Designer would like to hear opinions about shed design

[RFI_shed]

I would greatly appreciate if you could take a minute to give me your opinion about a garden-shed that I designed and has just been published online as part of a competition. Im very interested in hearing opinions from people from different regions and as many different backgrounds as possible.

Please visit the following website and click at the bottom of the page to leave your comments and rating of the project:

http://www.secrets-of-shed-building.com/clear-deck.html

Comments can be completely anonymous if you prefer, but I would love to have any information about you that you are willing to share (occupation, age, country of origin/residence, etc).

Thank you so much for your time and I hope youll like the shed.

 

[simple life]

Well for me its far too modern looking.
Is that strictly for storage, it doesn't appear to be a garden type shed.
I prefer a shed that you can sit at a potting bench and look out the window while you sort seeds.
I could not see that being in someone's garden, that is why I ask if its a storage type thing to hide tools rather than being a place a gardener would want to hang out in.
Maybe its because I live in New England but I prefer quaint and maybe its because I am a gardener but I prefer a potting/garden shed that is an extenstion of my garden.

 

[vfem]

I prefer a shed I could actually do some potting of my plants it. Would like something I could store and work from. Would like a built in garden table option maybe a place to run water. how about a light from the top to work from in the evenings?

I don't mind the modern design, I think its nice... but doesn't follow my wild english cottage garden design.

 

[patandchickens]

It's not going to blow over??? I would not give it good odds in my yard.

I fear you are asking the wrong audience... as simple life says, it does not appear to be aimed at a working gardener, just at someone with a fair bit of disposable income who wants to store some yard stuff, which is not so much the folks here

I would point out though that the storage space is SOOOO long and narrow, it seems like you could hardly put anything in it, and when you did, you'd have a heck of a time getting it back OUT past any OTHER things you'd put in there.

Good luck in your endeavors,

Pat

 

[jojo54]

It does look a bit stark with no windows. If it is a storage type of shed, I find I still need light to find the right tool or to be able to hang it back on its hanger. I would have lattice so you could grow vines or have some hooks for hanging baskets of flowers. When I sit and relax outside, I want to see and smell the flowers.

It is a neat design that could be tweeked to make it better. How about a railing and planter boxes? Many ideas but all of them are about adding greenery and plant life to it.

:rainbow-sun

 

[RFI_shed]

Thank you for all your comments. It seems that my drawings and description of the project may not have been entirely clear and theres at least one thing that I would like to clarify or reiterate.

This shed does not intend to provide adequate space for anyone to be working inside. A lot of your comments seem to be inclined towards that direction and they will certainly be very helpful next time I design a shed to serve that purpose but thats simply not the case of this shed. The storage area is just that; a storage area. Its a place to protect a small lawn-mower, a couple of tools and maybe some cushions for patio furniture from the rain and keep them out of sight. Even just as a storage area it may not be enough for everyone... but it provides about three times the square footage that many tool-sheds provide, it has two separate sets of double doors on opposite sides of the building for easy access (allowing also to create two separate compartments), and I think it could satisfy the storage-needs of many people. People who would be happy spending only part of the budget for this shed on the gardening part of it, and the rest of the budget on the smelling the roses part of it.

I hope this clarifies a little bit what this shed is about and I look forward to hear any further comments you may have.


PS:
@Jojo54: You make a valid point about natural light. I think the open doors should be enough, but it might be a good idea to add a couple of small windows high on the back wall.

 

[Rosalind]

Regardless of aesthetics, it would be completely non-functional in my area: We get sideways rain. How about snow load, can a cantilevered shed made out of ordinary low-grade pine 2x4" lumber and wood screws put up with a 3-4 foot snow load for 5 months straight?

Also, dimensions? I'm only familiar with my local building codes, but I am sure there is some basic size building that should be fairly common, above which you'd have to get a building permit, and that is based on footprint, yes? I was guesstimating that this shed would be comfortably under that limit, but then you said

it provides about three times the square footage that many tool-sheds provide

. Which means, I could not have such a shed due to permit restrictions.

I'm in New England as well. We've got plenty of modern buildings here, but everyone sorta makes fun of them. Not really popular. And there are a LOT of limits on what you're allowed to put up, all your neighbors get to decide whether it's cool enough for the neighborhood, and they will make you take things down if it doesn't fit your neighbor's decor even after you spent a small fortune. I guess my advice would be to think deeply about your target demographic and whether or not they might have a Homeowner's Association, a neighborhood busybody, or live in a town ritzy enough that they can afford to have actual laws about that sort of thing.