Top Shed Styles for 2019

The humble garden shed, formerly used for storing all of your bits and bobs, has had a major transformation. No longer falling apart, ridden with cobwebs and long-forgotten items collecting dust, there is now a range of stylish garden shed designs to choose from at leading suppliers and manufacturers. Plus, garden sheds and other outbuildings can be crafted bespoke to suit both your needs and design ideas. This means that you can have a style of shed that complements your home and your tastes, resulting in an outbuilding that you will love and treasure all year round – even if you are just storing rusty garden tools in it!

Today, as a space, sheds are multi-faceted. Increasing the value of your home as well as providing a blank canvas for you to decorate and fill as you wish, you can utilise a garden shed in a variety of ways. For example, you could turn it into a quaint artistic workshop, a sleek home office or even a spare bedroom! If you are looking for ample amounts of inspiration for your garden shed, read on.

Mini History of the Shed

Known as being a man-cave for centuries, the garden shed has had comical escapist associations whereabouts a man could have a place of ‘refuge’ in the home away from his wife and kids. This was where he could stereotypically indulge in woodwork and creative projects or store his ‘manly’ items like power tools.

Infact the name “shed” comes from the Anglo Saxon word “scead” meaning “shade” and translating to a place of quiet, obscurity and seriousness. Plus, the occupant of the “scead” would typically be a hermit or a wise man – hence it’s general association with men.

Yet, from these beginnings eventually created a phenomenon where the shed became a spiritual dwelling of thinking. In fact, famous authors like Virginia Woolf, Rudyard Kipling, and Dylan Thomas all swore by their sheds being a place for them to craft their famous works.

Today, sheds are not just a place for men, but also they can be a place for women to inhabit too. Modern sheds can come in a variety of styles with fittings like double glazing windows, underfloor heating, plumbing facilities and more – making the garden shed into more than just a dusty accessory of the home. No matter if you have a blossoming passion for horticulture, or you want to add an extra spare bedroom to your home, installing a garden shed could transform the way you use your garden.

Vintage Cottage Style Garden Shed

A pretty addition to your outdoor space, a vintage cottage style garden shed is a quaint addition to your home and the perfect complement to a whimsical English garden. Imagine the picturesque scene, nestled amongst rose bushes, your shed pops out amongst the flowers.

Many shed designers will offer a vintage-style shed as they are pleasing on the eye and can make your garden look perfectly idyllic. To truly fulfil this ideal, have your garden shed made in wood with a gabled roof. Then have latticed windows and a decorative carved front door as an entrance installed. Once this has been completed, it’s all about what colour you choose. Complementary tones include shades of white and cream, or pastel hues like pink, yellow, blue or green with contrasting white doors and windows. Not only will this appear like a wendy house, but it is great for storing vintage garden tools, paints and luxe seating inside.

To decorate the interior of your vintage style shed, opt for painting the inside white to brighten and make the space look bigger. Vintage style accessories could include a refurbished ladder to store plants and small items, wicker seating, a floral rug and bunting. Depending on how you want to use the shed, store and place the items you need accordingly. However, this style of shed would perfectly suit an indoor sewing space, arts and crafts workshop or a vintage typewriter for whiling away many hours on a Sunday.

Steel Storage Locker

A more utilitarian design, a steel storage locker is ideal for businesses or if you want to safely lock away power tools. Plus, this design of shed may also suit homes and styles that lean towards sleek modern design.

With many practical elements like being secure, weather-resistant and long-lasting, a stainless steel locker style shed is great for homeowners who have plenty of important tools. What’s more, the imposing façade perhaps would be a deterrent for opportunistic thieves as it instantly makes it look secure and difficult to break into.

Greenhouse Shed Hybrid

If you can’t decide between a greenhouse or a garden shed, why not incorporate the two into one design? Ideal for small gardens and savvy homeowners, a greenhouse shed hybrid is quickly becoming a popular shed design. Simply because, as environmental concerns grow and allotments being highly competitive, more and more people are looking to grow their own fruit and vegetables on their property.

There is plenty of value in growing your own fruit and vegetables, both physically and mentally. Giving you a sense of achievement, getting you in the fresh air and helping you to live more mindfully, many are turning to gardening as a way to combat the daily stresses and anxieties that life throws at you. Plus, growing your own fruit and vegetables can encourage you to eat healthier, as well as the produce being of high quality, packed with vitamins and rid of mass-produced chemical pesticides.

With this in mind, a greenhouse shed hybrid may be the perfect investment. The way that this is constructed is half of the roof is made out of glass, helping to trap heat and encourage the plants to grow no matter what time of year it is. The other half of the roof would typically be made out of standard shed roofing like slate tiles or wood, which provides shade to plants that need it, a place to store tools or a pretty seating area where you can admire the growth of your plants with a morning brew.

Open Plan Modern Shed

Take inspiration from postmodern design movements and create an open plan, sleek modern shed that can be utilised as an another living space to hang out in or an office. This style of shed can be utilised for summer soirees, providing an indoor space for being to sit whilst still feeling like they are part of the outside. A way to do this is to install floor to ceiling bi-folding doors that let an abundance of light into the room, and can seamlessly let you move between the interior and exterior. Think of tall ceilings and a gabled roof when designing the shed as this will make the room feel airy and modern.

For interior decoration, paint the interior white to brighten and make the space feel bigger. Then for extra luxury, install underfloor heating, a plush sofa or hanging chair, a thick rug and a coffee table. Alternatively, you could turn this space into a stunning home office. It is no secret that more and more people are working remotely, whether they are small business owners, freelancers or if you often travel a long distance, if you work from home then you need to make sure that you have a space you can relax and also equally focus. The light from the bi-folding doors will enhance your productivity and boost your mood, whereas the underfloor heating will keep you warm whilst you work.

Two-Storey Shed

If you have a large garden and you want to maximise space on your property, why not install a two-storey garden shed? With the rage of tiny houses sweeping both Britain and America, you could create your own within your own back garden. You could fit this with a kitchenette, a small toilet and a bedroom above on a mezzanine level. Alternatively, a two-storey shed can help you store more bits and bobs, ideal for homes that feel cramped and cluttered. This could be enhanced with a gambrel or barn-style roof, which, when painted in a Dutch colonial style will add a touch of rusticity to your back garden.

Chalet style Shed

If you want to feel like you are on the alps in the comfort of your own home, a rustic wooden chalet-style shed is a great way to do this. With a similar design to a vintage cottage shed, you can quaintly have a petite front porch with latticed windows and a carved wooden door. The appeal lies in the organic wooden grain that you can enhance with wood treatments so it will last for years, and also the possibility to turn the interior into whatever you desire. A great interior for this style of shed would be a wooden snug you can retreat to with a wood-burning stove, sofa and rug. Alternatively, a workshop would work too.

Green Roof Shed

Green roofs are fast becoming a popular instalment for new domestic builds, schools and other commercial buildings. This is where the roof has plants or grass placed on top, helping to encourage more greenery and cleaner air in your area. Great for eco-conscious homeowners, to make your shed design even more ‘green’, you could have it made out of recycled wood.

Kirton Sectional Buildings, High-Quality Sheds and Bespoke Outbuildings in Gainsborough

If you are looking for a high-quality wooden shed, greenhouse or wendy house, it is vital that you choose a local maker who creates one designed just for you. From stables to summerhouses, here at Kirton Sectional Buildings, we can provide an array of stunning outbuildings designed for a variety of purposes. Handcrafted to your requirements, our outbuildings are made from the finest timber, withstanding the dreary British weather for years to come.

An outbuilding can be a significant investment, which is why it is imperative that you choose a business who can prioritise your needs. With our extensive product range and years of experience we can custom build one to your desires. To find out more, simply contact us today.

Three Reasons to Invest in a Potting Shed

If your garden currently has a wide open space that needs to be filled, it’s likely you’ve considered investing in a greenhouse or garden shed. For gardening enthusiasts, a greenhouse is a space purely dedicated to growing plants, giving you the room you need to expand your collection. On the other hand, a garden shed is a versatile building that you can use to store a myriad of things ranging from gardening tools to camping gear.

Making a decision between these two garden features can be a difficult one, but what about when you add a potting shed into the equation? Far from making your choice harder, we’ve made a list of three reasons why a potting shed could be the perfect addition to your garden.

It offers the best of both worlds

As mentioned previously, deciding between a greenhouse and a garden shed can be tricky- so why not go with an option that offers you the best of both worlds? A potting shed is constructed mainly from wood much like a garden shed, yet it is glass fronted to promote plant growth. Also, whereas greenhouses are largely dominated by plant life, potting sheds have space for you to store your gardening essentials as well as rear greenery. With this in mind, choosing a potting shed almost seems like a no-brainer as it provides you with a multi-purpose building that you can use to its full potential.

It’s warmer in winter

One of the benefits that a potting shed has over a greenhouse is that it’s undoubtedly warmer in winter. The wooden aspects of the building help to keep cold air out and warm air in and as a result, it’s the perfect place to house your more sensitive plants in winter. Also, depending on the size of your potting shed, it could also double up as a cosy relaxation spot for you to enjoy during winter, allowing you to enjoy a moment of solitude amidst nature. A larger potting shed is also likely to be a great living space in the warmer months too as it offers you a place to bathe in sunlight without being exposed to harmful rays.

It’s more customisable

Although you may be set on having a room dedicated to growing plant life now, this could all change further down the line. While a greenhouse only really lends itself to one use, a potting shed can easily be revamped to serve another purpose. Whether you decide you want to create a summer house to entertain guests or you’d prefer to transform your potting shed into a traditional garden shed, a potting shed is extremely versatile and, with a few alterations, can be turned into another room entirely.

At Kirton Sectional Building Ltd, we stock a range of potting sheds to ensure you find a building to suit your needs and, if not, we offer to custom-build models to specific requirements.

For more information on the services we offer in Gainsborough, contact us today and update your garden space with Kirton Sectional Buildings Ltd.

From Gardening to DIY: How to Make the Most of Your Shed

The humble shed has been a treasured feature of British back gardens for decades. What started out as a basic, inexpensive wooden structure designed purely for storage has since become an invaluable space in the garden, used for a variety of weird and wonderful things.

Whilst the exteriors may not look massively different, if you were to step inside the garden sheds of every property on your street, you’d no doubt discover a range of interiors and uses, from cluttered tool sheds to beautifully designed summerhouses. Many homeowners opt to transform their sheds and utilise them for a whole host of random things – perhaps they don’t have room in the main house, or maybe they simply want a separate space to escape to. Either way, it’s fair to say that more and more people are making the most of their garden sheds.

Sheds have developed into much more than a simple pre-assembled structure for chucking stuff into – so how else can sheds be used? In this blog, we take a look at just a few ideas; there’s shed ideas for practical DIY enthusiasts, sheds for savvy business people and sheds for those who just want to have a bit of fun!

Tools and equipment storage

Whilst garden sheds now lend themselves to a variety of uses, you can’t argue with their original purpose – storage. Between the first and second World War, sheds were first sold to the masses as a convenient space to store tools, equipment and machinery and for many of us, they still serve the same purpose.

If you love gardening, a shed is the perfect place to keep your lawnmower, hedge trimmers and seed collections. Meanwhile, if extreme sports is your thing, why not keep your mountain bikes and cycling gear in there? From garden furniture to DIY tools, your shed is the ideal storage space – just remember to add a sturdy lock on the door!

Home office

Whilst it may seem like a bit of an upgrade from a simple place for storing your belongings, your garden shed could offer the ideal location for a peaceful home office. If you work from home or you often find yourself bringing your work home with you, you’re no doubt hankering for a quiet space away from the main house where you can get on with your job in peace.

After all, there’s nothing more infuriating than the chaotic sound of ‘dinner time’ going on around you or the tempting but distracting urge to try and work whilst also watching TV. When you transform your garden shed into a home office, you can separate work from home and make sure you get everything done with no interruptions.

Home gym

Another innovative way that homeowners are utilising their garden sheds is by transforming them into home workout spaces. Rather than paying for a gym membership, why not invest in some home gym equipment and pump some iron in your garden? Rowing machines, spinning bikes and free weights are bulky pieces of equipment and most of us don’t have space for them in our house, however, a shed offers the ideal solution. You can work out in privacy, without the sweaty, competitive atmosphere of a gym, and blast your favourite motivating tunes to get you pumped.

If a hardcore strength or cardio workout isn’t your thing, you could always convert your shed into a yoga or pilates studio. An out building like a shed is the perfect place to get some peace and quiet away from the house, allowing you to practice a peaceful pastime without any distractions.

Games room

So far, we’ve just offered up ideas that are all work and no play, but why not consider converting your shed into place to have some fun? If you have children, you could create a kid’s den or playhouse at the end of your garden, filled with all of their favourite toys where they can dream up imaginary games with their friends all summer long. Alternatively, if your little ones aren’t so little anymore, your garden shed could provide the perfect place for teenagers to escape the main house and relax with their friends.

But remember, it’s not just young people that need a space to wind down. If you’re a kid at heart, you could convert your shed into a games room for your pool table, darts board or foosball table, or even build a mini bar so you can enjoy your favourite tipples with friends and family. Hook your shed up with some powerful speakers and you can while away the hours listening to music and chilling out with your nearest and dearest.

Summerhouse

Carrying on the theme of less work and more play, another way in which homeowners are utilising their garden sheds is to transform them – or replace them – with a summerhouse. These garden buildings are a luxurious addition, offering a relaxing place to sit and enjoy your garden, and a step up from your average timber shed. Summerhouses are designed to look more aesthetically pleasing, with glass panels in the doors and even a porch area at the front.

If you love hosting BBQs and parties during the summer, a summerhouse offers some welcome shade from the hot sun where your guests can sit down and relax. You can use the space for storage too, keeping all of your garden furniture and garden games, ready to be used as soon as the sun comes out, rather than burying them at the back of your garage or have them cluttering up your back porch.

Quiet corner

If you’re not much of a party animal and a busy summer BBQ sounds like hell on earth, you might want to utilise your garden shed as a space to enjoy some well-earned ‘me’ time. Deck out your shed with some comfy interior products like bean bags, blankets and cushions, and decorate the space with candles and plants, creating a truly tranquil environment for R&R.

Perhaps you’re an avid reader or you’re getting into meditation; either way, by transforming your garden shed into a quiet corner to escape the pressures of everyday life, you can spend your evenings and weekends doing whatever you need to do to truly relax.

Hobby shed

Whatever your weird and wonderful hobby may be, why not use your garden shed as a place to really immerse yourself and escape your working life? Whether you’re a passionate writer working on your first novella, an experimental artist trying out new techniques or an amateur carpenter who enjoys toiling over quirky furniture and sculptures, utilising your garden shed is the best way to really hone your skills and take your passion to the next level.

From artist studios to carpentry workshops, if you had a look inside garden sheds up and down the country, you’d no doubt find people working on a whole range of home projects, fully engrossed and focused thanks to having no distractions or interruptions.

Business space

Whilst some people want to keep their hobbies as a recreational activity, others choose to take it one step further and turn what was once a Sunday afternoon pastime into a lucrative business venture. If this is the case, you’ll most certainly need a space dedicated to putting your heart and soul into the project.

Perhaps your natural flair for drawing has lead you to design and sell greetings cards, or maybe you’re passionate about pickles and you need a space to package your pickled products to sell on. Some of the most successful brands on the shelves today began as fledgling businesses in home kitchens and garden sheds – don’t underestimate your talent and use your shed to take the plunge!

Equally, if you’ve been training as a masseuse, counsellor, homeopath or pretty much anything that requires you to have a space to welcome and offer your services to clients, a fully refurbished shed could be the ideal solution. It’s a private, peaceful room where your customers will feel calm and comfortable – and be surrounded by nature!

Kirton Sectional Buildings: Offering a comprehensive range of shed styles, from basic timber sheds to charming summerhouses

If you’re inspired by some of our ideas and you’re looking for a garden shed that offers much more than just storage space, choose Kirton Sectional Buildings today. With our comprehensive range of shed styles, you can find something that not only suits the overall appearance of your garden, but is also the perfect size for whatever you plan to use it for. Along with our standard timber sheds, we also have a variety of playhouse and summerhouse designs, as well as products for specific uses like stables, greenhouses and dog huts.

As a family run company with a reputation for quality products, you can rest assured that anything you purchase from our range will be good value for money and stand the test of time. Plus, if you have a particular design in mind but you can’t see it within our catalogue of products, we’re happy to create custom-built models designed specifically for your needs.

For the best sheds in Lincolnshire, get in touch with Kirton Sectional Buildings today.

How to Maintain Wooden Garden Furniture

Worried about wooden furniture in your garden deteriorating? Well, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t last for a good few years, or even a few decades. That is, if you get high-quality pieces and treat them with care. Although garden furniture is designed to withstand outdoor conditions, it still needs a bit of TLC from time to time.

Read on for our top tips on how to keep your wooden garden furniture in top condition:

Store furniture indoors during periods of bad weather

As great as it would be to keep our garden furniture out in full display all year, the British weather simply doesn’t permit it. If you have storage space such as an outdoor shed or a summerhouse, put your pieces away when expecting long periods of terrible weather.

Consistent cleaning is key

Most of the dirt and grime that accumulates on garden furniture can easily be cleaned with just some water and a sponge. If you have many pieces to clean, consider investing in a spray washer that can blast out water at high pressure for easy cleaning.

Consistency is key to keeping your wooden furniture looking good for longer. Don’t leave it too long between cleaning sessions. Although you may not spot any signs of decay or rot, over time, daily wear and tear can build up and lead to mould and mildew.

Tackle mould with a dedicated cleaning solution

Spotted signs of mould or algae? It’s easy enough to treat, but it should be dealt with as soon as you see it. Simply scrub the wood using a specialist cleaning liquid designed to tackle mould and mildew. We’d recommend getting your furniture treated with a wood preservative to prevent this from happening too often.

Hardwood and softwood furniture both benefit from special treatment

Hardwood furniture, such as teak, can be more expensive. But it is also known to last longer if treated with care. A high-grade oil will maintain both its looks and its condition for many years.

The exterior of softwood garden furniture, such as pine, is more prone to rot. Protect its condition with a good wood preservative. You can also use an oil-based stain to improve its appearance.

———–

At Kirton Sectional Buildings, we have a wide range of high-quality wooden buildings on offer, including summerhouses and outdoor sheds. Get in touch with us to discuss your storage needs today. We’d be happy to create something bespoke for your specific requirements.

A brief history of Wooden Buildings

Wood is one of the oldest building materials in human history. Wood has been used for a number of different purposes, including as fuel, packaging, paper and artwork, but wood in the early days was used primarily for tools and construction.

Wood has served as an important construction material for thousands of years for humans to build shelters, houses, boats and many other structures.

In the stone ages materials such as wood, animal bones and stone would be whittled to make tools for building. The copper and bronze age then saw the introduction of metals which advanced the uses of wood for building.

Read on to find out more about the history of wooden buildings and how the material has become crucial to building projects worldwide for thousands of centuries.

Early uses for wood in construction

It is thought that the first wooden structure was built over 10,000 years ago. Europe’s Neolithic longhouse, constructed in around 5000 to 6000 BC is an example of one of the earliest free-standing timber dwellings. It is thought that early examples of such structures would house around twenty to thirty people, had no windows and just one doorway which was located at one end of the house. Inside, the area nearest the door would be used for working activities where there was more light, the middle section would be used for sleeping and eating and the end of the building would be used to store grains.

In the new stone age, wood became an important element in the construction of housing. Wattle and daub, (that is, a combination of woven wooden lattices and an adhesive material usually made from soil, clay, straw or animal dung) would be used to build walls.

The Iron Age was a time when woodwork advanced and larger structures were built. Organic materials such as leather, rope and thatching reed were used to build. Roundhouses were a popular and standard form of housing from the Bronze Age through to the Iron age and were made using wooden posts joined together with wattle and daub.

In the Middle Ages, timber-framed buildings became more popular. Timber framed buildings are easy to construct and easy to remove. Traditional timber framing is the practice of creating a building ‘skeleton’ using timber.

Timber-framed buildings meant that more prefabricated buildings could be constructed and cities, towns and villages began to expand. Throughout the UK we can still see examples of timber-framed buildings dating back hundreds of years, and until the Victorian era, it was an extremely popular method not only for the construction of houses but for shipbuilding too.

Oak became a predominant timber for structural purposes in the UK because of the country’s rich supply of oak trees. This type of wood is incredibly strong and durable making it an ideal material for free-standing structures.

One of the oldest oak buildings in the UK and in fact, thought to be one of the oldest wooden buildings in Europe still stands. Greensted Church in Essex is a church that has stood for nearly 1,200 years. Evidence suggests that there may have been a church on the site dating back to the 4th century. This is one of the great examples of how wooden structures can stand the test of time.

In the Middle-ages, carpenters were amongst the most skilled craftspeople around and were particularly high in demand for the construction of buildings. Carpenters had and still do operate with an understanding of nature and the trees that they use.

The modern-day

Wood is still used as a primary material for construction today. In modern-day buildings, wood is used as a frame for brick housing or commercial buildings and these structures are often enhanced with the help of steel and bronze for them to become sturdier and longer-lasting.

Despite there being more materials on the market than there ever have been before, popularity for wood is not slowing down. Wood has proven health benefits and is sustainable, renewable and aesthetically pleasing; all important factors that consumers now seek in the housing market.

The demand for sustainable, environmentally friendly buildings is also growing because of the ability for these houses to save people time, money and help the environment.

Engineered timber is meeting the criteria for sustainable housing. Engineered timber products are manufactured by bonding together wood with various different materials and adhesives. The result is products such as laminated timber, plywood and hardboard, which can all be used in elements of a construction project.

Wooden structures are also a lot quicker to build than other materials, are quieter to construct and lighter to carry than steel structures. Engineered sub-products of wood like cross-laminated timber are ideal for meeting the demands for the eco-conscious consumer because the material is strong, durable, insulating and can be prefabricated.

Why is wood so popular?

Wood is a popular and historic material, as we have discussed. Wood is so popular because it offers so many benefits compared to other materials.

Wood outweighs many other materials because of its environmental impact and performance.
Here are a few reasons why wood is such a good building material:

Durability

Wood, although lightweight is undoubtedly strong. When wood is preserved in the correct way, it can last hundreds of years. Structurally, timber is extremely strong and has a weight ratio higher than reinforced concrete when compressed. It’s also resistant to heat, frost, pollution and corrosion- making it the ideal building material.

Insulating

Wood is a natural insulator and is ideal for building housing or sheds. This is because wood has air pockets within its structure, making it far better at retaining heat compared to concrete, steel and aluminium. When a building is made with wood it retains the heat and therefore keeps the costs of heating down.

Good for wellbeing

Aside from wood being structurally great for building, research has suggested that using wood in the interior of a building has psychological and physiological benefits. People often associate wood with spending time outside and amongst nature. When wood is used indoors, it is thought that some people get the same feeling of comfort and satisfaction as they would outdoors. This means that blood pressure, heart rates and anxiety reduces and makes people feel generally calmer.

Sound absorption

Wood absorbs sound better than other materials, making it better for building offices or houses because it doesn’t echo.

It’s renewable

Unlike other building materials like concrete, wood is renewable. Wood can be grown, regrown and recycled. Wooden buildings can be deconstructed or reused and repurposed which is great for saving on other materials. Steel and concrete structures consume a lot more energy and emit substantially more greenhouse gases. Wood helps to sustain our forests and increases the world’s carbon storage potential.

It’s biodegradable

We are all aware of the uses that wood has when recycled, but when wood does reach the end of its life cycle, it can biodegrade. When wood is exposed to its natural climate conditions it will decompose quickly, keeping soil replenished in this action.

Kirton Sectional Buildings: High-quality wooden structures from wooden outbuildings to timber workshops

At Kirton Sectional Buildings, we have built a reputation for building high quality wooden buildings over our 31 years of trading. We build a vast range of products to compliment all types of garden. Whether you’re after a garden shed to store your garden tools, a fully glazed greenhouse to grow your own vegetables and herbs or a studio summerhouse to kick-back in during the hot summer evenings, we have the right product to suit your needs. We also offer free delivery and installation if you live within 70 miles of our base in Lincolnshire.

Visit our store online or give us a call to discuss your requirements.