By Eric Czarina
C & G Staff Writer
Published: April 22, 2009
If your lawnmower and car are fighting for parking space in your garage, a couple of businesses have solutions that can put that battle to rest.
Homeowners with ample backyard space could find their answer in a new outdoor shed, said George Bogaert, salesperson at Tuff Shed Inc. in Madison Heights.
According to Bogaert, people tend to use sheds for a few major reasons. Some people like to utilize them as home offices or as laboratories for their hobbies, such as toy railroads. Other buyers use them as storage space for garden equipment and barbecues, or as a way to lessen clutter from other parts of the home.
“Basically, a lot of (customers) are trying to get their garages back,” he said.
Bogaert said Tuff Shed works with the customer to customize the shed, including its paint color, style and size. The sheds’ styles tend to resemble ranch houses or barns instead of humdrum storage facilities, he said.
The sheds are pre-assembled at the business’s Livonia factory and are then completed on the buyer’s property.
Bogaert said his company’s sheds typically range in price from about $1,400 to more than $10,000. Because of the economy, more people are designing their sheds on a budget and are downsizing their expectations, he said.