Step 5: Select Your Finishes

Deciding the function of your shed will help determine many of its finishing touches. A utility shed can be sided with prefinished 4X8 panels without electrical or drywall installed. A She Shed or Man Cave would deserve drywall on the inside with lights, a heater to keep the place warm and inviting even in the dark, and have functions such as internet run out to the shed. Below you will find a variety of finishing options.

Siding

There are as many options for siding your shed as there are for siding your home. Here are some benefits and drawbacks of a few of the options out there:

• It is important to put a building wrap such as Tyvek underneath your siding to prevent water from entering your building and to provide an air barrier so that wind does not blow through small gaps. While it's an extra cost, house wrap can provide a much higher return on investment by protecting your tools and making a more comfortable space.
• LP Smart Panels - These are 4’X8’ pre-primed panels made in the same process as OSB but with exterior rated glues to prevent swelling. Some have a groove and others are flat with a woodgrain profile. Turkstra stocks LP Smart Panels in our branches with a primer coat applied. You can get them factory finished with paint via a special order if you would like.
• Canexel - Similar to the smart panels, Canexel is an engineered siding meant to look like real wood siding. Vertical and horizontal sidings are available in a variety of colours and patterns.
• Chalet Siding - Also known as T1-11 panels, these are 4’X8’ panels made out of plywood that are manufactured to have a rough, barn board type look on one side and grooves at either 4” or 8” spaces. Chalet siding have a good rustic look, but do require some form of finishing treatment such as a deck and siding stain after installation..
• Vinyl Siding - The most economical home siding that can be used on your shed as well. Vinyl offers new styles including vertical board and batten profiles, some that look like cedar shakes and plenty of different colour options are available.
• James Hardie Siding (or Hardie Board) - A fiber reinforced concrete product that goes on in a similar process to vinyl siding, but has much greater durability and strength at a cost of a greater weight and specialized tools required to install. There are board and batten or lap siding options available from James Hardie in a variety of colours.
• Solid wood Siding - is available from a variety of manufacturers and each one has their own colours and profile patterns. Cape Cod, Maibec and West Fraser are just a few of the manufacturers we work with. Visit our Build-It-Better showrooms to see the variety in person.
• Steel Siding - Has come a long way in the past few decades. The traditional barn style steel still exists, but now there are wood grain textured panels, cedar shake style panels, standing seam panels that hide your fasteners and many more.
• Manufactured Stone and Faux Stone - Are becoming more widely available and have great value and appearance for the cost and ease of installation, compared to a brick or stone veneer.

Trim

You will need trim for the outside of your shed, from a simple drip edge running under the roof to corners, gable trim and more. Below are a few trims to consider when designing your dream shed.

• Drip edges are an important trim detail to prevent the rain from running directly down your fascia boards. Typically aluminum or galvanized steel, drip edges come in a variety of colours.
• Edge corner trims are common and can add a finishing touch to a shed and improve its appearance. Some siding manufacturers sell a pre-assembled corner while others recommend using a piece of 1X4 material that is colour matched on one side and a 1X5 on the other to create a square corner.
• Casings around doors and windows are another common trim added to a shed to improve its appearance. Casings are typically a 1X4 material either colour matched to the siding or an accent colour such as white.
• Skirt boards are a detail trim that runs all around the bottom of your walls. Skirt boards allow you to add a touch of colour and to protect the first level of siding from moisture.
• Frieze boards are similar to skirt boards, but they run along the top of your wall just below the eaves. Frieze boards can cover a gap between the siding and the soffit (if needed) and can rest the soffit material on top to prevent the need for a metal trim piece.
• Soffit is a part of the trim and siding package that elevates the look of your project and allows for plenty of ventilation when used with overhanging roof edges; however if you prefer your roof to meet the walls or just beyond there are other options.
• Corbels and accent pieces are a great way to take a project to the top level and create the greatest she-shed or man-cave in the country. They are typically for decoration, but they can be load bearing if required.

Electricity & Plumbing

Not all sheds require electricity and most sheds won’t require plumbing, here are some benefits and drawbacks to both.

• Having electricity adds complexity to a shed build and may require a permit depending on your municipal bylaws. You will require an inspection from the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) regardless of whether you need a permit.
• Having electricity in your shed will require a conduit run to your house and a double breaker or separate breaker panel, depending on electrical load required for the shed, added to your home.
• If you are intending to have an internet connection in your shed, it will require a separate conduit that runs along the electrical conduit. They cannot run in the same conduit.
• Light fixtures can run from a simple utility light to complex ornate light fixtures.
• If you are installing lights in your shed consider installing outdoor flood lights or moon lights to illuminate your backyard as well.
• A licensed electrician will make the job significantly easier and subcontracting that part out may help finish the project early.
• Plumbing is rarely used in a shed as it means a permit is required for the whole building. However if this is intended to be a tiny house or other outbuilding with running water and or sewer connections, a licensed plumber is recommended to avoid issues.
• Plumbing is a great addition to your building, however, it does change the foundation and plan of your building so you need to consider it early on in the planning process.

Interior Finishes

Finishing the interior of your shed can make it a warm and inviting space but does add to the final cost. Here are some options for interior finishes.

• Drywall and paint can make your Shed look like an extension of your home, but it takes time and a lot of muscle work to install, mud, and paint.
• Pre-painted beadboard paneling can be a great alternative to drywall as it installs quickly and simply requires a coat of paint to protect it.
• Trusscore is a relatively new product that is a hollow plastic panel reinforced with internal truss style supports. The panels come in a variety of lengths and they have a slat wall panel option for storage that works with hooks and shelves to provide your shed with plenty of options. It is more expensive but far easier to finish than Drywall.
• Pine tongue and groove is a classic finishing look that fits together and hides everything except the first and last row of fasteners. It does require finishing and if you wish to paint it you will need to seal the knots with a shellac based primer to ensure they don’t ‘bleed’ through and show up on the final finish.
• Pegboard is a great idea in a utility shed as it can allow you to use most of the space in your shed for storage, but it lacks in the appearance department.
• Construction grade plywood is another good idea for a storage shed if you want to stay away from peg board. It can give enough support to drill hangers and other storage solutions directly to the walls.
• Interior casing and baseboard can make an office shed, she shed or man cave into a finished space with only a small investment on top of your interior paneling.

Insulation

Insulating your Shed can turn it into a comfortable space in all seasons, even if you don’t add electricity to the building, much like a window insulation can mean you stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

• The ability of insulation to keep your building warm (or cool in the summer) is referred to as the R- value, generally the higher the R- value, the better.
• Fiberglass insulation is the most common and works quite well for most applications, however, if moisture is a concern Rockwool insulation may be a better choice.
• Rockwool insulation is great for sound dampening and moisture resistance but is more expensive than fiberglass.
• Rigid foam insulation can be added under the paneling on the outside of your shed walls. Doing so allows the wall cavities to remain open for storage and runs for electrical and plumbing. This is best utilized with another type of insulation such as fiberglass to have enough R- value to effectively insulate.
• Spray foam is a two part foam that requires special equipment to install. Spray foam provides a much higher R- value than other traditional insulations, but has a greater cost associated. It can solve several problems that traditional insulation has.

Landscaping

The landscape around your shed can be as simple as a patio stone ramp to run a lawn mower into, or as complex as raised gardens and water features. Here are some things to consider:

• Garden beds are a distinctive piece to place around your shed. You will have to determine if you are draining water into the beds or away from them as this can change which plants are suited for the soil conditions.
• If you have a garden bed next to a shed consider options to prevent water from staying near the shed as this can cause issues with the foundation later on. Consider a drainage system that drains rainwater from your eaves into a garden bed.
• Trees can cause a challenge as roots can break foundations, lift your deck blocks and generally cause issues down the line. If you want to plant a tree near your shed or want to build a shed beside an existing tree, ensure the tree's roots are well away from where your shed is going to land by planting the tree a distance away or testing for foundation.
• Water features such as waterfalls or ponds can really stand out and make for a wonderful yard, but if they are too close to your new shed they need to be properly sealed to ensure no water leaks into the foundation and break apart all your hard work.
• Paver stones, patio stones and Euro pattern patio stones (similar to patio stones, but with the appearance of paver stones) are a great way to create a path to your new shed. Although, you will need to plan for them when digging the foundation to ensure there is a little lip to prevent moisture from pooling into your shed.