How to Create Backyard Shed Designs That Are Perfect for You

Building the right shed for your home is no small project. A good shed not only complements the landscape of your property but also serves a vital storage function.

Thankfully, there are various backyard shed designs and plenty of ways to customize them to meet both your practical and aesthetic needs.

Planning is the first step in choosing a backyard shed design. The second step? More planning.

Specifically, your shed design plan should focus on five factors:

• The location of your shed
• What your shed will be used for
• The internal space you’ll need
• How you want the exterior to look
• Local regulations in your area

When you account for all five factors, you’ll be able to effectively narrow in on your options of backyard shed designs.

Shed Location

Where you put your shed will impact several other shed design factors.

The most important is how big of a footprint the wooden shed can have. If you have a narrow side yard, but that’s where you want the shed — well, that’s going to limit your options.

Additionally, consider whether or not the shed will be visible from the house or to neighbors. If it is, you probably want to spend more time and effort thinking about the exterior of the shed.

Lastly, consider if your proposed location best meets the functional purpose of the shed. For example, if you’re going to store your motorcycle in it, you’ll want it to have easy access to the street. If you are from Washington and need some trees trimmed or cut down, someone like Seattle tree care professionals can help you out on that front!

Shed Functionality

The reason you are building a shed is a pretty important factor in deciding what kind you want.

A shed can be used for anything from a personal sanctuary, like a she-shed, to a practical place to store yard tools. It can even be used as a hen house (with the right design).

No matter what you want to use your shed for, you’ll want to make sure it’s designed with that purpose in mind. In some cases, it can make sense to include a loft, porch, or garage doors.

If you plan on storing a riding lawnmower or vehicle, a garage door is vital to your shed, based on its intended purpose. If you are only storing tools in your shed, a simple three-foot doorway will do the trick.

By using Countryside Barns’ Floor Plan Editor, you can test out various door and window options. The idea is to find the right balance of natural light and access to what’s stored inside.

Shed Internal Space

Establishing the internal size of your shed should be a top priority. Defining this aspect will significantly impact its functionality.

If you build a shed that’s too big, you’re wasting money. However, if the shed is too small, you’ll inevitably end up replacing it with one that actually meets your needs — which won’t be cheap.

The bigger the shed, the more it costs to build. However, given that people tend to accumulate more possessions over time, you’re better off erring on the side of slightly too big rather than too small.

One of the best ways to get a good feel for how much space you’ll really need is by using Countryside Barns’ Storage Visualizer.

This free tool allows you to place typical shed items in your dream shed to see how much space you need. There are storage totes, bicycles, mid-size cars, push mowers, and plenty of other icons that will help you visualize how the internal space can be filled.

Shed Exterior Design

If your shed is tucked behind a fence and out of sight, you don’t have to worry about what it looks like. However, that is rarely the case.

For resale reasons, as well as keeping your property looking sharp, choose from backyard shed designs that will compliment your current landscaping.

You can get a good feel for how the shed will look with Countryside Barns’ 3D View option.

Once you have the basic exterior design picked out, you’ll be able to look at adding flower boxes, gardens, river stones, and other decorative features to gently blend the practical nature of your shed into the overall aesthetic of the property.

For Your Consideration: Local Regulations

This could be a game stopper. Though it’s rare, there are some areas where you simply can’t have a shed. It’s much more common, however, for there to be some restrictions on the design or how big it is.

To steer clear of any code violations, make a quick check of city, county, and state regulations to ensure that you have the required building permit — if you need one at all.

Final Thoughts: How to Create Backyard Shed Designs That Are Perfect for You

Before you spend a dime on your shed, review all the options for backyard shed designs. Though they can be relatively straightforward structures (compared to a house), taking the time to thoroughly plan out and design your shed will make a massive difference in the long run.

In the worst situations, you end up spending money on a shed that’s unsuitable for the purpose you bought it for. The second worst possibility is when it’s an eyesore on your property.

Avoid making a shed purchase without really thinking through the entire process. By using Countryside Barns’ Floor Plan Editor, Storage Visualizer, and 3D Viewer, you’ll be able to plan out the most critical aspects of your shed for free.

Once you’ve done that, contact the backyard shed design experts at Countryside Barns so our team can help you hammer out the rest of the details.