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The humble garden shed is a must-have item that does not deserve the respect it deserves. We buy them, turn them into a just a dumping ground, fill them full of junk, garden tools, garden furniture, tool storage and then ultimately neglect them until they rot and fall apart, which is a serious waste of one of life’s great spaces.
Whether you have a big shed or small shed, it will sit proudly in your garden, doing the job it was made for, and it could be so much better. A lick of paint will go a long way to spruce up your garden shed and protect it from the elements, so why not get into the great outdoors and show your own shed the love it deserves and turn it from an eyesore into a garden room?
The History Of The Garden Shed
As you would imagine, it was The Egyptians that first recorded the use of a shed-like structure used for a storage space of mainly straw and hay used to feed livestock, but the first actual mention of the garden shed in the UK was way back in 1481 in which it was written “shadde where in were six grete dogges”
While it sounds like a modern-day kennel, the word shed derives from the Old English shadde, shad or shedde.
Is It A British Thing?
Whilst the garden shed is synonymous with the quintessential English garden, it is not only the British who enjoy having a shed for all types of garden storage. American, Australians and The Dutch are other garden shed lovers, to mention a few.
That said, an estimated 9.6 million people own a garden shed in the UK, and the most common size is 8ft x 6ft.
Not to be confused with a summer house or man cave, the humble garden shed is half shed and half British icon. Whether your current shed needs attention or the new shed you are about to purchase is looking for great garden shed ideas we have all bases covered for you.
What Is The Definition Of A Shed?
The true dictionary definition of a garden shed does not do this loveable structure any justice at all.
“A shed is a small building that is used for storing things such as garden tools.”
To many of those 9.6 million UK garden shed owners, this gets far from what their garden shed means to them. Some will use it solely for its specified purpose, but a growing number of us use their sheds for so much more.
Whatever you use the garden shed for, here are ways to transform it back to its former glory and beyond.
Lick Of Paint
The easiest and most effective way to rejuvenate your garden shed is to paint it. You can use specific timber treatments that will not only enhance the look of the shed but will actively protect it against the harshest of weather conditions.
Panting the interior shed wall in white will invoke plenty more natural light which opens up the possibility of using the shed into the twilight hours of the day if you need to.
These are available in a wide range of colours, so there will be one out there to suit everybody.
Light Her Up
Adding a simple and affordable set of solar-powered lights will brighten up your shed and give it a warm, slightly magical look after dark. Solar lights are relatively inexpensive, easy to install and simple to maintain.
Why not add colour if you feel bold, or stick to a warm white that will enhance the way your beautiful garden shed looks?
Reorganise
Reduce the clutter by tidying up your garden shed. Tools can be mounted onto the walls; boxes can be used to store loose items, and cupboards can act as storage and a worktop area. Using every available bit of space will turn your shed into the multi-purpose outdoor building it was designed for.
Planting
How many sheds sit in the corner of a garden or crookedly on a patch of grass, looking sorry for themselves? Making your garden shed look pretty will enhance the overall look and style of the whole garden. Placing flowerpots, a window box, climbing plants up against them, or hanging some trellis with colour will transform that humble garden shed into a living work of art.
Potting Shed
For the keen gardeners out there, what better way to use your garden shed than to turn it into a potting shed? While away the hours germinating beautiful and colourful plants that will go into your garden to make it look and feel extra special. it creates additional storage space for plant pots and is a good use of a small area.
Decking And Paving
Turning your garden shed into something other than its original purpose may seem frivolous, but with the addition of decking or stone paving, it can remain as a shed whilst giving you some space around it to enjoy your garden. Some may call it a terrace and others a veranda, but whatever you name it, the decking can double up as a seating area for you and your family to enjoy.
Garden Shed Bar
Talking of frivolous uses for a garden shed, the garden bar is about as far away as a shed could be. Nobody said that garden shed ideas had to be dull. That said, it is already a covered room in your garden, so why not take advantage of the fact you can use it (with Heaters) all year round? Adding heating, bar equipment, a fridge, glasses, and pub memorabilia will easily transform the humble garden shed into a little hideaway that is perfect as a family entertainment space.
Summer House
If you no longer need the garden shed to store tools, bicycles and the assorted clutter we all seem to accumulate, then why not make it a focal point and turn the shed into a beautiful summer house? Kit it out with luxurious creature comforts such as soft furnishings, sofas and tables and even some bunting, so you can enjoy your garden in all weathers.
Installing windows for extra natural light will allow the fresh air in and adding pastel paint to soften the exterior of the shed walls will work even on a small shed. Putting in double doors for easy access to give you an illusion of extra space and help it feel separate from the main house.
The Garden Shed Home Office
With so many more of us working from home and limited space inside the house, why not turn the shed into a home office? Adding an ethernet cable and some power will completely transform your working environment. If you want to use it all year round, then proper insulation will be needed, but as you will not need to apply for planning permission, you will have an entirely new outdoor room as part of your property.
In Conclusion
If you are already lucky enough to own a garden shed, then why not make the most of this most underrated room in your house? Spruce it up, tidy it up or change it up to something that suits you and your family’s needs.
A garden shed can also be seen as an investment into your home as the range in price from £350 up to £3500 depending on the size, so if you do use any of the ideas suggested here, you could be adding another room to your home at a fraction of the cost a new extension.
Even a tiny garden will lend itself to a newly transformed garden shed so it makes sense to spend some time, money and attention to this wonderful piece of outdoor space and give it a new lease of life.
There is nothing stopping you transforming and upgrading your garden shed yourself either, you can add some sliding doors, install an extra window for natural light, make a green roof that will sustain wildlife, or cover the shed walls in pictures or artwork as the beauty of any of these garden shed ideas is that you get to choose.
Whatever you do use your garden shed for just remember if you look after it and treat it well it could be part of your life for many years.
