When it comes to building a garden shed, traditionally, wood has been a universally preferred chosen material. However, wooden garden sheds often leak, develop mould, even rot, and need frequent replacements. Until now, owners persisted with wood for building their sheds, for the lack of a reliable alternative.
Thankfully, recent years have seen shipping containers replacing wood as a standard material for building garden sheds. Shipping container prices remain low round the year, making them an economical option, too. Here are the top reasons to use containers for garden sheds.
Traditional garden sheds pose multiple problems
Some problems that may occur with wooden garden sheds include the following.
1. Wood undergoes warping when exposed to even a little moisture. Shed doors often get difficult to close upon swelling up from being out in the rain. In the longer term, the frame, too, loses its shape.
2. Water can give rise to mould and fungi quickly, leading to rotting, which eventually destroys the structure of the shed.
3. Wooden garden sheds come flat-packed and need assembling, which can be a hassle for owners.
4. Traditional garden sheds require regular maintenance. Deterioration takes place in no time and applying protective coating requires time, money, and effort.
5. Burglaries in sheds are common in Australia and New Zealand. No amount of security can be enough for a wooden garden shed. Often, tugging at the doorknob is easy to break in and burgle your precious garden equipment.
6. Traditional garden sheds can be expensive, apart from not having enough space to house different things like a bicycle, lawnmower, and garden implements together.
Reasons why shipping container sheds are better
Simply getting a 20ft shipping container to build your garden shed can solve all the problems mentioned above. Shipping containers have already proven to be efficient building materials for homes and storage facilities throughout the world.
1. The first and the most important reason why a shipping container is a better alternative for a shed is the security it provides. Containers are rather hard to break in, and can dissuade the most hardened of thieves from attempting to rob your things away.
2. Durability is another reason why you would want to go for container sheds. Shipping containers are made of high-grade steel that protects them from harsh weather and salt-laden seawater. You can expect such a garden shed to last for decades.
3. Containers are watertight as well, and can be left out in the rain without a worry. Since the water doesn’t get in, your equipment, furniture, and tools are absolutely safe.
4. A 20ft shipping container can be used to build a shed that is twice the size of a double garden shed. This can comfortably store a ride-on lawnmower, all your garden furniture, and even more.
5. Containers are, by their very nature, eco-friendly, which makes it all the more suitable for an open space like a garden. You can even buy inexpensive solar panel kits and reduce your carbon footprint even further.
Ideally, you should not choose only on the basis of shipping container prices, but also make sure you’re not compromising on quality. That way, you can also expect to get high resale value for your containers.
