There are a number of different choices when you are looking to purchase a Garden Shed and with all types you must consider the size and whether you will purchase a kit or have a completed shed delivered.
For the most part when you purchase a wood shed they will come pre-assembled and will most likely require only leveling of the ground or placing of concrete blocks to position the shed in its permanent place.
Most delivery companies will slide the shed off the back of a flat bed tow truck and depending on the skill of the operator they can get extremely close to exactly where you want the shed to live in your yard.
Wood sheds are durable and the exterior choices include painted T1 Siding Plywood that simulates wood siding or plywood with vinyl siding.
Windows are available and a selection of different door types to allow easy access for storing of lawn mowers or higher security.
Hand Building a wood shed is also an option.
If you need your shed located in an area that a truck would damage you can build your shed from a kit or from raw materials.
Steel or Aluminum Sheds are often delivered in a kit and installed on location. Assembling a metal shed is pretty easy and it only takes a few hand tools.
If you are assembling a steel shed you should make sure that it has a method of tie-down. Most zoning codes now require sheds to be secured in case of high wind and some metal sheds come without a floor so securing their perimeter is important.
Metal sheds are inexpensive but they will not offer the larger options. The alternative is to have a out building made with steel called a pole building. Pole buildings use wood 4×4 or larger structure skeletons and larger buildings make use of steel ibeams.
Small Utility sheds will often come with sliding doors and unfortunately the tracks that they slide on can be easily damaged.
Unlike Wood Sheds with T1 Siding you will not have to paint a metal shed for many years and often its structure will need repair long before painting is required. This is also true for sheds with vinyl siding and for polyethylene sheds.
Poly Plastic type sheds
Sheds made of poly plastic materials are often smaller storage units that are used for storing just a few items like rakes and gardening tools but in the past few years manufacturers have begun making larger units that are walk in.
These units are specifically designed for home owners to install from a kit but the kit can weigh quite a lot so you will need to have it delivered to your home and then you can move the pieces individually from your driveway to the building location with ease.
Poly sheds should not be considered high security although most sheds of any material can be broken into with ease if a determined crook wants what is inside.
Poly sheds do not normally come with windows but some larger ones may.
Because the product is plastic it will not require and may not allow painting because the paint will peal. You can expect this material to last you many years however a good wood shed should outlast a vinyl shed with no problem.
Final Thoughts
The selection of any large item in your backyard should have some consideration.
Will a truck be needed to cross your backyard and how easy is the access to the location you want the shed… will the truck damage your lawn and take years to grow back.
Do you need to have a shed that is approved by your zoning commission? If so you should check about regulation of designs and sizes that require permits. Most locations do require permits and anchoring of the shed.
Do you need a floor? Almost all wood sheds will have a raised floor which makes them nice for working in.
Do you need to work in the shed and what about ceiling heights and windows for light? Most wood sheds can have windows and have higher ceiling heights then the average metal or poly shed.
Visit your neighbors and relatives and take a look at how their sheds have survived over the years and ask them about any problems they may have had.