Saturday, December 22, 2018

How to Build Your Own Outdoor Shed


An outdoor shed is a fantastic way to create an extra area of storage for the things that you need most when spending time outside. Whether you need a place to keep your lawn mower and snowblower, or you need a space for your garden supplies and various other things that you don’t have the room to store in your home, the right shed will be able to withstand the elements and protect your belongings throughout the year. If you’re ready to build your own shed for your lovely backyard, check out the tips below to get started.
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First, Consider the Materials

Before getting started, think about the materials that you want your shed to be made of. Sure, you could head out to a local hardware store and purchase one of those premade plastic sheds, but those aren’t always the most unique or aesthetically pleasing. An alternative would be a steel shed like those sold online by Armstrong Steel, which you can build yourself by assembling the parts rather easily. These are also durable and Armstrong Steel offer the option to customize it to your preferences, so they offer a lot of flexibility in terms of how you can use them. Or, you could go the more traditional route and use wood to construct your one-of-a-kind shed all on your own.

Set the Foundation

First, you need to set the foundation for your shed, ensuring that the ground is totally level. The use of cinderblocks around the perimeter of the foundation can help keep animals out, but if you are planning on adding electricity to your shed, be sure to carve out the channels for that as well. This can get complicated, so you might need to hire experts if this is the route that you’re planning on taking and you aren’t sure how to route the electrical components into the shed.

Create the Frames

Using plenty of 2x4s, the next step is to build out the frames for the walls and the roof of your shed. Once all of these are set in place, you will be able to attach the actual walls and roof to them, so take your time to figure out how big you want your shed to be, and carefully space the 2x4s so that they will provide the structure with strength. Make sure you leave room for your door, as well as any windows that you would like to have in the shed.  Steel sheds are again easier here as they come ready to assemble.

Add the Walls, Roof, and Door Before Painting

When you are ready to add the walls, you can either use plywood and nail it into the frame securely, or use a premade steel kit. The same can be done with the roof, which you can add shingles to in order to protect it from the elements. The last part would be to install the door and add the windows. Then, it’s a matter of painting the shed and customizing the interior with shelves to make it easier to store everything you need in an organized fashion.

As you can see, there are several steps involved in building a shed for your backyard, but once you’re done, you’ll be so proud of the work that you’ve completed.  

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

New Furniture for our Front Porch

We used to have  a wicker set of outdoor furniture on our front porch but it's design is for a bigger  space so we moved it to our back porch.  My husband grabbed the opportunity to get the  glider that he wanted from the Amish furniture store.  
We got the double glider and two single ones.  The name of the store is Swiss Country Lawn & Craft and it is located in Walnut Creek, Ohio.   They have  large collection of the area’s finest Amish-Made lawn furniture such as  gazebos, swing sets, and garden decor.  It's a perfect place to get the things in beautifying outdoor living areas. 
It is a bit pricey but the quality of their product is  really good.  The double gliders has a foldable  cup holders and space to  lay  plates or any snacks you may have. I love  that this kind of material is very easy to clean.  The product is made of composite material which I prefer more than wood.  We paid $1, 331.94 for all the three  pieces including  sales tax ($87.14) and delivery fee of ($202.80).  The gliding chair cost $216 each and the Settee glider is a bit expensive ($610).  The delivery fee could have paid for one more item but we didn't have the means to pick it up.
This set of furniture was our anniversary purchase.  Hubby and I no longer  buy each other gifts on our wedding anniversaries but rather we buy something that we can both enjoy using.  We agreed to have this one for our 15th.
We have a big porch at the back and I want to enclose it with glass windows in the future if budget permits.  I love hanging out at the back because it's a lot fresher there because of the trees but my husband likes sitting out front as he says  hello to our passing neighbor.  I like my time to be quiet lol.  
Anyway, these bright pattern pillows will be  of great addition to the  back porch furniture next year.  Right now, it is covered to  protect it from the harsh winter.  Bright colored pillows are great accent to add  a pop of colors in a space like our old porch.  I hope that when our kitchen remodeling project is done, we can do something  for our back porch.  I would like to enjoy my  grey old days in there, it would be nice.  
Disclosure: The owner of this blog was NOT financially compensated to write this review.  I was provided with the complimentary product/s mentioned  for testing purposes and to help me  facilitate this review but  opinions are my own.

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