An example of a gable shed.
Although a shed can be made to look like a miniature version of your house if you wish, most sheds are designed in one of six styles. Often, the shape of the roof classifies the shed's style. The size of the shed comes into play when choosing a style, so consider just what kinds of needs you have before making a final decision on shed style.
Gable Style
Colonial garden shed with steep hip roof.
A gable shed has a roof like a standard inverted V-shaped house. One reason to go with a gable-style shed is because the simple roof can be built quickly, and it is less costly to build than other styles. A specialized style within the gable shed domain is the hip roof, which is formed by sloping the roof toward the ground on all four sides of the building, instead of on two sides. A hip roof should be considered if you want to make sure there is an overhang on all four sides of the shed.
Lean-To
Lean-to shed.
The lean-to style of shed is so named because it usually is constructed with its back wall up against the house. In fact, the exterior of the wall becomes the back wall of a lean-to. This means you need only build the side walls and doors. The classic lean-to shed built against another building has a roof that slopes from the back down the front; but many lean-tos in other settings are higher in the front than in the back.
Saltbox Style
Saltbox shed.
A saltbox style of shed is sometimes known as an offset-ridge shed. The saltbox is actually quite similar to a gable shed, with the exception that more space is added to the front so one side of the roof is slopes closer to the ground than the other. The roof still rises to a V-shape. A saltbox shed can provide you with more room than a lean-to, while costing less than a gable shed.
Gambrel Style
Gambrel roof on a barn.
A gambrel style shed features a pitched roof with a double slope on each side, the lower slope more steeply pitched than the upper. The roof forms a half-octagon in cross-section. The gambrel shed can be more difficult to frame than a gable shed. The payoff for the extra work is that the gambrel style shed offers more headroom and storage space than a gable roof would.
Potting Shed
The style of a potting shed usually is one with a portico that extends out over the entryway. Some potting sheds have two gable roofs set perpendicular to each other, with the portico roof set into the main roof the way a dormer is set into a house's roof. Other potting sheds may extend the gabled roof beyond the front door of the shed to also serve as the roof of the portico.
