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Shopping for a storage shed can be akin to shopping for ice cream in a grocery store. Hundreds of different brands, styles, varieties, and opinions about which one is the best.

Although not quite as simple as an ice cream selection, we believe it to be just as exciting. Let’s dive into the types of storage sheds, sizes, where to buy a shed, and how to choose a shed right for you!

Before Shopping: Create Your Dream Shed Profile

Before we can dive into specific shed types and features you need to understand your own shed preferences and create a dream shed profile of sorts. Try asking yourself these simple questions to get started:

• What will I use my shed for?
• What size shed do I need?
• What features are important to me in a shed?
• What is my budget?

Creating your dream shed profile will give you a good starting point to make informed decisions during the shed buying process.

How To Choose a Shed: Sizing Guide

One of the most common shed buying mistakes is purchasing a shed that is too small for its intended use. Our advice? Purchase a shed that is one size bigger than what you think you need so that you have space to grow into it.

Below are some of the general shed size descriptions to help you decide which size is best:

• Small: If you’re looking for a storage solution to hold smaller gardening and lawn supplies and a push mower, we recommend you stick with the 8×8 to 8×12 range or small shed.
• Medium: Sheds in this size range from 10×10 up to 12×14 and are perfect for larger equipment like riding lawn mowers and bulkier lawn and garden equipment. This is the most common backyard shed size.
• Large: These are your 12×16 to 12×24 sheds perfect for equipment as large as a tractor or ATV. This shed size gives you room for your equipment while still leaving you with plenty of storage space.
• Extra Large: Sheds in this category range from 12×30 all the way up to 24×40. With a shed this large, you could store items as large as cars and still have room for a workbench and tools.

Design Considerations

This is often the most exciting part of buying a shed. This is where you get to decide the physical attributes of your new backyard beauty. Do you want windows for natural light?  Metal or wood? Maybe a shed with a porch? You decide!

Keep in mind that roofing and siding materials play a part in how your shed will aesthetically look but they are also key factors in determining how many years your shed will remain looking good. There are some good wood products on the market that hold up very well and they are easy to paint. One that we have seen used a lot, and recommend investing in, is LP Smartside. LP Smartside is considered a renewable siding product and all our LP Smartside products are made from wood fiberboard material and come with a 50-year warranty.

See how LP Smartside sheds compare to other wood sheds here.

Do I Need a Permit?

It’s important to know whether there are currently any code requirements for sheds in your area. 

Building codes tend to vary depending on location but in many cases, sheds under 120 square feet do not need a permit.

But building codes aren’t the only thing you need to be aware of. Yes, we’re talking about HOA.  Many HOAs require your shed to match the roof, siding, and color of your home and many community HOAs have stipulations about the size of the shed as well. 

Usually, it’s as simple as submitting drawings and pictures of the shed you want to buy to your HOA. A good shed company will have all of this information ready for you in a nice professional packet. If they do not have all the information organized for you, the company likely does not have experience working with HOA management companies. 

Final Planning and Buying

There’s not a one size fits all answer but with years of experience helping South Carolina residents in Greer, Summerville, and its surrounding areas we would love to be of service in helping find the right shed right for you.

Some people choose to build a shed. This approach can allow for more unique designs for a shed, but it can easily add thousands of dollars to the project.

There are several attractive designs that are manufactured or pre-built. This is the most cost-effective way to buy a good shed. You can stop in at one of our two locations or browse our full inventory list. If you don’t see a shed that’s right for you on our website, use our design tool to create your dream storage shed.

Shed Delivery

Delivery is an often overlooked but extremely critical aspect to consider when choosing a shed dealer.

Most shed companies use third-party contractors to deliver and install sheds. This can be a very hit-or-miss experience for the customer. Does the delivery crew have the right equipment? Is there equipment properly maintained? If the third party tears up your yard, or damages your shed or your home, who will fix the problem?

When you buy from a company that has its own equipment and full-time delivery crew:

• Deliveries can get done faster since the crews are full time
• If something goes wrong, or something gets damaged the full-time crews can easily and quickly get back to your home to get things fixed correctly
• Full-time crews are more apt to have proper insurance due to the company owning all the delivery trucks and equipment

When you purchase a Cool Shed, you can have peace of mind that our full-time crew will see your order through to a proper and successful shed delivery.

Have questions about how to buy a shed, the best time to buy a shed, the types of storage sheds we have on our lot, or getting a quote for a custom project? Contact us today.

In many neighborhoods, the HOA dictates that the color of your shed must match the color of your house, including the roof. Thanks to our diverse range of product offerings, that’s not a problem!

Roofing

For example, if your house has a black shingle roof we can build your shed with either a black shingle or black metal roof, assuming colored metal roofs are allowed by your HOA. These are less expensive than shingle roofs. If not, we can easily match the shingles to those on your house.

Siding

When it comes to the color of the shed itself, we offer our aluminum siding product in 18 different colors. This product closely resembles vinyl siding, especially when paired with a shingle roof. This is an affordable option for homeowners who need to match their shed to their vinyl-sided home.

The next level up is the LP Smartside – a wood fiberboard with a 50-year warranty. This trimwork on this product is larger and more elegant than our aluminum siding, and the shed can be custom painted in any Sherwin Williams color, to ensure an exact match to your house. However, some HOAs do not prefer this product due to its vertical lines.

If your HOA requires horizontal lines, we recommend our LP Smart Lap siding with moisture barrier. This is our top-of-the-line build, with a 50-year warranty and custom paint. You can select metal or shingle roofing.

Additional Features

Finally, you may also opt for the 3″ classic eave / overhang. Very few neighborhoods require this feature, but we are finding that many of our customers are asking for it. If you prefer a polished product that looks more like a little cottage than a shed, this inexpensive addition will take your installment to the next level.

HOA Submission Letter

Attached is the letter we offer to our customers for their HOA submissions. The process is very simple: Go to your neighborhood website, and download the application. Complete the application and use our letter as an attachment. It will help you get through the approval process quickly and easily. If you or your board members have any questions, we are just a phone call or an email away!

We offer sheds delivered right to your home as small as 8 x 8 or as large as a 12 x 36. Our sheds are available for purchase or if your need for storage is urgent, we have an incredible Rent-to-own option with NO credit check.

Normally in a Rent-to-Own deal we require two monthly payments down, but we are now offering only one payment down for qualified buyers! If you are renting your home and you have been there at least a year, you qualify for just one payment down! If you are a homeowner, you automatically qualify!

Don’t throw away money on mini-storage. Let us bring you a great new shed for you to own!

Another great feature of our Rent-to-Own program is our insurance policy. The shed is 100% insured against acts of God. Hurricane, Tornado, Ice storms are no problem. As long as you are current with your monthly payments, any damage to the building is covered with no deductible.

In the past couple weeks we have had more and more people asking us about tiny homes. I find this concept very interesting, and we want to help people achieve their tiny home goals. Some people have a goal of living debt free, others just want the best bang for the buck. The tiny home achieves both of those goals, and we are in a position to help.

Here are some things to think about concerning costs and budgeting:

First is the building itself. We suggest our largest portable unit.

It is a 12 x 36 Barn Style unit. This design allows you to create unique loft space which will maximize your 432 square feet of living space. The next step is the most important. The design and layout of the interior. You will need to have this figured out so that the building can be properly wired. You want to make sure outlets are placed properly to accommodate appliances, lighting, and furniture.

You do not want to have extension cords all over the place. From a budget standpoint, estimate twelve thousand dollars to get you the building, delivered, blocked, and set up. That also includes the building completely wired ready to be hooked up to an electrical source. That electrical source may be solar, a generator, or a traditional meter from the electric company.

From this point it is completely up to you how you proceed. The construction of the interior space will be a serious DIY job. I would strongly suggest a licensed contractor to help map out the design and trouble shoot any potential construction issues. I would also think the contractor would be good to handle the big jobs and the rest can be a DIY project. That decision is completely up to the individual and it should be based on skill level, time commitment, and budget.

The final part that we can help with is financing. We can offer a finance plan with terms of 9.9% for 84 months. We can get approval for up to $55,000. So, if you keep your build conservative, you can figure $12,000 for the building and another $13,000 to finish it out.

That totals $25,000. That amount translates to less than $450 per month for seven years. Imagine that eight years from now you can own your own tiny home free and clear with no monthly payments!