By Yaroslav Shuraev Via pexels
At first, it might seem that a garden shed is nothing more than an ordinary functional element of a garden or backyard. However, garden sheds can offer far more benefits than you might expect, some of which may come as a bit of a surprise. At times, a garden shed is nothing more than a place to store tools, but it can also become a place for starting seedlings, potting plants, and much more.
But increased functionality is far from the only positive outcome that you’ll enjoy after adding a garden shed to your property. On the contrary, the benefits of having a garden shed can range from saving money to reducing stress.
At this stage, you might be wondering how a seemingly ordinary feature such as a garden shed can provide such broad and beneficial outcomes. Fortunately, this article will answer all the questions you have on the topic by introducing the many ways that owning a garden shed can enhance your life.
The Practical Benefits of Garden Sheds
In our introduction, we mentioned the wide range of benefits that sheds afford. We’ll begin explaining those benefits by starting with some of the more practical aspects of owning a garden shed. The next few sections will detail the general practicality of garden sheds. While you may be quite familiar with some of these practical benefits, you might also find yourself learning something new about the incredible functionality of a garden shed.
The versatility of Garden Sheds
Garden sheds are far from being a one-size-fits-all type of building. On the contrary, garden sheds come in a wide range of sizes and shapes, which allows each one to be better suited to certain uses. Likewise, garden sheds are versatile in that they can also support multiple uses at once.
The most common way that many gardeners use their garden shed is as a storage space. Since garden sheds are solid constructions that can consist of durable materials like metal, they are weather tight and capable of providing a protected space for your most important garden tools. Many garden sheds also include shelving and hooks to allow for efficient storage.
Along with being the ideal place to store tools, garden sheds are also fantastic workspaces. The type of work you choose to do in that workspace is up to you, but many gardeners use their sheds to start seedlings, overwinter plants, transplant plants from one pot to another, and perform many other common garden tasks.
Beyond gardening uses alone, a garden shed can also provide additional living space in the form of an office, workshop, or spare bedroom. Of course, garden shed designs that include such living spaces are larger and more detailed than those of a more typical garden shed, but they may be worth exploring if additional living space is something you need.
Enhancing Property Aesthetics
It is nearly impossible to deny the functional benefits of owning a garden shed, but our next garden shed pro is not often as recognised. Much like the lovely gardens within which they sit, garden sheds can be quite beautiful, adding significantly to the overall aesthetic appeal of your property.
As is true of any aesthetic matter, what deems a garden shed attractive is a matter of opinion. But what you should know is that garden sheds can have beautiful custom designs and can include some elegant but dependable materials such as steel. Often the best approach when choosing a garden shed design is to select materials, colours, and forms that complement your home and the surrounding landscape.
Increasing Property Value
Although many people construct garden sheds mainly for their functional benefits, doing so can also have the added benefit of increasing your property value. Any enhancement that you make to your home or landscape tends to boost property value, and a well-built garden shed is no exception.
With that said, there are a few factors that can influence the degree to which your shed adds to property value. For instance, garden sheds that are made of high-quality materials and allow for multiple uses are more likely to have a larger impact on the value of your property.
It’s hard to quantify the property value increase that comes from building a garden shed, but the good news is that experts in the real estate industry agree that it is possible to do so, provided that your shed supports multiple uses and that you care for it properly.
The Financial Benefits of Garden Sheds
It’s clear that a garden shed can be an incredibly practical addition to your property, but the benefits of garden sheds expand far beyond what we have mentioned so far. In any project or venture, whether related to a garden shed or not, frugality is a prime motivator for many people. The good news is that garden sheds are surprisingly capable of giving you some financial benefits as well. It’s true that you will need to cover the upfront costs of building your shed, but once you do, you’ll likely notice that the two benefits more than make up for that initial investment.
Saving Money with Garden Sheds
Saving money may not be an outcome you expect when building a garden shed, but it is certainly one that can occur. The main way in which this plays out is that by building a garden shed, you’ll save costs over the long term for certain types of maintenance and garden supply purchases.
For example, one of the most common ways that people use a garden shed is as a place to store their tools. Ultimately, this decision proves to not only keep your tools neat and organised, but also helps them remain in good condition for longer.
When you store your tools in a location that has exposure to the elements, the wooden components of your tools may rot more quickly while the metal components gather rust. Since garden sheds provide consistent shelter from rainwater and other elements, you can expect your tools to have a longer lifespan. Since you won’t need to replace your tools as often as you otherwise would, you’ll end up saving money over the long term.
Garden sheds can also come in handy if you currently rent a storage space. Rather than paying a monthly fee to continue that storage method, you can use your garden shed space instead, provided it is large enough to accommodate your needs.
Potential for Income Generation
Garden sheds not only save money, but they also have the potential to generate income as well. However, to reap this garden shed benefit, you need to get a bit creative.
The main way to cash in on your new garden shed is to design It to include an indoor living space. You can then rent this living space, at times, for a shockingly high amount.
For instance, one San Diego shed owner rents their shed as a studio apartment. While some claim that the arrangement is ridiculous, the owner doesn’t likely care about those opinions since the going rate to rent their shed is $1,100 per month.
That’s not the only example of someone renting their garden shed or, at least, attempting to rent a garden shed. In this case, a San Francisco renter tried to sublease their garden shed for $800. Unfortunately for them, their own landlord didn’t allow it.
There is no guarantee that you can make a large profit renting your shed, but it could be worth a try. However, if you choose to rent your garden shed, be sure to follow all your local bylaws in doing so.
by Drew Farwell via Unsplash
The Mental Health Benefits of Garden Sheds
Our final type of benefit that you’ll receive after building a garden shed may be the most unexpected. Despite that, it is entirely possible that your garden shed can do wonders for your mental health. Of course, there are countless influences in our lives that affect our mental well-being, but owning and using a garden shed can help support a healthy state of mind in more ways than one.
Stress Reduction
When we stress too much, our mental health and overall well-being suffer. However, it can be difficult to understand how to deal with stress daily. Fortunately, researchers and behavioural scientists have done the work for us.
When we consistently engage in hobbies and other enjoyable activities, we not only feel more fulfilled but also more relaxed. But despite the link between stress reduction and hobbies being well-known, many people continue to struggle to find times and places in which they can do their favourite hobbies. One of the best ways to overcome that obstacle is to set aside specific times to engage in your hobby and have a dedicated space in which you can perform it.
When gardening is among your preferred hobbies, a garden shed is naturally one of the best places in which your hobby can take place. A garden shed is a near-perfect dedicated space for you to relax and feel at peace with your lovely plants.
Studies also indicate that engaging in gardening can have plenty of other mental health benefits that are related to stress reduction. For example, regular garden practise can help improve your attention span and your sense of self-esteem.
Boosting Creativity
Using your garden shed on a regular basis can also lead to boosts in your creativity. In keeping with the previous garden shed benefit, this one mainly comes down to having a specific place in which you can feel free to practise your creativity.
The act of gardening itself is also inherently creative. On the one hand, there is the literal creation of plant materials like flowers and foliage that arises through your dedicated care. Additionally, there is a design element to gardening when it comes time to arrange your plants.
As we mentioned earlier, garden sheds can also support other non-gardening uses. What that means is that a shed can further allow for creativity by giving you the workstation you need to engage in activities like crafting and woodworking.
Contributing to Physical Health
It is no secret that mental and physical health can be closely related or at least influence each other to a degree. As such, our final mental health benefit of gardening in a garden shed is that it will help you stay more physically active. Admittedly, gardening is not always a high-intensity workout, but it is a way to achieve an active lifestyle that many people would benefit from.
Gardening can also have a surprisingly positive impact on your overall strength, mobility, and aerobic capacity. Research also seems to indicate that gardening can help lower blood pressure and increase your intake of vitamin D, thanks to the sunlight you’ll encounter while you garden outdoors.
Of course, there are many aspects of life that influence mental health, and physical health is just one of them. But even though that is the case, building a garden shed and using it regularly is worth trying if you want to boost your mental well-being.
Conclusion
Garden sheds have been and will continue to be a primary feature of many properties throughout the world. However, many people fail to recognise the true breadth of benefits that a garden shed can provide. If you have read through this article, you likely have a new appreciation for how underrated garden sheds can be.
A garden shed not only meets the mark on functionality, but it also comes with financial benefits and can have a great impact on your mental health. But to enjoy those benefits, you need to make sure your garden shed is of the highest quality possible. At Garden Buildings Direct, we can help you get started on your next garden shed project. Reach out today, and soon the many benefits of owning a garden shed will be yours.
Sources:
https://trepryor.com/blog/storage-shed-add-value-to-your-home/
https://nypost.com/2019/10/02/tiny-shed-apartment-renting-for-1050-slammed-as-ridiculous/
