If you have some space available on your property, you might be going back and forth between building a shed and a garage as the best use of that area. A garage will be larger, of course, meaning it takes up more terrain – but also offers more options inside. We’d like to use the article below to help you make this important choice.

As you think about whether you’d like to create a shed or a garage, you can experiment with our Build & Price tool to see the options in both categories. Thanks to our nearly endless customization possibilities, you can create something just right for your needs. To learn more, simply contact us and we’ll be happy to help. Don’t wait any longer to bring this project to life!

Build a Budget

Before you can create an actual structure on your property, you need to first create a budget for the job. Having a clear budget will help you ensure you don’t spend more than you can afford and direct you toward the right choice for the project. Of course, you can expect to spend less on a smaller building than a bigger one, so a shed might be the necessary choice if you are on a tight budget. Gaining clarity on this point as soon as possible will make everything else easier.

Make Specific Plans

It’s one thing to think that having another building on your property would be nice. It’s another thing to figure out exactly what that building would be for and how it would be used. This more specific type of thinking will allow you to zero in on the right type of structure for your needs.

• Storage requirements. Think about what it is that you’d like to be able to store in this structure. Are you going to use it as a place to put lawn and landscaping equipment? Do you have a small boat like a kayak or canoe that needs a home? Whatever the case may be, write down a list of everything that you would like to fit into the structure, and it will become clear how big this building needs to be.
• Useful indoor space. Beyond storage, you’ll also want to think about whether or not you would like to be able to work inside the building. If you want space to work in addition to storing your things, a building that looks more like a garage than a shed is likely the way to go.
• Think long-term. In addition to making sure this building serves your immediate needs, think about the big picture and consider any possible uses for the structure down the line. You can’t be sure what you’ll want to need in the future, but do your best and consider those thoughts.

Balancing the Use of Your Land

Adding a shed or garage to your property is a great way to use land that you have available. With that said, you might not want to take up too much of your property with this structure, as you could have other uses in mind, such as gardening.

To picture how big a proposed shed or garage will be, consider using some rope or string and a few stakes to mark out the footprint of any structure you are thinking of creating. This will give you a great visual out on the land and make it easy to decide if what you are considering is the right size for your overall goals. It might take a few different iterations of this layout before you land on something that looks good. You’ll be happy you went through this effort ahead of time to get the sizing just right rather than waiting until your building arrives only to find that it is larger or smaller than you wanted.

While this article has been framed around deciding between a shed and a garage, the reality is that those words are just general labels. Your new building doesn’t need to fit neatly under any label – it could wind up being something between a shed and a garage in form and size. That’s because we make it easy to customize your building to suit your needs, so you don’t have to pick from a limited list of prefabrication options. Start designing your dream building today and we’ll bring it to life!