<p>Happy New Year! On this day, we are especially grateful to be able to acquire a New Home with deep discount from the bank. We are very excited to move in shortly.</p>
<p>However, the 3000 sqft house has one small problem, it does not have any storage place, no basement. So we are planning to install a storage shed in the yard. We have a large leveled back yard with plenty of space to house a large storage shed. </p>
<p>Several questions came to my mind:
What kind of material is the best for this Northern California Location?
Should I install a foundation first? The previous owner had a shed and was removed before I bought it, there was no foundation.
Go take a look at the various shed options at a place like Home Depot or other similar yard supply. Some are more attractive than others. They should have some storage sheds set up and the directions will probably indicate whether you will need some kind of anchor/base at the corners.
Check to see if they have built in floors. If there is no floor, you might consider placing plastic sheeting down and covering with bark or gravel to keep things dry inside, or you could place interlocking pavers down–this would be better for wheeling in lawn equipment. (You can also look to see how the proposed area drains this winter. If it is a soggy mess, you’ll have to regrade the area to drain). A concrete pad would be the best solution but it’s more expensive and it’s permanent.
For aethetics, I’d suggest placing the storage shed on a side yard (if you have room) so it isn’t in view from inside the house. Consider your neighbor’s views too. Try to pick a shed color that blends with your house color. You could probably paint a metal unit to match your house. Some of the plastic units might weather better but could fade. If you have a north orientation out of sunlight, that might be better and it wouldn’t be a heat box in the summer.
Consider how you will be using it. You might need a paved pathway area to the shed door if you are wheeling in large equipment.
I’m always in favor of integrating any portable structure into the overall landscape design so it doesn’t look ‘plopped in’. Utility areas like clothes lines, potting sheds, etc are usually best if screened off with hedges or fences from direct views.</p>
<p>I don’t know if you have a garage but perhaps you can organize the garage to allow for more storage there to eliminate the need for a separate storage shed?
Good luck and congrats on the new house!</p>
<p>I purchased a shed from Home Depot. It was made and installed by Tuff Sheds. It did not require a foundation. They did all the work and had it installed in a few hours. I was very pleased with it. You can order shelves, pegboards, windows, a cute flower box, a solar light (it worked great) among other accessories. I painted it to match my house. I’m in SC and never had any moisture problems with it. It seemed to very solidly constructed. I looked at lots of sheds before buying it. Go to tuffshed dot com.</p>
<p>Another rec. for Tuff Shed - they are very popular here in wet Western WA.</p>
<p>Check your city’s or county’s building codes before installing your shed - there might be some restrictions on how close to the property line you can have it. Do not rely on the position of the previous owner’s shed. It might have been installed improperly, and the neighbors might have ignored it, but if they do not like you for some reason… Moving a shed a few feet is not a very easy task.</p>
<p>Take the biggest one. You will think ‘oh, I’ll never fill that’ but you will. Believe me, you will. </p>
<p>Have you considered building a closet? We have added a couple to this house. One where the builder had put a bill paying desk facing a dark wall. Another in the basement where they’d put a space for a washer/dryer even though there’s one upstairs (it’s a house at the beach…the extra space must have either been for sandy towels or if you chose to convert two lower rooms into a guest suite). That on was mostly just adding shelves; the first one required a contractor to make it match the rest of the hallway. Now our luggage, Xmas decorations, etc have someplace to live.</p>
<p>I also recommend the biggest one you can afford. Then in the future, when you brag about your home(3000 sq ft bought at a deep discount) you can also add you bought the biggest shed available.</p>
<p>I’m not in Ca., but in our state zoning regs are different for a moveable shed than one on a permanent foundation.</p>