Storage Sheds
Storage Shed Builders in Hampton Roads
Building a new shed on your property can increase not only your home’s usefulness, but its value as well.
In this article we’ll take a look at some common types of sheds that homeowners build, and the process involved in building each of them.
There are some things that apply to any kind of shed (or other secondary structure you are building), so we’ll look at those first.
Permits
Your local building office will be able to take you through the state and local permit requirements for your new shed, as well as the fees that go along with them. It’s important to also check with your homeowner’s association to see if there are other requirements that they impose. Your new shed will probably require at least one inspection, which you’ll need to schedule with the government body in your area. In order to do this accurately, plan to head into your meeting with the building office with at least some fairly detailed plans, including a timetable for construction.
Financing
For small, simple shed designs, you’ll probably just want to pay cash for the project, as the costs alone are rarely worth the trouble or interest of a new loan payment. If, however, the cost is being folded into a larger renovation or the shed is going to be extensive or complicated, you may need to seek financing for it. If this is the case, your plans will need to be detailed and include scheduled inspections on a detailed timetable. The issuing bank may require that one of their agents be allowed to check up on the construction as it progresses to make sure that deadlines are being met and permits are up-to-date. In these instances, it’s usually a good idea to at least have a builder look over the plans and timetable to make sure they’re realistic. You’ll also want to account for possible construction delays, especially if severe weather is common where you are building.
Design
The design of your shed will obviously vary with its use, but there are some principles that apply to any secondary structure on your property. You will want to match the style and building materials of your existing home as closely as possible, in order to avoid a mis-match that could lower your property value. This can involve quite a bit of research and sourcing, so if you’re not up for playing detective tracking down building materials, you may want to entrust this to an archictect, builder, or combination of the two.
Scale is important to consider as well. While it’s easy to think “bigger is better” and build the largest shed your property can reasonably handle, it can take a visual toll on the look of your overall exterior. When secondary structures overwhelm the main structure, the resulting look is cheap and can lower property value considerably.
In making the decision about whether to use a builder, architect, or both, ask yourself some questions, and answer honestly. How much time and energy are you willing to devote to the research and to overseeing construction? Do you have a strong enough personality to direct contractors during the process? How will you handle unexpected bumps in the road, in terms of time, logistics, and money?
Storage Sheds
Storage sheds typically do not need to be climate controlled because they house things like sports gear, lawn equipment, and seasonal decorations that are designed to weather changes in temperature. The exceptions to this are if you live somewhere with extreme weather conditions or if you need to store things that are a little more delicate. Bicycles, four-wheelers, and other outdoor wheeled vehicles have tires that are somewhat sensitive to huge fluctuations in temperature, so if you plan on storing these, it will pay to research ways to keep your shed within the desired temperature range.
Organization Sheds
This type of shed is usually slightly more involved because it involves space for a person to spend time in as well. Things like potting sheds and tool sheds fall in this category, and require surfaces and lighting suitable for gardening and building activities. During the planning phase, consider whether electricity and water will need to be run to the structure, and if so, how much that will add to the project in both terms of time and money. If you are taking on the interior design yourself, spend some time looking at what layouts are common to your area and shed size. You may be able to purchase plans for the interior utility and organization systems as well, which would then allow you to only do the work of simple customization to the space.
A final consideration for any type of shed is building material. This will depend heavily on your weather and the material that your home is made of, but you may find that newer materials are available as well. If you make any drastic change from the building material of your home, it’s important to make sure you’re able to build a shed that remains in line with the style of your home aesthetically. An out-of-place outbuilding is far from the property investment homeowners wish it would be; in fact, they frequently lower the value of the home significantly. Make sure you keep this in mind when choosing materials as well as finishes.
Finally, keep in mind that without proper storage and organization, your shed could become more hazard than help. Set aside some of the budget for installing shelving, pegboard, and other organization strategies from the outset, and your new shed will be as functional as it is beautiful.