No matter how spacious any home appears on first viewing, there always seems to come a time when additional storage space is required. This is when most people consider that some kind of a storage shed would be useful to accommodate their growing needs. At the same time it may also be true that an existing garden storage shed has to be replaced, either because it has become rotten, dilapidated with age and use or is simply too small. Either way, before setting out to look for storage sheds, you抣l find that it really does make sense to consider exactly what your needs are, both now and in the future, because all garden storage sheds can be put to a wide variety of uses from simple storage to extra play space or even an office or workshop.

For those unfamiliar with the range of storage sheds available on today抯 market, it抯 worth remembering that a garden storage shed can be obtained in any one of an enormous variety of shapes, styles and colours. In addition, it抯 easily possible to find a storage shed made from wood, steel or even plastic, plus a bewildering variety of accessories and options. Not only that, there are many specialized storage solutions available for bikes or wheelie bins for example. Moreover, because there are a very large number of distributors and retailers ?including many on-line suppliers with web sites, how do you go about choosing something that抯 right for your own budget and needs from amongst the enormous range of garden storage sheds you抣l be faced with?

Taking the practical considerations first, it抯 clear that the most important need for many homeowners is safety. So a storage shed that will mainly be used to keep household chemicals, weedkillers and flammable liquids safely away from pets and children needs to be both strong and securely lockable. A fireproof metal garden storage shed would be an excellent choice for this purpose, as well as for securely locking away valuable garden tools and machinery or other expensive items to reduce opportunities for theft. In other cases, plastic storage sheds are an excellent choice where rot-resistance is a key consideration, although it抯 fair to say that many metal and wooden garden storage sheds also offer excellent resistance to rot and corrosion.

With the accent on storage, it pays to consider your current and future needs and ensure you choose a storage shed that will have sufficient floor space and headroom and with doors that will give good access as well as good security. You should also consider windows and/or rooflights, shelving and other accessories. Many prefer the look and feel of a timber garden storage shed and it抯 fair to say that these are offered in many attractive designs that suit many home and garden styles and are easily adaptable for many uses, although they do require more maintenance than steel or plastic storage sheds. Of course both steel and plastic garden storage sheds look just right in many modern settings, but whatever you choose, look for lifetime value not lowest cost.