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craiggerz

Help with backyard shed

10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago

Just purchased a house in zone 6a, we have a really ugly/beat up shed that we would like to spruce up.

Here is the project:


Only current picture I have showing the concrete pad, I'll get a better one up soon:


The colour scheme I like:



I think the painting/gutter replacement stuff will be easy for me to do. However I have no idea where to start with the landscape design aspect. What should I do with the concrete pad and how do I go about adding greenery or a garden around the shed?

Comments (8)

  • 10 years ago

    Is the concrete pad another project? It's a little confusing. You could put a pergola over the pad and make a BBQ center there, or use it to park an RV.

  • 10 years ago

    I'd start with painting etc. to fix up the 'shed' (by the looks of it, it was once a small stable....) I like the green you've choses - I used similar colors on our shed to help in blend into the background. Once you've painted and fixed up the shed, it'll annoy you less while you're deciding what to do with the rest of the space! (If you intend to add plantings near the shed, the concrete pad may be useful by effectively providing a maintenance path around the shed to make future painting etc. easier.)

  • PRO
    10 years ago

    Not only will you want to landscape around the outbuilding itself, but you'll want to consider how all of it will tie into the larger yard. When you say "garden" .... do you mean vegetable garden, or just landscape? If you mean vegetable garden, explain what you have in mind (square footage, location, shape.)

    Given that the existing walkway is a completely utilitarian addition, you'll need to weigh if you want to redo some of it. It won't be possible to do a normal "foundation" planting for the building, where the walk abuts it.

    In order to understand better what you have, you need to submit better pictures of the building and space around it. Line up with the camera centered with the building face. Be back far enough that at least 15' of ground space shows (in the viewfinder) in front of the building. (You'll probably be 20 or more feet from building.) If space at the right and left end of the building does not show, pivot the camera, aiming in those directions and capture with shots that slightly overlap the center shot. (But be sure NOT to move the camera locations for adjoining shots.)

    You would capture the scene for both faces of the building that matter, separately. (In other words, the camera location will change.)

  • 10 years ago

    Thanks Yardvaark, I'm still working on getting pictures for you. I meant to say "landscape" we have plans for a vegetable garden elsewhere.


    Do you guys think I can paint the aluminum siding or I should go the route of replacing?

    Pic 1

    Pic 2

    Pic 3

    Pic 4



  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    Thanks jnavarro, I saw your post on my other thread as well. Most of the questions you asked I have no answers yet :)... I've been working on finding out a bit more about the soil and sun as time goes along, making notes and such. It doesn't help that it's extremely hot right now with no rain.

    Appreciate the feedback, I think it's definitely a cheap experiment to start with paint. If nothing else the "wasted" time if it backfires will be good experience.

  • PRO
    10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    As a barn/outbuilding I think the siding looks fine except for the paint. A new paint job would make a world of difference. The one thing that cheapens the look is the horizontal seam where the siding joins. You could probably add batten board-like trim to conceal this. For the corner where there is a split, find some metal corner trim that can cover the whole corner.

    craiggerz thanked Yardvaark
  • 10 years ago

    I agree with other posters that a paint job now with replacement as a consideration for the future when there's more time and more funding readily available is a good plan. I like the color palette chosen. You might consider concrete paint for the whole pad at the same time along with some lounge chairs on the large part of the pad, and as Suzi suggested a pergola or awning to provide shade if the building and trees don't do that. A few large pots of annuals, and it will look more intentional as a spot to enjoy in the yard, especially since it's so visible from the back windows in the house. That will give you some time to figure out how to plan and use the area long term along with your plan for the yard as a whole. If the light is right, having raised beds for your veggies in front of the shed might integrate it into the yard, but that would depend on what works best for the garden and yard as a whole.