Image by Ulrich Barns via Flickr
Whether you live in a genuine “tiny home” (the hot trend of today) or you’ve just got too much stuff, there’s nothing like extra storage. In fact, the phrase “plenty of storage” resonates with prospective home owners, and caravan dwellers. George Carlin had a very famous bit about stuff – too long to print in its entirety here, but the gist was simple – here’s a quote:
“That’s what your house is, a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get…more stuff! Sometimes you gotta move, gotta get a bigger house. Why? No room for your stuff anymore.”
Storage is precious and coveted. It represents a sense of commitment to your possessions, and moreover, the desire to keep your things safe, protected, well-cared for. And luckily, even if you’re at the tipping point, where you feel you’ve just nearly “out-grown” your house, you have options. Sure, you can have a tag sale, you can donate to charities. But, it’s stuff you really, really, really want. The best option available? Your very own outdoor storage shed. Outbuildings are frequently used as “tool sheds” or “garden sheds” or for sporty folk, a place to keep seasonal equipment. The most common use is as a garden shed. You can find Garden Buildings Direct discount codes via whatshed.co.uk and use it whenever you purchase a shed online.
In the world of outdoor storage, the world is your proverbial oyster. Think of what you can store in your outdoor storage: seasonal clothing (well labelled, of course), sporting equipment (including those who caravan or camp), extra larder items, crafts materials (too much yarn, paper, stickers, ribbon, colourful pens, albums, etc.), seasonal décor (now you have a place for the giant heart for Valentines, the Dia del Los Muertos ceramic statue for Halloween, Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer for Christmas, the fuzzy bunny costume you wear in the annual Easter parade – the possibilities are positively enthralling (and, of course, endless!)
If you have the room, don’t just opt for one of those small heavy-plastic, top double-door bins. You have the opportunity to have outdoor storage that will not only be very practical, but can add a creative and unique design to your property.
Be sure you review your options with everyone in your household – after all, once you have outdoor storage, we promise you, it will fill up quickly – very quickly. Do a poll of everyone at home who might make use of it. This includes any offspring who are away at school – they will be the surprise element when they decide to take a gap year and need to store “a bunch of things”.
Many of the big home-improvement stores are going to carry limited brands and will encourage and try to sell you on what they have available. One way you can look into the possibilities of either a wood, metal or plastic storage facility is to check out a business like WhatShed.co.uk which is Britain’s biggest garden building buyers’ guide. It offers many different brands and lines, so you’re not going to find skewed products, but outdoor storage of varying size and type, and yes, price.
Don’t let family members be dismissive and say they won’t use the storage because they’re too busy to sit down and plan with you. Because even if they say they won’t use it, they will. And you need to be prepared.
You may be overwhelmed when you’re looking at the sheds available to you, or you may be overwhelmed by the possibilities of what Pinterest has shown you. But the quality of what you choose will be essential. It should be your first order in finding appropriate outdoor storage space.