A garden shed can be much more than a place to store your gardening equipment. It can be somewhere to work on gardening projects in comfort, start seeds, use as a greenhouse space, and generally just a spot to get away and enjoy the garden for a few minutes.
Here are some helpful tips to assist you in upgrading a garden shed to become a space you love.
Install Temperature Control
One of the downsides to gardening is that you’re usually at the mercy of the weather and temperature. However, with a temperature-controlled garden shed, you can enjoy gardening tasks regardless of the weather. Popping inside a cool shed to do some potting or just have a drink of water can make gardening on even a very hot day enjoyable.
Consider installing a wall air conditioner that can both heat and cool the space affordably. A refurbished wall AC unit will only cost a couple of hundred dollars, but it can be easily installed under the window of your garden shed and keep the space as warm or cool as you like. These units work fast, so you’ll see the benefit in turning it on even if you’ll only be using the space for a few minutes.
Consider Insulating
Insulation helps to moderate the temperature so there will not be any hot and cold spots. It also ensures that you don’t lose money on wasted energy. Make sure that you seal up any cracks before you insulate to keep out pests.
Depending on the climate, you may want to insulate the floor and ceiling as well as the walls. The more insulation you install, the more affordable it will be to have temperature control in your garden shed.
Add Windows
Adding windows lets in natural light so you’ll enjoy the space more. If you’d like to, you can also make your shed into a greenhouse so you can work in the garden even in the worst weather. Using double-pane windows will help to insulate the space.
Installing windows in the ceiling lets in natural light all day long, which is important if you would like to grow anything other than houseplants.
Improve Lighting
Most of the time, garden sheds are lit by a single bulb hanging from the center of the ceiling. However, if you’d like to enjoy more pleasant ambient lighting, installing overhead lights and lamps is a great idea.
Running string lights can have a charming effect. Consider placing lights on a dimmer so you’ll be able to get just the right level of lighting for the activity you’re doing in the shed. Be sure that there are some bright shop lights for when they’re needed, but don’t rely on them all the time.
Store Things All the Way up the Wall
Chances are, you don’t have any space to spare in your garden shed, and you probably have lots of bulky but relatively light things to store. Build shelving all the way up to the roof so that you’ll have plenty of storage without taking up floor space. Make sure that when you’re installing windows, you leave some wall space for storage.
Install a Patio Area
The more you can make your shed look and feel like a little house, the more charming it will be. A patio area is a perfect way to create a homey feel at the same time as you build a functional space.
It’s helpful to use stones or bricks that knock the dirt off of your feet before you go into the shed, but also make sure that whatever you use won’t get in the way when you want to sweep out the shed.
Create the Garden Shed of Your Dreams
With only a few upgrades, your garden shed can be somewhere that you love to spend time, as well as a functional space to work and store gardening supplies. By making your garden shed much more comfortable with temperature control and insulation, as well as, adding homey touches like windows, lighting, and a patio, you’ll find that the shed becomes one of your favorite places to be. Why settle for a plain, functional shed when you could make it into something awesome?
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