G'day and welcome to my guide in which I'll share a garden shed idea that is practical, innovative and environmentally responsible.

The purpose of this guide is not to provide you with a step by step guide but to share the idea that may result in sparkling other ideas using recycled materials.

I have designed and constructed this shed about two years ago in a small suburban backyard in Brisbane. It utilises recycled materials except for the roof, nails and the rain gauge. In terms of tools it only requires a hammer, drill, a hand saw and a circular saw (I don't include the concrete slab into this guide, please see my guide on laying a concrete slab if you are interested).

The garden design needed a shed for storage as well as a visual effect. The timber fence was pulled down on one side of the property as the house next door was built on the boundary. The timber would have been thrown away and go to the tip (which we don't like to see). I started to wreck my brain on how we could come up with a stylish design that could utilise that timber and would make a focal point in the landscape.

I came up with an idea that required a fair a bit of time to construct, but I loved the concept.

I cut the timber up in length ways to 2-4.5 cm width and everywhere in between. I have called a few mates around to pull enough left over material together from construction sites to make the frame, gutter, and even got a 200 L drum to put it in as rain water tank to collect the rain from the roof of the shed.

I ended building the shed for about 4 days full time, used 4 kg nails and achieved the following result:

In the next season, and after a 2 coats of outdoor furniture oil:

To build the shed cost anywhere between $700 - $1200 depending on the size. Most of the cost is labour of course as it is about 97% recycled.

I hope this small idea inspired you to look out for opportunity to recycle whatever you can. If you looking for a shed to buy rather than building one, Absco sheds are made of steel that is made out of recycled steel scrap. To manufacture steel from recycled steel requires approximately 74% less energy than to use raw materials.

Thank you for reading through my guide, your time is much appreciated.