Storage Shed Decisions: Always Start with Size

If you're thinking of putting a storage shed in your back yard, you might be amazed to know how many options you have. If you've just seen the generic sheds outside big box stores you might not realize how customized and beautiful your shed can be. The options are so plentiful, they could start to feel a little overwhelming, but if you take your time and make one decision at a time you will soon have a shed that perfectly meets your needs and matches your sense of style.

First you will want to consider the size of your shed. You can have a shed built on site, which means that you can choose from a small shed around 6 x 8 feet to a very large shed around 14 x 40 feet and there are size options for everything in between.

You will want a shed large enough to store everything you had in mind, plus a little extra space for any new lawn or sport items you might add to your collection in the coming years.

However, you do not want a storage shed so large that it overshadows your yard. After all, your personal recreation space is very important, and part of the reason for getting a storage shed was to have a place to store all the stuff that was cluttering up your yard and keeping you from enjoying it in the first place.

To see our options for quality sheds with an incredibly warranty, please contact us. We will help walk you through every decision.

Shed Styles and What They Can Do For You

When most people think of garden sheds, they tend to think of simple structures with four walls and a roof and nothing more. The truth is that garden sheds come in many different styles, which is why we would like to provide information about some of the most common ones.

• Quaker shed- Is sloped on one side, with the eaves normally being higher in the front, allowing for placement against a fence or the exterior wall of your home. Pent sheds are ideal for use as potting sheds or paint lockers.

• Dutch barn and mini-barn-These sheds are named because they somewhat resemble a larger barn, and tend to have double doors that also open halfway. They are also characterized by their gambrel roofs, which allow for added storage space in the loft of the building. These storage sheds make perfect workshops or homes for small animals.

• Dormer- Are characterized by their dormers in the roof that are typically placed between two windows on the lower level. Cape Cod sheds look like miniature versions of similar-styled houses, and make excellent workshops.

• Hywall-These sheds have a relatively high profile that is characterized by a roof that is  higher than usual on the sides. These sheds are ideal for storing garden tools and lawn equipment.

• Garden Elite-Designed to look like rustic cabins or small houses, these cottage-style sheds may even contain many of the same features a home does such as window boxes or transoms
  
  
  . These sheds are great for use as a home office, guest quarters or entertaining space.

These are just a few of the different styles of garden shed that are available. To see some of the latest ones, contact us.

What A Shed Shouldn't Be Made Of

You’re planning a garden for this spring, planning a pool or planning to get extra storage. You’re looking around at what’s available, and you settle on a shed for your gardening and pool tools or extraneous stuff. Your neighbors or those homes you pass on the way to work have one. You like the different styles and colors. However, you want something constructed of good solid materials that will last. You decide the only way to go is Amish built structures. Good decision. Here’s why.

Commercially Produced Goods

Most people aren’t aware that their furniture is constructed of materials like particle board that aren’t solid. Flammable materials cover the frames of the furniture. Gases arise from all of this due to efforts to make the material inflammable. Formaldehyde is often a feature in commercially produced furnishings. Garden sheds are made of resins, plastics, steel or wood, which are much safer to be around. This is where you come into the picture. You chose Amish goods, because you’ve heard how well-made and lovely Amish goods are.

The Amish Way

The Amish don’t use mankind’s inventions like cars, electricity or machinery. They make their own plainly colored clothing, grow their own food, make their own bread and drive buggies pulled by horses. The beauty of the Amish way is that they live simply. When they build something, they do it with their own hands, with their own hammers and with diesel powered generators running their power tools. The Amish don’t deal directly with those outside their community, in order that their values remain pure instead of becoming tarnished by mankind’s bad habits. They deal with wholesalers who then move Amish wares to retailers.

Amish Built Structures

Amish sheds are constructed of wood and have the option to have a wood or vinyl exterior. The buildings come in styles such as Mini-Barn, Quaker, A-Frame and more. The beauty of Amish outbuildings is that they can be customized to suit your needs. Want a small version of your house, complete with gables, siding and flower boxes on the windows? You got it. Could you use a log cabin in which to store your tools and other stuff? We can do that. You might not own a horse, but a barn behind your house would certainly be a conversation-starter. No problem. Customize an existing shed or design your own. Either way, you’ll get a building of excellent quality, beauty and longevity.

The beauty of Amish work is that its heirloom quality construction means it is frequently passed on to future generations. Backyard sheds may not be as ornately carved or polished as Amish furniture is, but the buildings will be contact us for more information.

Constructed and finished as wonderfully as their other items. When you decide what type of shed will best suit your needs, 

Dream Big: Why Adding A Double Garage Improves Your Life

Brand new homes are built with storage in mind. They are equipped with incredible closets, shelves and storage areas.  Unfortunately older homes just weren't designed with storing "stuff" in mind. This means that when you are thinking of selling your older home you may have to make a few adjustments in terms of available storage space in order to stay competitive with the newer homes on the market.

While it's pretty hard to add-on a closet to a home, adding on a double garage is not nearly as complicated or as expensive as you think, and it really adds value to your home when it comes time to sell it.

Of course, why wait to make your home better until you won't actually be living in it anymore? Functional upgrades like adding a garage are the kind of renovation you can enjoy now and still profit from years down the road.

To make your new garage appealing to buyers and maximize its usefulness now, build in storage accessories. Simple items like shelves, hooks, cupboards and bins make your garage instantly useful and help you stay organized while keeping the clutter out of your home.

According to the Realty Times article "How Much Resale Value For A Garage" by PJ Wade, you can dream pretty big when it comes to uses for a new garage,

"If your municipality allows accommodation to be added to a garage, the additional space and any related income may be the deciding factor for some buyers. If an occupancy permit is out of the question, the garage can still double as an art studio, workshop, or man cave, and differentiate your property from the neighbors. Will your zoning allow the space to be used for a home-based business?"

When you're ready to expand your home with a beautiful garage that can add new storage options or be used for recreational hobbies, please contact us to learn more about how we can customize a garage just for your family.

Making Yard Work a Breeze: Adding a New Addition for Functionality

Springtime is the time to focus on your yard. New landscaping, mulching, cutting grass, weeding, and planting are on the agenda. As you begin your yard work, you find that you need all sorts of equipment and materials. There are a few things you can do to prepare for your spring and summer tasks around the house and save some money. The larger the yard, the more expensive the landscaping costs. You can track down sales as you go, and purchase all you need to get you through the year’s work. When it comes to the larger purchases, such as equipment like mowers and mulchers, you will definitely want to purchase ahead in order to benefit from the sales.

Once you have accumulated everything you need to make your yard look great, you are faced with a common problem amongst most homeowners…where do you put everything? You need to think about protecting all of your purchases from the elements, especially if you were purchasing during the winter months. Many people resort to putting everything in their garage to keep things dry and organized. This might be a possible solution for some, but ideally you should be able to park your cars in the garage without trying to share the space with all sorts of other yard equipment. If this is your situation, then you need to consider a shed as the solution to your storage needs. Here are some reasons why a shed is the perfect addition to your home and yard:

1. Additional storage capabilities. The number one reason for most people to add a shed is for the additional room it provides. The best way to stay organized is to keep everything in its place. If it is a yard tool or landscaping item, then they belong together. Having things everywhere only leads to confusion and lost items. We end up purchasing things over because we couldn’t find the original items. This becomes not only frustrating, but also very expensive. A shed allows all like items to be stored together, and leaves your cars in the garage where they belong.

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2. Easy access. Keep your yard tools not only organized, but also handy. When we try to cram everything into small spaces, everything becomes difficult to reach. This becomes frustrating, especially if you have a limited time to do the work and you don’t want to spend it looking for your garden shears. A shed keeps all of your items in their place. Sheds are laid out so that you can see everything quickly and easily. It is up to you to keep it organized, but if you know where to begin looking and you can make it easy to get to, you are much more likely to find it. Also, as we begin to pile things on top of each other because of our limited space, we tend to damage and break things. Reduce the risk of this damage by hanging and organizing in the open space of a shed.

3. Add an attractive addition to your home. A shed is an attractive and useful addition to your property. With a number of styles, designs, and sizes to choose from, you can select the one that fits you best. Choose your colors, special features, size, and layout, and create a garden shed that meets all of your storage needs. A shed looks great on any property, giving you functionality in storage and an attractive appearance. Work with a company that has a vast selection of in-stock sheds, shed kits, and garden sheds. They will be best suited to help you select the perfect match for your property and home.

This summer is the perfect time to organize your life and add a functional shed. No matter which style you choose, decide on a size that you can grow into. You will find that there are a number of options that may seem like a good fit. You will find that the extra storage capabilities and the ease of access to all of your garden tools and equipment will make your summer more productive. You will be so glad for the extra space that you will be excited to do yard work!

 

Getting Your Garden Ready for Spring

After what seems to be one of the longest winters in a very long time, spring has finally sprung! Although there is still the occasional cold day, the weather is beginning to finally turn warmer, which means that it’s time to start thinking about your garden. The unusually cold winter has pushed back spring planting a bit; however, it’s not too early to begin the necessary preparation work. If you’re not sure where to start in preparing your garden for the upcoming planting season, don’t worry! Here are some helpful tips for preparing your garden:

Create a Compost Area 

If you don’t yet have a compost area, now is a great time to think about creating one. Although not every gardener uses it, compost is one of the best ways to keep your garden healthy and fruitful. The nutrients from the decomposed material are great for the soil in your garden.

It’s easy to create your own compost pile; simply select a flat area nearby to your garden. Then throughout the spring and summer, as you clean up your yard and flowerbeds, instead of throwing away the grass clippings and other plant waste, simply pile them on the compost area. Food waste can also be used as compost material.

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Prepare Your Soil 

Having healthy soil is the key to having a productive garden. Even before the soil totally thaws from the winter frost, there are things you can do to prepare your soil. The first thing to do is rid your garden of unwanted plants and rocks. Having soil that is too rocky is not conducive to growing strong, healthy plants. Not every rock needs to be removed; just those that are large enough to prevent your seeds from sprouting. If there are any unwanted fallen branches or dead plants on the soil, these should be removed as well.

As the weather warms up, your soil will begin to thaw, causing weeds to spring up in your soil. These weeds should be thoroughly cleared before you begin your spring planting. If there are only a few weeds, pulling them out by hand or spraying them with some weed killer will do the trick.

If your garden has been invaded by a whole army of weeds, you may consider using a rototiller to overturn the soil to rid the weeds. Even if your garden does not have many weeds, tilling can still be beneficial to the health of your garden. Having the top level of soil overturned and turning your soil into smaller particles can be great in helping your seeds grow properly into healthy plants. Turning over your soil may also bring up some hiding bug pests; be sure to eliminate these as well!

If you have a compost area already in place, now can be a great time to spread some compost on the soil to add some vital nutrients and minerals to the fresh spring soil. If this will be your first year creating a compost area and you do not yet have any decomposed material, spreading some fertilizer on the soil can work as well.

Prepare Your Gardening Tools 

Before it comes time to actually plant your garden, you want to be sure that your gardening tools are ready for planting. You don’t want to prepare for the task of planting the seeds and then realize that your hoe, shovels, and rakes are not up to par! First of all, give all of your tools a thorough cleaning. This will prevent the spread of diseases that may have accumulated on your tools over the winter. Cleaning your tools properly ensures that the diseases are not spread to your plants and do not contaminate the soil.

 

Next, be sure that your tools are sharpened. Sharpened tools will lessen the amount of work that your body has to do, and will make the tools work for you instead. Sharpening your tools will also help to maintain them, so that they last longer from year to year.

Now that you’ve prepared your tools, you will need a place to store them properly. This is where our Garden Store Sheds will come in extremely handy. Our garden sheds come in many different sizes, shapes, and colors to perfectly fit the style of your yard. The sheds are small and compact enough to be constructed close to your garden for easy access. You can either pick one of our numerous designs and construct the shed yourself, or have a fully constructed shed brought to your yard; the choice is yours!

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!