your new shed exactly what you want it to be.

Whether or not you decide to take advantage of tailored materials, you’ll want to ensure you use pressure treated lumber and/or a rot resistant species of hardwood. Additionally, you’ll want to protect the structure from the elements. Read more about How to Build A Shed Here!

Building A Wood Storage Shed

The Summertime can often trigger symptoms that can lead you to realize a shed is the right project for your home. Too much clutter in the garage from the mower, bikes, kids toys, and your winter gear taking up space and gathering dust. Or maybe now that the weather is nice you want to take on an outdoor project, either way a shed is a great summertime project and a wonderful addition to your home and lifestyle. Check out LP Outdoor Building Solutions for YOUR shed design!

How to Design a Shed

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of LP® Outdoor Building Solutions for hfa. All opinions are 100% mine.

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About the author

Phil Benevides

Carpenter / Assistant Editor

Phil is a 28-year old Air Force Veteran who decided to transform his passion for construction and home improvement into a career. Inspired by his Grandfather who built his home from the ground up with his bare hands in Portugal, he received his formal training in Carpentry at the North Bennett Street School in Boston, MA.Phil continues to grow his skills as a carpenter and leader, while exploring new products, methods, and tools!

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