Opinions on Shed Positioning

captainshamroc

Hi Folks,

Am finally biting the bullet and getting a steeltech shed as its a 10 minute job to get the lawnmover out and with kids getting older will need space for bikes etc and my tools and assorted stuff. The plan was always to get a large shed, followed by a greenhouse followed by raised beds, the schedule decided by needs, time and money.
We have a decent(for city) sized garden south facing with one trimmed silver birch in the top right corner and a newly planted hedge on the back and right border walls. So the plan is to have on the left side of the house as you look out the kitchen window the raised bed, then the greenhouse and then in the shed as this would be a bit more aesthetic. The shed door would face the right hand wall and not the house.
Idea is to have grass going all the way back in the centre/right to give plenty of room for the inevitable trampoline/swings etc.

---

back wall

---

shed ----grass---- tree-wall
greenhouse----grass----wall
raised beds----grass----wall

patio----patio----patio--wall
kitchen

---

TV room

Anyone think I am missing something or does it make sense this layout?
Thanks

captainshamroc

captainshamroc wrote: »

Hi Folks,

Am finally biting the bullet and getting a steeltech shed as its a 10 minute job to get the lawnmover out and with kids getting older will need space for bikes etc and my tools and assorted stuff. The plan was always to get a large shed, followed by a greenhouse followed by raised beds, the schedule decided by needs, time and money.
We have a decent(for city) sized garden south facing with one trimmed silver birch in the top right corner and a newly planted hedge on the back and right border walls. So the plan is to have on the left side of the house as you look out the kitchen window the raised bed, then the greenhouse and then in the shed as this would be a bit more aesthetic. The shed door would face the right hand wall and not the house.
Idea is to have grass going all the way back in the centre/right to give plenty of room for the inevitable trampoline/swings etc.

---

back wall

---

shed ----grass---- tree-wall
greenhouse----grass----wall
raised beds----grass----wall

patio----patio----patio--wall
kitchen

---

TV room

Anyone think I am missing something or does it make sense this layout?
Thanks

Have you a photo of the area? It would make it much easier to offer suggestions.

looksee

Have you taken account of the amount of sun available to the greenhouse, no point putting it in the shadow of the shed. Also how much distance between the front of the shed and the back of the greenhouse? Which way will the door face? Don't block access so you have to manoeuvre round awkward corners to get in. How much sun does this leave for your patio?

HeidiHeidi

Also make sure your raised beds aren't in the shadow of the greenhouse.

Would the shed on the back wall facing back into the garden make sense, with more room for the greenhouse and beds to be spaced out on the west-facing wall.

captainshamroc

Thanks for the responses. I've attached a few pictures below. The current shed is 8X8 to give you some idea and the new shed will be rotated 90% and will come out about 2 feet from the sleepers that you can see in the picture.
Shade is definitely a concern. The shed will have a shading effect on the greenhouse and the greenhouse on the raised beds to a lesser extent. I took the photos below at lunch time so its summer sun high in the sky at the highest point of the day and there is little shade where the green house will be.

Side passage is on the left hence keeping the shed on that side.. plus don't want to lose the tree.

HeidiHeidi

What size are the new shed and greenhouse going to be? And what are the overall dimensions of the garden?

Lovely garden by the way!!

captainshamroc

Thanks, when we moved in I cleared a load of plants, bushes, dead palm trees lining the back wall, rotovated and leveled it. Ripped out an old deck and got a guy in to do the slabs so it is an ongoing project.
Shed will be 13X10 and green house probably 8X6 or 10X6. Beds will be whatever is left.
So shed top left replacing current shed with door facing right wall. Green house middle left with door facing right wall. Raised beds near left.
Not sure on the size. About 33 ft deep on the left and about 45 -50 across.
I had originally suggested everything at the back of the garden with doors facing the house but my wife thinks its nicer looking out the 2 sets of double doors in the tv room on to grass and shrubs.

looksee

At a guess I would think that left hand hedge is north-east facing? The sun at its highest in summer is a bit irrelevant as you would be looking to shade it at that time, but at other times of the year when the sun is lower you could end up with no sun or hardly any, making the greenhouse a bit pointless.

HeidiHeidi

looksee wrote: »

At a guess I would think that left hand hedge is north-east facing? The sun at its highest in summer is a bit irrelevant as you would be looking to shade it at that time, but at other times of the year when the sun is lower you could end up with no sun or hardly any, making the greenhouse a bit pointless.

OP said the garden is southfacing, and the shadows in the picture would suggest the same if they were taken at midday, so that wall/hedge would be westfacing, no?

captainshamroc

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

OP said the garden is southfacing, and the shadows in the picture would suggest the same if they were taken at midday, so that wall/hedge would be westfacing, no?

Yes. Garden is south facing. Left wall is east.
If I put the green house against the back the neighbour's overgrown trees will block the light anyway so I guess I have to make compromises either way. Is there any point in having one if it is going to be partly shaded?

Turbulent Bill

You could stick up a temporary post (as tall as the shed and in roughly the right position) to see where the shadows are thrown. I wouldn't have a problem with a partially - shaded greenhouse, might actually help with heat regulation.

I've a Steeltech shed, would recommend getting it with gutters (water butt for the greenhouse?) and also running power to it. They also do greenhouses, wonder if they'd do a half-shed, half-greenhouse combo...

Hocus Focus

The most advantageous positions for the beds and greenhouse are obviously right in the middle and to the rear of where the birdfeeder is now, and as you move them south and east you begin to compromise. The plan you have in mind seems to be a pretty good layout, given all considerations.
I would echo Turbulent Bill's advice to gauge the extent of the shading by the use of a long cane or something. A bit of shade for some part of the day is not too much of a disadvantage for some plants, and for some part of the year you will be wanting to shade some part of the greenhouse anyway.
Regarding your intention to have the shed, greenhouse and beds bordering directly on to your lawn might bring problems; either excess wear to the grass at the doors of the buildings, or wet feet when accessing them. If you don't want to lay an actual path, you could use paving slabs or similar, as stepping stones. You could also use permeable pavers here.
Regarding the interface between the beds and the grass, you will either have to space them apart sufficiently to allow space for your mower, or better still, lay a path around them using a timber edge, and just covering the grass with cardboard, to suppress the growth, followed by bark mulch. It would be advisable to put down large sheets of cardboard over the whole area, for weed suppression, before you construct your beds,. Using this system will allow you to easily restore the lawn if you decide to relocate or eventually dispense with the beds.