Prepping your Yard for a Shed

You’ve just bought your first (or new) prefabricated storage shed! You can wait until it’s delivered to start filling it up. But wait! There are a few things you need to do to prepare your land for the shed. Here at Stoltzfus Structures, we are happy to deliver your new prefabricated shed. Although we take care of the delivery and placement of your storage shed, we do not take care of the site preparation. We are more than happy to deliver your new shed to the exact spot you have prepared. In that case, we wanted to bring you some great tips for getting your yard prepared ahead of delivery time for your great new storage shed!

Clear Out 

The most important thing to do after you purchase a new storage shed is to decide exactly where you want it to live. You may already have a wonderful place in mind, but there are few things to think about. You want to make sure the area can support the structure. Picking a location where the ground is sloping or uneven is not recommended. A level, sturdy foundation will make all the difference in the life and longevity of your prefabricated shed. Don’t worry, prepping your land or yard will only require a bit of work.

If you don’t have any totally level areas in your yard, or have some issues with the terrain, the best option is to clear it out! Grab your friends and family to help you dig out and level off the best patch of land you can find. Be sure to remove any hidden rocks, roots, or any other natural elements of the landscape that could cause problems in the future. Be sure not to dig too deep though. You only want to go far enough into the ground in a way that creates a level base for your new garden shed.

This will probably only require getting rid of unwanted grass, rocks, roots, and more. Also, you might want to think about making use of a tiller. A tiller will easily break up the ground and create any easy way to remove patches of unwanted grass. You may even want to keep the tiller around for your spring and summer gardening projects!

 

If you worry that clearing out an area for your new garden shed to live will be too much work for you to do yourself, don’t! We have lots of great resources to help you. We are in contact with some great teams of contractors that would be happy to help. Our network of professional contactors would be happy to help you clear your land; we’ll give you recommendations on the best companies to hire! Also, if you want your shed to live on a concrete slab, the slab needs to be the exact size of the shed to ensure proper water drainage. We’ve got friends that can help with that too.

Shape Up 

Now that you’ve cleared a great space for your new garden shed to live, it’s time to start thinking about how you’re going to accent your new purchase. Do you need a fence to separate your shed from your neighbor’s house? Are you interested in adding a ramp, walkway, or some shrubbery? These are all really fun, good things to think about. Adding a ramp up to the entrance of your prefabricated shed is a great option. A ramp can help with getting lawn mowers in and out of your shed and any other machinery you want to keep inside. Also, creating a nice stone walkway completes the look of your shed. This walkway is versatile too! It’ll create a smoother, more appealing entrance leading to your garden shed.

One more thing to think about is our built-on-site sheds. Sometimes where our customers want to put a new shed isn’t the most accessible location for our delivery trucks. Our gifted craftsmen will bring all of the materials needed to build an amazing shed on the site you’ve prepared for us. No matter if you’ve prepared a wood or concrete foundation for the shed to live on, we’ll take care of the assembly. Having us build an on-site shed also allows for extra flexibility with the building itself. If you want higher walls than we could deliver on our trucks, we can do that too!

We hope this guide to preparing your land for one of our sheds was helpful. If you have any questions, visit our website or give us a call!

Pavilions Versus Pergolas

Your property can be absolutely beautiful with the right landscaping and care. Shaping the terrain and the plant life into something comfortable, attractive, and healthy takes time and effort, but it is not without its benefits. Of course, truly enjoying the nature that you have surrounded your home with can be difficult from the windows and sunroom of your home. That’s why so many homes that invest in their landscaping inevitably turn to adding a pergola or pavilion to their property – all the better to enjoy their hard work and the bounty of nature from!

What Pavilions Offer 

A pavilion is the most common structure that you will see on well cared for properties. Offering both style and sound structural integrity, a pavilion can not only match your home in terms of materials, decoration, and roofing, but it can also be a beautiful addition that perfectly accents the architecture and look of your home and property. Pavilions are especially ideal when you are in a particular warm or rainy area, yet still wish to take the time to truly enjoy your back yard. With a pavilion, you get the shade and cover that you would expect from a sound structure, but without the excess sunlight and heat, as well as getting plenty of protection from the rain and other inclement weather.

 

Pavilions see most of their use either alongside a pool or as a great location for entertaining guests and family. As far as a pool is concerned, you don’t always want to lie out on your towel in between dips; sometimes you want to relax on a nice chair or bench, in the shade and out of the sun, comfortably chatting away or just taking a brief nap. A pavilion is perfect for exactly that – an escape from the pool and the sun, a nice in-between spot for you and your guests!

Speaking of guests, if you are planning to host a party, a barbecue, or just a picnic of sorts, a pavilion is a great place to do so! With its own tables, chairs, and decorations, the pavilion is the perfect place to host such events. With the considerable space that a pavilion offers, you can also fit a grill and other cooking supplies and apparatuses! Indeed, pavilions are the go-to location for barbecue aficionados!

What Pergolas Offer 

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Pergolas offer a different experience. Substantially smaller and without the solid roof that pavilions offer, pergolas offer some shade and a small space to sit at, drink, eat, and relax, without being a large, shaded structure of the sort that a pavilion often is. The Pergola is great for any outdoor space, and often makes a great location for romantic dates and dinners, especially alongside a pond or pool while surrounded by trees and shrubberies.

Pergolas come in a variety of styles, from artisan-style pergolas to more rustic-looking pergolas. They come in many different materials, from wood to vinyl to more, all depending on your particular aesthetic, as well as whether or not you plan to build it yourself using a pergola kit! Regardless of the style that you want to have your pergola use, there is surely a kit for you. Many pergola owners choose to grow plants very near the structure, with vines slowly – or more often, quickly! – climbing their way up the wood and entwining themselves into the latticework and intersections of the pergola. This creates an even more “ivied” look that makes the pergola a great private location for small, intimate gatherings.

Making the Choice 

When choosing between the pergola and the pavilion, the main thing to consider is what kind of use you are going to get out of it. If you want to host large gatherings of friends or family, then a pavilion is almost certainly for you. It has the space and shade for nice, long, big gatherings that amount to parties and dinners and lunches and generally just lazing around with friends. On the other hand, a pergola is perfect for private use by individuals who value their privacy and “alone time.” Give how classically romantic they appear, it is no wonder that so many couples enjoy pergolas on their properties – nothing is quite so romantic as an evening surrounded by nature and fine craftsmanship, after all!

When is a Garage Not Just a Garage?

Your garage is, ostensibly, there to house your car and protect it from the elements. Mother nature can be unkind in all seasons, after all, and if you want to preserve the paint job – not to mention the general health of your vehicle – it helps to give it some shelter. Plus, by housing it in the garage, you help it to stay warm in colder seasons, meaning that you spend less time warming the vehicle up before driving off into the snowy roads.

Beyond driving, you probably use your garage to store things that you will never see again. Junk is the most common occupant of a garage, to the point that some garages never even have vehicles in them – just stuff, and then more stuff. As common as this is, garage owners are denying themselves the many different uses of a garage. In fact, your garage can be transformed into a private space that can be used for just about any hobby or activity you can think of – if only you can see your way to clearing it out and adding the furniture and other details needed to turn your garage into your own private paradise.

Here We Are Now, Entertain Us 

First, it’s important to consider just how private your garage is. If you’re living in a full household with your family, it can be hard to find a space that is just for you, but like everyone else on the planet, you need a little privacy. Having some space to relax and forget your troubles, not to mention pursue hobbies and interests that you could easily be distracted from by your family, is a great idea for the modern man. Thus, the birth of the “man cave” – a space you make your own.

A man cave is a “guy’s area,” the tree fort for the discerning adult. Comfortable armchairs, a leather couch, a big screen television, surround sound multimedia, a refrigerator for beer and completely unhealthy but criminally delicious food, and more are all a part of the man cave. These tend to be customized to suit your particular interests; if you’re a car guy, some equipment for working on automobiles – or even just automobile paraphernalia – may be around. If you’re more of a music guy, instruments and records may be meticulously cared for and organized, ready for play.

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A game room is another option for the more entertainment-minded man. The den of the last few generations was all about machines and workshops, but today’s modern man grew up with video games as a primary source of entertainment, and just because you grew up doesn’t mean you grew out of gaming! Massive monitors, powerful consoles and computer rigs, seating that is ideal for gaming alone and with friends, and lighting that complements your gaming experience is all a great idea for the game room garage.

Self-Improvement 

Of course, your newly outfitted garage doesn’t have to be all about sitting on your butt, swilling beers (or whatever your beverage of choice may be!), and generally being fat and happy. You could also convert your garage into a home gym; in fact, this is a great way to save space in your garage so that it can be used for parking cars and other general garage-type activities while still making it your own space, as workout equipment is easy to pack up and store when not in use. A home gym is affordable and can be quite safe so long as you make sure to build and equip it correctly, and always work out with a friend or a family member. When your gym is just ten steps away, you won’t have an excuse not to exercise!

A home office is another great use for your garage. With adequate insulation and the right furniture, you can create a business-like atmosphere that makes working from home or being self-employed all the more affordable and comfortable, while giving you the peace, quiet, and privacy you need to get the job done.

Ultimately, the only limit on what your garage can be is your imagination – and your needs! Whether you’re looking for a space in which to have a good time or a space where you can focus on improving yourself and your life, your garage is a surprisingly great place to get it done!