A garden shed can be much more than just storage. And whatever your expectations, you need to ask yourself the right questions first. At Home has taken a look at them.

 But where can you store your lawnmower, gardening tools and other odds and ends that are so necessary in the garden, but so cumbersome in a garage? The solution is, of course, the garden shed. Simply buy and install - there are plenty of ready-to-assemble sheds on offer - or have them designed and built by yourself or by a contractor. The word "just" is too much. For you to be completely satisfied with your shelter, you must first ask yourself the right questions. And the list is much longer than it seems at first sight.

It starts with the legal aspect: do you need a building permit or not, and do you need an architect or consulting engineer? As far as the building permit is concerned, the Order of Architects and Engineers (OAI) says yes. But as some architects we contacted for this article told us that it depends on the commune, At Home played the game of asking the question in different communes. A random tour of the area confirmed that some administrations require a permit, while others do not. The surface area of the proposed shelter plays an important role here.

On 3 March, the OAI sent a circular to the municipal administrations reminding them of the terms of article 5 of the law of 13 December 1989 on "exemption from compulsory recourse". The following are thus exempted from this compulsory recourse: "natural persons who declare that they wish to build a construction for their own use on a plot of land which they enjoy, provided that the cost of the construction work does not exceed the amount of 6,197.34 euros, excluding VAT, index 100 (connected general index of consumer prices, average 2010: 759.19; 6,197.34 x 7.5919 = 47,049.58 euros) according to Article 1 of the Grand Ducal regulation of 19 February 1990.

"The above exemptions do not apply, however, to cases where legal provisions or municipal regulations prescribe the compulsory use of an architect or a construction engineer.

To evaluate the cost of a construction, the OAI proposes to the municipalities the formula used by the pension fund of private employees:

- 59.05/m3, index 100 (general index of construction prices, half-yearly index October 2010: 685.44; 59.05 x 6.8544 = 404.75 euros/m3);

- for a construction carried out by the client himself: 80 % of this amount.

So get your calculators!

The essential checklist

In order to meet these legal requirements, you must first make a checklist of your expectations and needs for your future garden shed. A checklist that At Home has drawn up for you.

1. What exact function do you want your shed to serve: simple storage (and of what), workshop, etc.? The answer to this first question will be decisive for both the surface area and the layout.
2. Do you want an electricity and water connection? If so, you will need to hire an installer, unless you have the skills to do it yourself, but these connections require a great deal of expertise, as well as knowledge of the legal requirements, especially for electricity.
3. What foundations should be laid? Concrete or wooden floor? A good knowledge of the soil in your garden - which will obviously have to be levelled beforehand - and of the weight of your future shelter is necessary to answer this question, through dialogue with your supplier and/or your architect.
4. If you choose wood, what kind of wood is it and what are its properties in terms of appearance, maintenance and durability? And don't forget to check that the wood comes from sustainably managed forests.
5. Should the wood be treated before assembly, and against what?
6. Does the style of your shed match the style of your house and fit in well with your garden?
7. How can the fact that the wood is working be best taken into account during assembly?
8. Is the hardware (hinges, etc) of good quality?
9. Do you want windows - they reduce wall space - or not? If so, how many, so that your shelter retains all its practicality?
10. What kind of drainage for rainwater? The answer to this question will determine whether you choose a flat roof (where water cannot stand still) or a sloping roof.
11. How to prevent moisture, especially rising damp?

That is the main point, and this list does not claim to be exhaustive. It does show that the choice of a shed cannot be based on hasty decisions. Especially since you can also give your garden shed other functions, from a cabin for the children to a place to put what you don't want in your garage, or your motorbike, or, or... Some even make it a spare bedroom, a convivial place to relax, a pool house, etc. This proves that imagining that the function of the garden shed is limited to storing gardening tools is very simplistic. The imagination is indeed at work.

Wood, metal, PVC and even concrete

The material offer is characterised by wood, which has an overwhelming supremacy. This is undoubtedly because wood blends in much better with the environment than galvanised metal or PVC, which often do not blend in well. Wood, on the other hand, will always require maintenance, although this can be limited depending on the quality of the wood. You should also always put quality - and therefore durability - at the centre of your concerns. And you should never forget that the less good, or even the very bad, is next to the best and that true quality - and therefore durability and satisfaction - comes at a price.

By chance, At Home discovered a very special builder, Wood Beton, in the Belgian South-Luxembourg. Through its patented process, it creates shelters and chalets (to be assembled oneself or to be assembled, in kit form or made to measure) in concrete but with a wooden appearance. It is only when you get inside that you realise that it is not wood, but concrete.

What is most surprising is that, while demand is high, the market has not changed much in terms of aesthetics or use for a long time. A simple search on the Internet shows that most manufacturers - almost all, in fact - stick to an offer of garden sheds without any aesthetics, ranging from the chalet (sometimes of the worst taste) to the simple box. When the object, its function and its location would be conducive to real design.

However, a first breakthrough has been made by some suppliers offering flat-roofed shelters, with a much more contemporary, trendy design that blends in better with the environment.

And here is the "garden office"...

However, the offer should be rapidly boosted by the recent appearance of a new use for the garden shed, the "garden office". This is the result of the evolution of the working world towards teleworking, flexible working hours and self-employed people. In short, all those who have to work from home, but sometimes the house itself does not offer the ideal room, including in terms of concentration and work well-being. The idea of the garden office originated in Great Britain. No less than thirty manufacturers have already rushed to this market. It protects the home from the "confiscation" of a room, avoids the psychologically difficult confusion between private and professional life, and avoids the need to rent an office.

As a result, a new aesthetic is beginning to emerge that will change the game.