The Shed, but Make it Chic

Reimagining the outdoor storage space

I’m not ashamed to say it: my garage has become overrun. Sometime between last summer and this spring, I noticed a change. Call it a gradual accumulation. Call it poor organization. Whatever it was, one thing was clear: our family was in dire need of a shed. I set out on a mission to find the highest quality shed that I could find that also met my design-loving needs. An eyesore this would not be. 

One thing we were definitely not in dire need of, I let my husband know, was another DIY project. This time, I wanted it left up to the experts. For medium-sized wood sheds that can house anything from small appliances to bikes and paddleboards, we headed first to Home Depot. The Scarsdale Designer Outdoor wood shed with 2 windows was an attractive option, made even more attractive by the fact that it came with optional professional install (that option costs about $1500 extra, plus tax). The 12- x 16-foot shed, which costs under $6,000 — both with and without install — comes with a choice of three shingle colors, a double-wide door, and nearly 200 square-feet of interior space, which can even be used as an ancillary structure, like a pool house. 

The Heartland brand, which also sells their wood sheds to Home Depot and Lowe’s, offers customization and installation of 11 different styles. Sheds are available in different sizes, from 10- x 4-foot (the Lean To) to 16- x 24-foot (the Garage and Two Story models). Customizable options include 25-year shingles, storage lofts, wooden ramps, interior shelving and workbenches, cupolas, skylights, windows with transoms, and steel service doors. Some of Heartland’s more upmarket models — the Studio, for instance — are specifically designed to take the place of an indoor space. Take your office outside with one of these bespoke (and, yes, professionally assembled) outdoor buildings, which offer extras like residential-grade French doors, corrosion resistance, and brushed aluminum trim. (Prices begin around $4,000 and go up to about $20,000, depending on size and level of customization.) 

If you’re looking to build a shed for your backyard using a local company, NY Shed Company, based in Mattituck, has been producing beautiful outdoor spaces for 38 years. Sheds come standard with double doors, vents, a choice of trim and shingle color, a choice of window and door placement, and flooring. Sheds can be built on-site and can be customized with everything from vinyl plank flooring to dormers to window boxes. 

At Long Island Shed Builders, in Smithtown, decorative sheds are available to match the design of your home. Size, style, window and door configuration, layout, and colors can all be predetermined online. The company’s 3D visualizer helps you to see what your shed will look like once it arrives in your backyard, so you can add and remove features — and see their relative cost. Sheds can be delivered or built on-site, can be painted in tons of different colors and trim colors, and can be built as large as 14- x 36-feet.