What size shed do you actually need?

The single most common thing we hear on a delivery is some version of “I should have gone bigger.” It is so common that we now push people up a size as a matter of course, even though it makes the conversation harder.

Start with the floor, not the walls

Lay out what is going in it on the driveway. The mower, the bikes, the wheelbarrow, the bags of feed. Then add three feet of walking room on the side you will access from. That is your floor area, and it is almost always larger than the number you had in your head.

Then think about what arrives later

A shed fills. Within two years you will have a strimmer you do not own yet, a set of ladders, and something belonging to a relative. Adding two feet to the length at the point of order costs a few hundred dollars. Adding it afterwards costs the price of a second shed.

Go up before you go out

If the footprint is limited by the plot, a gambrel roof with a loft gives you a second floor for the price of a different roof angle. It is the best value change you can make to an order.

The sizes that work

For a mower and general garden clutter, 10×12 is the honest minimum. For a mower plus a workbench, 10×16. For anything you would call a workshop, 12×20 and a loft. Below 8×10 you are buying a cupboard, and you will regret it by spring.