I am very excited because my husband and I have just submitted our plans for a backyard shed. But it's far more than just a garden shed. Its going to hold some very heavy gym equipment, because a condition of us starting a family is that we both wanted to still have easy access to the gym. And so the plans begin!
Of course when this idea began my first thought was what is it going to look like? Of course the inside is all going to be very functional, gym up one end, and garden shed style at the other with compulsory workbench etc. So the exterior is where the fun could happen.
These are some of the initial pictures I found for inspiration.
Little pieces of all of these pictures have formed part of what has ultimately become the shed plan. But this picture below is the one that I fell in love with. The design is so simple, yet super stylish and something I felt would transfer quite well to our setting. As the back of our house looks across grass and straight onto this building the aesthetic is very important as it is a focal point.
And then reality hit. Which has meant a few compromises.
Firstly their was a main sewerage pipe that went diagonally through the back of our property. There was not a way to work around this, so the shed has needed to go on an angle across the backyard, being 5 metre deep at one end and 2.5 metres other. The angle isn't too severe as the shed is 10.5 metres long, and it has actually given us more room for the gym section. The odd angles should make some good areas for storage!
Secondly these wild angles have made building a deck quite difficult, as well as supremely difficult to rip up if the sewer main ever need to be repaired. We really wanted an entertainment area at the front of shed as plan for our house mean we won't be able to have one connected directly to the back of the house. Solution, see photo three. A stunning crushed gravel area to create a very English feel to our little patch of earth!
Thirdly cedar cladding, or a hardwood that wood gradually turn gorgeously grey overtime, were a bit out of the price range. We're going to use a ply cladding instead, painted grey as per the fourth photo. And to retain timber as the feature, two windows will be boxed as per the above photo (but not as deep) in hardwood.
And now with a few tweaks the plans are in, the garden is cleared and we are ready to go! I am so excited to see the area filled with something. The dark grey cladding will make the backyard much more relaxing, especially when our hot Australian sun reflects off it.
Pinterest has been a fantastic source of inspiration for this project. It is very nice to be able to gather ideas from commercial and residential use, and not just use the tired ideas that are marketed locally. I agree colour bond sheds have their place, but not at the bottom of my backyard! I will send you updates as the building progresses.
Thanks for reading. Sarah xx
