Garden buildings are more common in the United Kingdom, but have great practicality here in the US. They are very practical and add a touch of fun and class to any home. A garden building can be a place to store equipment, a nice carport, a gazebo, a greenhouse, a play area or just about any type of functional and beautiful out building you can imagine. They can be inexpensive or expensive depending on what you want.
If you are looking at a garden building consider your lifestyle, if you are longer with children you may want a place where the children can safely play in your backyard. If you are older and enjoy gardening you may want a nice greenhouse so you can continue gardening during off seasons. You can also make a garden building that has a hot tub in it so you can have enjoyment and privacy. You are really only limited to your own imagination when coming up with an idea for your own garden building.
You have options; you can go to a store like Home Depot and purchase a ready made building or work with a custom builder to find something unique for your needs. Having something custom made will cost you the most money, but if it’s something you will have for years the value is probably worth it.
Garden buildings can be stand alone or they can be an addition to your home, something that allows you a place to go and stay out of the elements. Often those attached to the home are used for entertaining, with a nice feel of both the indoors and out. These are often called conservatory buildings in the UK and can be built from wood or aluminum or a combination of both.
Less common usages for garden buildings are things such as dog kennels or chicken coops. Done right even these types of buildings can add beauty and functionality to your outdoor area.
Garden buildings are fun and functional; they are a great place to find peace or to entertain friends and family. Because these buildings will be a part of your home for years to come do a little research and discover your options. Do a little thought on what you really want from one, plan and move forward!
One of the best ways for children to enjoy a nice time on the garden is by installing a wooden building on the outside. In addition to giving your garden a rather rustic and cozy atmosphere, these are the perfect place for children to have fun and play. It is amazing how children like little buildings. Possibly because they consider it their place, they also enjoy playing inside it so much.
It is very important to consider security measures, and assuring that the manufacturer is complying with any regulations. The selected garden building has to be solid, as solid as any building. The wood has to be treated against insects and protected against fire. The better choice for windows is PVC. Although plastic looks cheap, it is incredibly resistant. Only if you choose a secure garden building, you will be able to let your children play in it with peace of mind.
We must also address the quality of the wood, since the weather will be merciless with it, as with any kind of window. In many garden buildings, the pieces are made from pine and have a three-year warranty against everything. Beware of vendors who offer a short warranty. Even they know that their products are of little value.
Garden buildings are normally designed to be installed anywhere (beach, mountain or city) and the roof should be coated with asphalt. Asphalt insulates well, which makes garden buildings the best place for toy storage, balls and all sorts of objects, like tools. It is difficult to see anything other than an asphalt roof. A roof made of wood is mostly a bad idea, especially if you live in a region where it snows. Your garden building won’t survive any winter if it has a wooden roof.
The floor is often made of grid, which allows the air to flow. This prevents the entry of moisture and keeps the garden building intact. Most buildings are made of wood and prefabricated panels. Even the window, doors, and the floor are prefabricated. Mostly you will only have to screw the parts together, which is quite easy, even for the most inexperienced person.
Regarding the decision of buying or building yourself, it is almost sure that you will necessarily have to buy the parts and build it. There is no point in building it from scratch. There are plenty of manufacturers who offer any size, shape and price of garden buildings. Making a good garden building is more difficult than it seems, especially, making one that can stand the onslaught of weather.
Choose wisely the place where you build your garden building. Preparing the ground below the building is very important. Some garden owners do not consider this last point to be important, but it is essential, if you want a stable garden building. A soft ground below your building can cause ongoing issues.
Check following points regarding the ground:
As a first step a good cleaning of the ground is needed. It is necessary to clean grass and especially any roots that can then turn up into a tree. Some people spread salt, to avoid anything growing below your garden building.
You must clearly mark the spot where you are going to build the garden building. Normally, the old but always useful method of stakes and string is the best choice. Dig a trench where you will put the concrete sub-floor.
A good depth of the trench is often necessary, something between 10 and 15 inches. Then you throw into the trench gravel, spread it on equally on the ground.
After completing this step, we recommend placing a plastic membrane that exceeds the size of the trench. An alternative is to pour asphalt on the trench. A proper isolation of the floor is essential to keep the garden building dry, since a lot of humidity creeps through the floor. If your garden building is made of wood, then humidity could also damage the material of the building.
Take your time for performing each step. If you used asphalt, wait until it is completely dry before you build anything upon it. Asphalt is only rock solid after drying completely, which takes a couple of days.
Remember that the base has several functions: thermal insulation, insulation against humidity, being a solid base to build upon and avoid anything growing below it. Therefore, in most cases, you’ll need to use asphalt instead of plastic, even if the later if much cheaper. In the long term, you will not regret spending a little bit more money.
The base of the garden building is as important as the basement of a house. If it is not build properly, the house can collapse. Follow carefully all the recommendations of the materials you use. Different cement types require different drying time. Some are not developed for outside use. Equally important is to choose the right kind of wood, if you are building the garden building from scratch. Most woods are not treated for outside use, which can be very harsh, especially in cold or rainy regions.
If you are one of those who take care of your own garden, you certainly have a number of tools to do the work, some large, including machinery, lawn mowers, rakes, shovels and many more. Additionally, you probably also need a place to store bulbs, fertilizers and a hose.
Clearly, it is essential to have a place to keep all this in an organized way. It could be the garage, but sometimes there is not enough space in it for the car and the tools. In addition to the lack of space, it is better to keep things at hand, since we never know exactly what we will need at a specific time.
If you also don’t have a big garden you always could buy a small garden building. Some garden buildings are as small as a telephone booth. Even in this case, if it is well organized, there will be plenty of space to store everything that you need for your garden. Before buying it, check if it has enough racks and shelves, even if you can build the shelves according to your need. Thus we will always have everything at hand and in an orderly and accessible way. Even if you buy one of the smaller models it is still possible to store a number of tools. The most important is that you keep everything neatly organized.
There are small garden buildings of plastic and others made of wood. The later is more expensive, the former is cheaper and easier to build. Plastic definitely doesn’t look as good, but it last almost forever. There is not much you can do wrong when buying a plastic garden building. Even the cheapest are tough enough even under harshest weather. However, do not underestimate how long a wooden garden building can last. If the wood is of quality and treated properly against fire, insects and humidity, then it can also last for a long time. And by a long time, I mean several years.
However, if you take pride in the atmosphere of your garden, then you’ll want to go with the wooden building. The garden building is an element that needs to integrate seamlessly into your garden. The resulting garden building is even a decorative complement to the landscape as a whole. Since manufacturers know that garden owners indeed buy wooden garden building for aesthetic reasons, they also offer a variety of very attractive garden buildings.
Each garden is different and if you like taking care of your garden personally rather than outsourcing the work in your garden, then probably you bought several tools, supplies, bulbs, garden furniture and everything else. Possibly, you are out of storage capacity. However, have you ever thought about a garden building, where you can store everything related to your garden?
The reality is that we reach a time when the volume exceeds the capabilities of our home. In short, if this time came for you, you’ll need to build or buy a garden building.
The first thing to consider is that you’ll need a place which allows flowing of air, easily accessible, secure and which does not interrupt the passage of persons or esthetically spoild your views. Choose a place where the ground is flat and you are sure will not accumulate rainwater. Drainage must be optimal and the garden building should have a few hours of sun and shade. Otherwise, it will become a frozen place in winter or an oven in summer.
The questions if you should build from scratch or buy a pre-fabricated module almost always prompt the answer that you should go with the later. Even if you have advanced DIY abilities, it is often cheaper to buy a module and it yields better results. Choosing to buy a module building means that you’ll get pieces which fit perfectly into each other, a base which is solid, and a roof which will not leak.
When shopping for a garden building, don’t go for the cheaper option. Make sure the wood is treated against fire and humidity. Make sure it stands the kind of weather where you live. Remember that the wood will have to stand snow, rain, sunshine and wind. If you want the wood to last more than one year, you’ll have to go for quality. Also don’t buy too small, since you’ll soon discover that you cannot get enough storage place, since your storage needs will also change through time.
Also check how many people are needed to build the module that you are buying. Some require as little as two and some small versions can be built alone.
Make sure that you have all the tools necessary for building it. Most vendors offer you everything that you need at the same place. In most cases, building a pre-fabricated garden building doesn’t require expensive or unusual tools.
The landscape you create around your garden building, such as garden lights can create an esthetically pleasing addition to any garden building. Consider researching, you will come up with some landscape design ideas that’s sure to please!
Out with the old, in with the new! Spring is a terrific time to take care of those projects around the house like cleaning out the garage, painting, or doing some landscaping. Once the weather warms up working out in the yard can give you a great sense of satisfaction when you see your project complete. Building a pergola, installing annual flowers or installing some landscape lighting can be a great way to enhance the appearance of your yard. Landscape lighting is a very inexpensive and easy way to enhance the night time appearance of your home with very little cost. The average cost for a small starter set of landscape lights for the yard is about $20 and can be installed in an hour or so.
Spring also means longer days to work outside, especially with daylight savings time. It’s possible that you could install your landscape lighting and still have plenty of time to do other projects as well as enjoy some time with your family.
Here is a quick method to laying out your yard lights:
Pick an evening and go out in your yard with your flashlight and use it to high light the places that you want to light. Look at your walkways, trees, landscape beds, water features and driveways as possible locations for your landscape lights.
Determine your budget – this will help determine the quantity and quality of your lighting project. If you want to go for quality and don’t have the resources financially to install all of them at once, then go ahead and do your planning in advance, pick out the places that you will want landscape lights to be and get as many lights as you can afford. Do it in phases – come back when you can afford to finish the project.
Install your lights! The easiest method is using solar lights… no running of power to your lights, just install as described by the manufacturer. Nature provides the power.
New technologies are being brought to market on a monthly or even daily basis these days and it holds true for the landscape lighting industry as well. There are some great new technologies that feature LED landscape lighting as well as solar landscape lighting. All you need is a little time and a few dollars and you can add some great creativity to your garden. Here are a few ideas to consider:
Solar Color-Changing Gazing Ball
This is a throw back to the gazing ball that many folks had in their front yards back in the 50s and 60s except this ball is solar powered and offers 6 different colors. It also features a “cracked glass” globe that is lit by a LED bulb and powered by three built in Ni-Cad batteries that are charged by a solar panel and can run for up to eight hours at a time.
Solar eClips Light String
These solar powered lights are a new product on the market that offer a different look and feel for solar landscape lighting. They are versatile because they can clip on to fences, deck railing or can be staked in the ground along a walkway or stairway. The light strings have 14 single LED lights, come with clips and stakes and a 50′ long cord. It charges with using a 4″ square solar panel and can run up to 8 hours per day. The lights themselves are 3-4″ wide and 2″ tall with approximately 32″ of wiring between the lights.
Solar Stepping Stones
Yep, these are stones with LED lighting already built in. They are powered by a solar rechargeable Siemens™ silicone solar cell Ni-Cad battery that can hold a charge for up to 8 hours at a time. There is a light sensor that turns the light on at night and off in the morning. It is a 12″x12″x2″ thick durable polyresin and fiberglass that is very durable and very attractive as well.
Solar Butterfly Lights
Another creative way to add color and light into your garden with minimal ongoing operation costs because it is solar powered. The multi-colored Solar Powered Butterfly light is “11-1/2″ and can be adjusted in height off of the ground to 18″. It is powered with a small solar panel and uses a single LED bulb for light with fiber optics interwoven to create points of light throughout the butterfly.
Solar Plant Light Rings
The Solar Plant Light Rings are great for potted plants because they are small and delicate, won’t overpower your plant but yet powerful enough to provide some great up lighting. They feature clear LED landscape lights powered by a solar panel you can stake up to 14′ away. It comes with a flexible plastic ring that ranges in size from 6″ to 11″ in diameter and is very is to stake inside a pot or in a flower bed if so desired.
The size of your garden will dtermine how many lights you can place around it. This seems like a straighforward point, but if you try to cram too many in a small space you will almost certainly overdo it. Sometimes less is more so to speak. Another determinant is the amount of features you already have, be it statues, walkways, decking, rockery, lawns windchimes and trees. All these things can be lit up at night, and knowing the layout of the garden will help to blend these features together when the sun goes down.
A good example is using one feature to bring out another. Using a spot light pointing upwards can highlight a row of flowers or plants, whilst also lighting a tree behind. You can position the lights at many angles to achieve this result, and it is best done during the day first as you can clearly see the important parts of your garden.
Adding outdoor lighting along paths and walkways can help to extenuate the edges of the path, but also illuminate any flowers that are planted next to them. Some plants do not like constant light at night, so be sure to check you don’t unknowingly damage any plants. If this is the case then point the light in another direction away from the leaves. Getting it just right can add some stylish garden decor to your back yard.
Placing lights next to water is also a great way to make them come to life. If you have a garden pond you can buy underwater lights that will shine from below and cast a faint aura on the rst of the garden. Moving water such a small waterfall or water running through a rock arrangement can be utilized to your advantage. Aiming the beam at thw water will create reflections that can light up the things nearby. Investing in color lighting can make the water appear in any color you can think of, and the changing color lights are an even better option. This will cascade the colors all around the garden and it is great to just sit down and watch the show.
Putting lighting inbetween rocks and stones will make it look like they are part of the scenery, and there are hundreds of mock rock lights that contain the fixtures inside to conceal them. Some solar lights have this designing, and they are a very simple solution for lighting rockery. They also look natural during the day which is an added bonus.
Decking lighting can help to complete the look, and create an almost fairytale ambience. Lights can be placed on the decking posts and rails for maximum exposure at an elevated position. For a very classical look you can build them into the wood of the decking, and this helps to protect them as well. The look is very unique and seemless, and is a favourite with many homeowners. The light can bring out the quality and shape of the wood, as well as different textures. They take a little more owrk to fit tem and install but the finished result is one of te best around, and will really set your garden apart from the rest.
You can hang lights from branches in trees, or on top of posts and fences. Thee are a popular place for parties, to add a bit more sparkle. Using a bit of natural height can help to expose more of your garden, and it also helps with security. This way you can bring the illusion of extra height by aiming the beam at other branches. To add some more depth you can arrange the garden lights all around the extremes of the yard. This will show the full size, which may not be visible in the dark.
Be careful not to create too much glare when placing outdoor lights, think carefully what you are going to expose. You may have a dirty old shed somewhere in the corner which you don’t want to epxose at night, so think about the beam direction and where it is going to. If you have some lights at the bottom of the yard them make sure they are not pointing directly back at the patio or decking where you are going to be spending most of your time. This will create an unwanted glare in your eyes, which will stop you from being able to see the rest of the garden in comfort.
Think about sunken lights not pointing directy upwards. This is hard to do, but try to put them at the edges so the beam is not going to be in your eyes. This can happen with decking or patio lights which are centrally placed. It can be very off putting with a light shining in your eyes all the time.
The only way to get the right placement is to experiment. You may not like what you have done the first time round, which is almost always the case. The good thing is that most garden lights are very easy to move about and install, they are lightweight and very durable, so puting them in all kins of unique places is not generally a problem. The only time you may struggle is if you have fitted the power cables to decking or wood. This is usual to hide these cables during the day, and to avoid tripping over them. In this case it is better to leave the final installation until after you have seen them in action at night. When your happy, then this is the time for the complete install.
If you have decking in your garden you can add some lights into it to make it shine. The natural pattern of the wood will be highlighted very well and the textures and grain will come out. Of course you will be sitting on the decking and you will need some light to see what you are doing, so the light serves a few functions. Sitting outside and relaxing with family and friends on your patio decking is one of life’s little comforts, especially as the sun goes down. That is why we all spend so much time and effort, for the little treats.
As for the decking, well you can have recessed lights that fit into the decking and shine through. This gives a very professional look and is very popular. Alternatively you can buy standard deck lights that sit at various positions on the decking, such as at the corners or elevated a little bit to fit on the rails if you have them. Post lights can be fitted on top of the decking posts, which also helps to light the edges of the feature for added safety.
Garden lighting design has come a long way and the choice is unlimited as to what you can do. Being creative puts your own personality on your garden, and there are many styles to help you achieve this. There are focal designs that can sit in the center of the decking and spread the light outwards to all the corners, or there are spot lights can you can change the position of to create shadows and unexpected features.
If you choose the sunken or recesssed lights then it is wise to ut them around the edges of the decking. It can be a problem if the light is shining straight at you from below, so most people use them at the sides and edges. Depending on the color of the wood in your decking, you can but a light to match this. These can simply be placed on the top of the post, and they look like they were built just for this. They blend in well with most designs. Decorative materials such as copper and brass go well with wood, so this could be an option as well.
Installation is pretty straightforward as the video shows, but if you don’t want to use a power supply then there are solar deck lights that will do just as well, and will save you money. They are also kinder to the environment which is a big plus point these days. Timer switches can be used to save electric as well, and you can choose when they come on and go off. If your decking is slightly raised then you can fit the lights below for easier installation and have them pointing upwards through any gaps in the base. This also helps to hide any wires you may have.
The garden lighting fixtures you choose should complement the garden features, and using different shaped lights can help with this. Post lights come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, from flat toppped to pointed, and you can choose a different style to match the design of your decking arrangement, be it in wood or other materials. Because wood is easy to work with, you can buy custom made designs that will house the lights. Specialist craftsman are the best people to see about this, and it can add real character to your garden, with truly unique designs. Match them with other garden ornaments and stone features and you will have a memorable place to be at night.
Ok, so we are continuing where we left off from the previous post on the many kinds of garden lights there are. Halogen lights have been the most popular for many years and have enjoyed their reign at the top. Most halogen lights run off a 12v supply and this is mated to a reflector that sends a nice sharp beam to where you point it. The 12v configuration is very safe and you can change the lighting because 12v is safer. The trick part is the mirror reflectors inside, that do a great job of not only sending the beam out, but sending the generated heat out of the back of the unit. This is important because you don’t want to heat the plants or flowers up, or if you are using these lights to illuminate the decking area, you don’t really want direct heat pointing at your guests.
You can choose the wattage and the beam angle with the halogen bulb, and they are very small. With some new reflectors you can now have a small light that gives more light than the tungsten kinds, and uses half the energy. This is why halogen lights are so common in our gardens.
Next up we have the hanging garden lights, which as the name suggests can be hung on beams, branches, pergolas, posts or a gazebo . Almost all hanging lights are 12v, and you can experiment with different wattages for light intensity. Usually a 20w bulb is enough to light up a table from above, and if you place the hanging light higher then you may need a 30w bulb. You will also find different reflectors to create wider beams, or decorative filters that can send the light out in all directions. Choose the light unit carefully if you hang them in trees or on hanging tracks, the features may hide some of the light.
LED garden lights are used to create a very focused beam of light that is small, and because of this they are most used in decking areas to mark the decking outline. The small beam will not spread the light and intrude onto the decking. They have a very long life and low energy consumption, so they are ideal for switching on for hours at a time ,day after day. They only come in primary colors and white, and the blue works well near water features, whilst the white is used for decking or patios. This is only a guideline, and it is up to you what you choose.
Linear garden lighting is mainly used to create an outline of a feature such as a tree or rock formation. The light is housed in a string configuration, much like a strip. This is mostly used at parties or at christmas time for decoration. A good use is to fix them all around a rockery to highlight the edges, or to attach them to a fence and run them around the top. The bulb life is generally quite low, so they are not for long term use unless you upgrade to some xenon lamps which will last for years but are far more expensive. You could also use them for garden path lighting, and place them along the ground on the edge of the path and make a nice strip of light.
Low voltage garden lights have been around for years and are a necessity today. The benefits are plain to see because they are safer. The mains electric is reduced by a transformer to either 12 or 24v, which is safe and will not be fatal. Because the voltage is low you can have flexible cables running through the garden so you can move things around. The higher power cables that run mains electricity are usually fixed as these are more dangerous.
Low energy lights stem from the popular halogen lamps which are still used widely today. They are twice as efficient as normal lamps. To save energy always go for the 12v designs, these do a good job of highlighting any plants and flowers with a nice focused beam. For bigger saving go for LED lights which have a lamp life of over 50000 hours and can also run on a 12v supply.
Recessed lights are used on flat surfaces where you don’t want an upright light that you can trip over. Patios, decking and pathways are the choice for these lights. They also help with mowing the lawn as they will not get in the way. Typically they produce a fixed beam that can light a certain area or feature, but there are adjustable one’s which can throw light onto a wall or tree nearby. The only downsides are that they are more difficult to install, and they can create a lot of heat, so if you have them sunken in the floor be careful not to stand on them with bare feet, or your pet’s feet.
Step lighting is used to light steps and they serve a more practical use. This is for safety first as you need to be able to see each step along the way. They can be recessed into the actual step, or they can be by the side of the steps. Most of them have a shield or canopy to stop the light source from shining directly upwards. The reason is so that people using the steps are not blinded by the direct light. This is much safer and can prevent accidents.
There are a few other kinds of lights such as spreadlights and under water lights which i have covered in previous posts. Remember, there is a great choice of products around and they all serve their own little functions. If you are not sure then ask someone, either at the garden center or online and they should be able to tell you what to go for. Experiment as much as you want until you find the perfect set up for your garden.
