Use A Lean To Shed To Make The Most Of Your Dead Space

Do you have some 'dead space' along the side of your house that simply drives you insane? It's that area the leaves always seem to flock to in the autumn that you absolutely hate raking out. There is a solution and it could actually provide you with some extra storage space for items in your home that heat and cold will not harm, such as extra yard tools that you have hanging up in your basement, or bicycles that only come out in the summer.

What is that solution?

A lean to shed that is built to blend in with your home and provide you with as little or as much extra storage space as you need.

External view of lean to shed filling in dead space between side of house and boundary	This otherwise unused space now holds all this! (And needs tidying)

Building a Lean To Shed

A lean to shed can easily be built out of metal, plastic, wood, or a combination of all of those materials. It can have four full sides if you don't want to attach it directly to your home, or just three if you attach it directly to the side of the house. What you finally decided may depend on the construction of your house, whether it is brick or timber frame with wood siding for example. Many people construct a very nice lean to shed that they finish with siding or paint to match the existing exterior of the house, making it look as if it had always been there.

The roof of your lean to shed should be mono-pitched. That means it should lean down away from the house in one even flow so that rain water simply rolls down the roof and onto the ground without causing standing puddles of water that could damage both the roof and the house. This is one of the things that you must take extra care on when adding a lean to shed to your home. As long as the roof is pitched properly and gives rain a place to go, you will be all right.

A Lean to Storage Shed

One of the many beauties of a lean to shed is that it can be as wide or as long as you want it to be. If you simply need some space for garden tools, the shed could be as deep as your arms so that everything is within easy reach. Something deeper could be used for shelving units that can hold springtime bulbs, seeds, pots, potting soil, and other outdoor tools. You can even make your lean to shed large enough to store bicycles and other outdoor toys depending on how much room you have to build it. There is no limit to how an outdoor lean to shed can be used.

Securing your lean to shed and other considerations

If you are storing more than just firewood for your home in your lean to shed, you need to make sure that it can be secured easily. You will want to use a good sturdy door on the entrance with at least a key lock in order to secure the items within when you are not in the lean to shed. A dead bolt may not necessarily be needed to keep your items safe inside, but if it makes you feel more comfortable, then by all means use one. More on securing your shed...

A good use of that 'dead space'

Is your lean to shed being used for more than just outdoor and garden items? If you have plenty of 'dead space' next to your home where you can make a lean to more like an extension, then you could turn it into a workshop or a home office. In this case, you will need to make sure the interior of the lean to shed is also finished off with sheet rock, heating or air conditioning of some form, and electricity. A workshop or office is best when it can be used all year round.

Lean to sheds, no matter how you ultimately use them, are great additions to your home and utilize space that are just, well, taking up space. Remember to always check with your local government officials to verify their laws regarding building permits and other issues that will pertain to adding the lean to shed to your property. The last thing you want to worry about is getting your lean to shed up and finished only to take it right back down again.