How To Build a Solid Garden Shed With Premium Shed Plans

Are you the type of person who can’t bear the idea of sitting around doing nothing when it’s your day off? Many of us feel that itch and we just have to have a project. If this is you, DIY is probably your best friend and you are likely blessed with a workshop full of power tools and the skills to use them. Women love you and men want to be you. For you, building a shed is a quick and easy weekend project. In fact, you could probably knock one out in your sleep, with both hands tied behind your back. For the rest of us mere mortals though, deciding to build a shed might be intimidating.

We should feel more confident however, because DIY shed construction is really not that difficult. Anyone with basic DIY skills should have no problem erecting a new shed using something like this 10X20 Gable Storage Shed Plan from 3DSHEDPLANS (click here for details of this plan and others like it, including the 6X10 lean to storage shed plan and the 12X16 gable storage shed plan).

Why Bother?

Is your home overrun with toys, sports equipment and gardening tools, or is your better half threatening to file for divorce if you don’t find a new home for your surfboard collection?

A storage shed is a perfect place to store all kinds of items that don’t need to live in the main house or garage. You can even use a larger shed to entertain guests in the summer. When painted and decorated a shed also makes a great summerhouse. Sheds are extremely useful and all gardens should have one, but what puts most people off of the idea is the mistaken belief that sheds are too “difficult” to build from scratch, so they pay a professional to erect their shed and spend a fortune in the process. When in fact, it could have been completed for much less.

The Perfect DIY Project

Building a shed is actually the perfect DIY project. You can easily erect a small lean to shed over a weekend. You don’t even need help, although help is always handy to have. As long as you know one end of a screwdriver from the other and you can use a power tool without lopping off a limb, you should be just fine. It is a great way for a father and son to spend some quality time together too.

DIY is not popular with everyone, but it is an important hobby to have. It teaches you useful skills and saves you money. If you are comfortable hanging shelves and putting together flat-pack furniture from IKEA, you should have no problem erecting a straightforward shed; you will also earn a lot of praise from friends and family, which is never a bad thing.

You Don’t Need Special Skills

Because 3D shed plans are so easy to use, they are designed with the beginner in mind. Select a plan that suits your requirements, whether you need extra storage or somewhere to store your ride-on lawnmower. You can download it as a PDF file and it allows you to open up the plan on your smartphone so that you can have it handy while you are building the shed. 3D plans are a lot easier to use than 2D drawings, because they illustrate every key step in the building process and help you visualize exactly what you need to do. This minimizes the chances of expensive mistakes. Each plan also includes handy tips to make sure you get it right first time.

Tips from the Pros

Before you start your shed-building project, take note of the following tips from the pros.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT LOCATION – location is very important when erecting a shed. If you place your shed in the wrong spot, you could end up having to move it, which is not great if you spent time and money building a suitable concrete foundation slab. Think about how you intend on using your shed and plan your site for it accordingly. If your new shed is just for garden equipment storage, it doesn’t need to be too close to the main house, but if you want to store household items or toys in there, don’t build it miles away.

The ground should be level and flat, so that spot with an old tree stump or a rocky patch at the bottom of the plot is not a good choice. Don’t select a waterlogged spot either. Timber sheds and water don’t mix and no amount of protective paint or timber treatment will keep your shed dry and free of rot if you place it on marshy ground or next to the garden sprinkler system.

DO YOU NEED POWER IN YOUR SHED? If so, consider how far away the main power source is. This is one instance where it is sensible to put your shed adjacent to the house or a garage. It is a lot easier to run a steel armored cable above ground over a couple of meters that it is to dig a trench over 20 meters long. If you need advice on power issues, talk to a qualified electrician.

Be careful how you position your shed. Check that the doors open correctly and are not blocked by a wall or tree. It sounds obvious, but plenty of people make this basic mistake when they build a shed.

Free Shed Building Plans Available!

With so many free building plans available, you will be spoiled for choice. Free 3D plans are perfect for DIY enthusiasts, but if you want a deluxe shed, go for a premium design instead. Experts design all of the plans on the 3DSHEDPLANS website, so you know they are going to work.

Check Planning Regulations

It is always wise to check planning regulations before you erect any kind of outdoor structure on your property. Homeowner Associations sometimes have special requirements and if you fall foul of them, you could end up in a lot of hot water. It is better to be safe than sorry, so if you are not sure of the rules in your neighborhood, speak to your local planning officer or HOA.

Don’t let the size of the project put you off building a new shed. With a 3D shed plan on your smartphone, you can do it no problem!

Read more...

Garden Railings: Which Material to Choose and Why You Need Them

Anyone who is a garden enthusiast knows how relaxing and invigorating it can be to walk around and appreciate lush vegetation in different seasons of the year. Maintaining a home garden is an excellent hobby because it can beautify your property and help you relieve the stresses of everyday life. Apart from the plants and flowers that adorn a garden, other things can lend a unique appeal to its appearance. For example, if you want to create sections or install a pathway, garden railings can create that illusion. Railings are also especially useful if your property has cascading garden steps.

Why do you need garden railings?

Depending on the season, garden paths and steps can be particularly slippery. If you have stone paths in your garden, you need to take extra care so that walking around your garden remains safe for everyone. Here are other reasons why you need garden railings:

•        Compliance with building codes. This will depend on the area where you live. Some building codes require that if garden paths consist of four or more rising steps, you need to install railings on the side.

•        Safety measures. Building codes are enacted mainly to ensure safety. It is wise to add garden railings along a path to prevent slips and falls due to a slippery surface or because the trail is covered with rotting leaves and other vegetation.

•        Aesthetic appeal. If you have a formal garden, or one consisting of several sections, railings add to the beauty of the area. Different styles are available to choose from such as classic wrought iron and steel. Iron garden railings often look quite sophisticated and complement flower gardens well.

Because garden railings are versatile, installing them is an excellent idea regardless of the size of your garden or whether or not you have rising garden paths and steps.

Choosing a suitable material

In selecting a material for garden rails, you need to consider weather-resistance. Since rails will be installed in open areas, these will be exposed to the elements and prone to the effects of wear and tear. You may also want to consider the ease of maintenance and how well the material withstands the added issue of plants and vines climbing over it. There are two popular choices for building garden railings:

1.   Wood. Wood is perfect when the weather condition is dry. One advantage of wood is that it is easy to assemble and install. However, eventually, wood will rot when exposed to high amounts of moisture. Apart from this, you need to work more on maintaining wood railings to make them last longer.

2.   Iron or steel. Steel is suitable for any weather condition, especially if it rains a lot where you live. Manufacturers of steel garden railings add a protective coating to prevent them from rusting. Steel railings also look quite beautiful and lend an old-world charm to any garden. Steel is strong, durable, and won’t easily break or bend.

Choosing one over the other is a matter of preference. It also depends on the look or aesthetic you wish to achieve, as well as your budget.

Image: Pixabay.com

Read more...

What Makes Fiberglass Planter Boxes Ideal For Outdoors and Indoors?

Planning to have incredible planter boxes for your deck, garden, foyer or patio? Well, the one material that stands apart from the rest is fiberglass. But, not any kind of a fiberglass planter can meet the desired standards, rather it is essential to get the fiberglass planter boxes that specializes in them and guarantees superior quality and durability.

 

Different types of fibreglass boxes available in the market:

When comes to choosing the right kind of planter boxes made from fibreglass, you need to decide the types of the boxes. Here you can find some variations of fibreglass planter boxes:

·         Large Planter Boxes: These are basically seen in commercial establishments such as hotels, restaurants and offices. Often, they are used as a form of border because of their impressive size and structure. According to the amount of space that commercial properties have you can place them almost anywhere for a stylish and elegant look.

·         Small Planter Boxes: The small planter boxes can be perfect for indoor spaces. Further, fiberglass being a strong material is able to withstand frost and can even be placed outdoors. These boxes are impeccable for modern settings and something that provide a futuristic look to the plant room or any other part of the house.

Today, you can choose fiberglass planter boxes from online shops and they are suitable for residential and commercial properties.

Fiberglass Planter Boxes For Commercial & Residential Properties

Going with fiberglass planters can offer a world of benefits and most of them are explained below, so that you are able to realize what makes them a great choice.

·         Exceptional Durability: When it's about finding the right planter boxes, people are often concerned about its durability. This is because, everyone aspires to have a beautiful and lasting planter that remains the way it is for years to come. The same can be accomplished with fiberglass planter boxes. Besides being durable, these boxes are lightweight too, allowing you to place them in an effortless manner.

·         Sturdy Design: There times when planters have to be moved from one place to another. This can be for accommodating gathers, events or the cleaning crew so that they are able to do their work. While the boxes might appear large, they are easy to move and the best part is that you can even have large plants inside them. In addition to that, the fiberglass planter boxes are sturdy too. 

·         Remarkable Finish: Most of the planter boxes crafted from fiberglass have a triple layer of paint. The multiple coatings not only aid in their durability but at the same time offer great finish to the surface too. If at all, the finish withers or loses its shine with time then the coatings can be reapplied, making the same old fiberglass planter boxes good as new. So you do not need to buy such planter boxes again and you can reuse such boxes for your decoration.

·         Affordable: fibreglass planter boxes are much affordable then other planter boxes. This means you can decorative any space just the way you want without having to worry about the expenses that will be involved. Moreover, there are many profound companies that feature great planter boxes at a good value.

 

Are Fiberglass Planter Boxes A Versatile Solution?

Fibreglass boxes are great options for indoors & outdoors and they are available in various sizes. In fact, you can also get creative with them and implement trendy ideas that would enhance the decor of the space.

Whether you want to have them for residential or commercial properties, the fiberglass planter boxes are clearly an outstanding element for every premises.

Read more...

7 Great Tips To Protect Your Eco-Garden

Photo credit: Turkus

When a chef or a family is preparing a meal, they have one thing in common. They may not agree on the ingredients, but they will agree that having a steady supply of fresh organic produce an herbs makes a huge difference in the way the meal will taste. This may explain the renewed interest in eco-gardening and growing fresh herbs.

Not only do these fresh ingredients enhance the flavor of the food it also helps to sustain a healthy life, and it is good for the environment.

Thinking of the future

Many people in our generation buy our food from the produce selection at the store. We have come to believe that this is what normal food tastes like. But an all natural eco-garden produces organic food that simply tastes better than bought at the supermarket.

With global warming, pollution, and poor water supplies, mass production of sustainable food products that are healthy will become difficult to find. Some produce in the supermarket looks very small, while some seem to be so large, there is no telling where they come from. This explain why people have begun growing their eco-gardens. As we will explain, these eco-garden will give you great tasting foods, as well as a culinary herbseed collection, to be used when those herbs are used no longer producing.

Besides having wonderful foods; you will find if more people would create an environmentally safe foods. We can reduce the carbon footprint we leave behind. Together we can help the earth, our own bodies, and the health of our children. It is time to look at what we need to do to protect our environment and sustain life.

What is an eco-garden?

An eco (ecological) garden is a garden that provides a variety of plant using all natural ingredients. An eco-garden greatly reduces our carbon footprint on the Earth. It is a way to nourish the people who depend on the Earth’s food to live, while giving back to the Earth. An eco-garden is not neatly rows of one particular plant. It is a mixture of vegetable, plant, and herb plants. It is fertilized with the plant and fruit parts you discard as compost. All types of things are added to your compost, so when it is ready to be used it returns nutrients back to the soil, from which it came. This means the land stays fertile year after year and will continue to be as long as it is cared for.

There are several ways an eco-garden can be designed. For example, some people plant tall plants that need full sunshine and in the areas between the tall plants, they plant small plants that require only partial sunshine.

Planting different plants together to help them grow

An eco-garden supports all kinds of life. It draws bees, birds, and various insects. Natural compost keeps it fertile. But, there are some insects that you want to keep away from some plants. You can naturally take care of this problem by positioning your plants. One example is to plant garlic plants next to rose bushes. The smell from the garlic will keep certain insects from eating your roses.

Letting plants just grow as they wish does not make an eco-garden.

When you are walking through an untamed field of thick grass, plants, and trees, you are not in an eco-garden. While nature will create an ecosystem to sustain the wild growth, it is not an eco-garden because it is not planted, tended, and grown by design with human hands. An eco-garden is carefully planned so that the gardener gets the desired plants, desired look, and desired benefit to the land.

Below you will find 7 tips to help you in your quest.

Tip 1

Click here for a list of plants that will survive quite well when planted close together. When you speak to your seed vendor, be sure you tell him you are fall planting so e will give you species that can handle the cold.

We recommend that you plant veggies that grow well together this time of year. It helps protect your roots, and that is important. It is equally important that you buy your seeds from a vendor that knows what he is doing. Department store seeds could be old and stored improperly. Your garden is only going to be as good as your seeds are.

Tip 2

Use compost. Table scraps, animal waste (not from a dog or cat, egg shells, and yard scraps from cutting the grass or trimming trees.  To keep the odor away, cover it with a low cost cover.   Or add a layer of dirt over the compose when you add to it. It will attract certain insects but it is all part of the process. Most of us recycle our paper, cans, and plastic. But hesitate on the idea of composting. It is easy to do, just keep it away from your home.

Photo credit: Fahmi Ariza

Photo Credit: creative commons

Tip 3

Collect rainwater. Have  large can outdoors to collect rainwater. If you have a gutter diverting the rain away from people getting out of the rain, place your barrel under the spout so you can catch all the rain water. Use this water to water your eco-garden. This s a big one. Not only do you have rain which is what the gardens need’ It also helps protecting our streams and rivers for overflowing their banks. You will remove some to the rain. 

Tip 4

Research for plants that grow in your area. You do not want to fight the plant for growth. Instead plant native plants. While you are researching, look into some vines that grow well. You can ad a trullas with a growing vine for more privacy.

Tip 5

Use compost to enrich your soil before planting, then use it as much to protect your seedlings. This helps an organic garden grow beautifully.

Photo credit: Couleur

Tip 6

Consider the growth time and the veggies you are planting, There are many vegetables that grow well in colder months. A few examples are:

●     Carrots

●     Beets

●     Broccoli

●     Cauliflower

●     Collard greens

●     Kale

●     Green onions

●     Celery

●     And much more

Bonus tip: let your children help. They can plant herbs in old coffee cans this holes in the bottom for drainage. Put a hole on each side and they can carry them outside, but bring them back indoors when the temperature threatens frost.

Conclusion

Many people in our generation do not know how to survive the world, if life as we know it changes. If you suddenly had to provide your own food, learned how to make it with the bounty of nature with no help from department stores, computers, or cell phones. However, it is important to know these things.

Natural disasters happen every day, somewhere on the globe. Just because we feel secure, doesn’t mean we are. We urge you to visit www.shifdad.com for more information on this subject.

Everyone should know the basics of how to protect and provide for themselves and their families at all times. Click on the link and look around. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. We are pros at helping you learn to help yourself. 

Read more...