The ultimate guide to designing your own shed

Here at Shed Boss, we feel the product you buy should be exactly how you want it. If you purchase a custom designed barn, it should be the size and shape you need to fit your machinery, right? Or if you opt for a skillion-roof carport, it will need to suit your home's aesthetic.

In ye olden days, going through this crucial design process would have taken a large piece of paper, multiple pencils and someone with a moustache. Now, however, we exist in a world where the push of a button can order you whichever products you desire – and we feel sheds should have this same simplicity.

And this is where our excellent Shed Boss app comes in.

The Shed Boss app

To bring trusty old sheds into the modern age of technology, we designed our own app.

This software isn't just a questionnaire where you input the features you want and it spews out a quote number. In fact, we figured that our customers would want to have a little fun as they designed a shed to their liking. Due to this, the Shed Boss app is fully 3D, showcasing a virtual version of your shed in a digital landscape so you can get a grasp on what it will look like. You'll even find that as you modify the size of your product, you'll see it compared to the figure of a friendly builder – offering you a sense of scale.

Let's take you through some of the features to help you understand what's available.

Walking with Shed Boss

When you first open up your blank-slate shed, you'll be on the 'Building Type' tab. You cannot progress to a following step until you have selected your preference on the current one. This goes for all of the steps, too.

If you want a barn or carport, the choice of building type is obvious (choose the barn or carport options). But what about this gable versus skillion business? Which is for you?

If you click between the gable and skillion options, you'll immediately see your 3D shed change shape. Ultimately, what you decide to go for will likely depend on your personal preference. Often when building homes with a gabled roof, extensions and additions – such as a new shed or carport – will be constructed with a skillion roof angled in the same direction. This will visually appear as though the roof seems to flow down on to it. However, if you are building a standalone shed, you may prefer to go with the gable choice.

Fancy features

Moving forward, you'll have the option of modifying the size and roof pitch. Click on the arrows you see on this screen and drag them with your mouse. Immediately your building will change shape and dimensions, with the friendly builder nearby to offer scale. 

If you intend to store animals in your building, you might want to make sure there aren't any requirements for your local government. For example, in NSW, a horse stable should be no smaller than 3.75 metres-squared, and 2.75 metres tall. There may also be size conditions for a residential shed, which could change the type of development your project is classed under (thus changing its council approval requirements).

Through the 'Walls' and 'Features' tabs, you can also add/remove both exterior and internal walls, as well as customisable windows and doors.

After you've got the size and placement just right, make sure all your colours are to spec (don't forget to check the different tabs at the top of the window, allowing you to change the roof, trim and feature colours). 

Click on the grass next to your shed and drag it around, making sure you get a full 360-degree view. Do you love it? Simply click on the extra features you'd like (which won't appear in the 3D image), input some final details and Bob's your uncle – your custom designed shed is ready to be quoted.

Posted in Commercial Builds, Residential Builds.