News Edition
An outbuilding is a structure that is raised on the same piece of land as the main building but is separate from it. These structures can be absolutely utilitarian or so elaborate that they deserve their own photo spread in a coffee table book or glossy magazine. Here are some more things to know about outbuildings.
Types of outbuildings
The types and even subtypes of outbuildings are almost too numerous to list. Among them are gardening sheds, conservatories, tool sheds, wood sheds, barns, garages, pump houses, henhouses, stables, kennels, columbaria, silos and granaries. Outbuildings also include guest houses, cabanas, saunas and gazebos. Back in the day, kitchens, bathrooms and laundries used to be placed in buildings separate from the main house.
Benefits of different kinds
The benefits of the different kinds of outhouses depends on what they are used for. Some outbuildings contain materials that may be dangerous if they’re stored inside the main house. A tool shed or work shed can hold equipment such as power saws or drills that are dangerous around children, pets or people who don’t know how to use them properly. Keeping vehicles in an unattached garage removes the dangers of carbon monoxide seeping into the main house if the car engine is started without proper ventilation. The garage can also be a storage space for gasoline and other hazardous materials the car needs. Outbuildings such as kennels, stables, henhouses and barns house animals that the homeowner simply can’t or doesn’t want to keep in their house. Food, bedding material and equipment used by the animals can be conveniently stored in the same outbuilding.
Different uses for outbuildings
There are probably as many uses for outbuildings as there are human activities. A garden shed holds all the things needed to grow a beautiful and healthy garden. They include shovels, rakes, pruners, weed whackers, bags of soil, compost, manure and other fertilizers. There may be shelves that hold seeds and pots. The shed may be big enough for a lawn mower, even a riding mower.
A guest house is a house used by overflow guests. It has all the amenities of the main house, including bedrooms, bathrooms, a kitchen and a living room, except it’s smaller. A cabana is an outbuilding usually found beside the pool or on the beach to allow swimmers to relax and get out of the sun. As with many outbuildings, a cabana can be very simple or luxurious.
Barns are not only for livestock but for produce and equipment. There are barns for grain, potatoes, rice and tobacco, barns for tractors and harrows and barns for equines, goats, sheep, pigs and cattle. Barns, like main houses, come in all types of materials and many sizes, from small and tidy to huge enough to house thousands of animals.
Perhaps the most entertaining of all uses, though, is turning it into a theater room. Depending on how big of an outbuilding you build, you can get a large screen, speakers, a couch or two, and make it a cozy space to watch movies with your friends and family! Theater rooms are becoming more and more popular in households these days.
Future care and maintenance needs of outbuildings
Outbuildings need the same type of care as main buildings. Their roofs, plumbing, electrical system, if they have one, need to be maintained, both for safety and aesthetics. Other maintenance tasks include restoring floors, windows, walls and ceilings, adding fresh paint and updating technologies, including green technologies.
