Doors - Where, how many, and what type?

It’s one thing all garden sheds have in common, because if you don’t have one you can’t get in. But you still need to give it some thought, as the right door configuration can really unlock (cringe) the possibilities of your garden shed. Here’s a few things to think about when it comes to doors…

Where to put it?

On most garden sheds they’ll be on the front (Duh!). But more to the point you should consider if you want the door on the long or short side of your shed. And then if it should be in the middle or offset to one side.

Ironically, if you want to store long items it is often better to have the door on the short side. 

Doors on end works great for this board shed

Another case for a short side door is if you’ve only got a narrow spot to put your garden shed. Down the side of the house for example.   

The 1020 is great for those skinny spots

Having the door on the long side typically makes the space inside more open and accessible. This also allows you to designate a “workbench” end and a “storage” end. If you want equal space for each have the door in the middle - or offset it to give more room to either purpose.

On our Kiwi, Fortress, Cedar range garden sheds you can move the door position to pretty much wherever you like. Jump on our 3D Shed Builder to try it out!    

How many do you need?

At least one, any less and you’ve just got a steel box (or a woodshed or bus shelter).

A single door is enough for most typical items like your lawnmower, pottery wheel, bicycles etc. But if you’re storing a ride-on mower or quadbike you’ll probably want double doors. Our larger semi timber frame sheds also have a door and a half option which works well for larger items.

The door and a half system on our Semi Timber Frame range

But for the pinnacle in access you can’t go past the roller doors on our Lifestyle Range sheds.

Our Marlborough Lifestyle shed with a big 2.4m roller door

The other consideration is having doors in different places on your shed. For example, a set of double doors so you can back in your jetski trailer, then a single door on the opposite corner so you don’t have to climb over it every time you need your tools.

Another common configuration is a tunnel shed, where you have a door at each end. Useful if you want storage between the house and the fence but don’t want to block the thoroughfare.  

Again these are all options that are possible with our Kiwi, Fortress, Cedar range garden sheds, and best visualised with our 3D Shed Builder.

What types can you get?

At Duratuf we have 4 types of doors available.

Hinged – if someone says the word door this is probably what you picture in your head. Hinges on one side, locking mechanism on the other. Works perfectly well but can bang in the wind if you leave it unlatched, and you need room to open it. Our 1507, 2007 and Cambridge Locker do have skinnier doors should space be at a premium however.  

Sliding – the door opens horizontally along the shed. A space saving solution if you don’t have room to swing a cat, let alone a door. This is the standard door type on our Kiwi garden shed range. More specifically we call ours the Everglide door. As it has high quality ball-bearing rollers and a solid aluminium door track that’ll give you decades of smooth, quiet access.

A sliding door means no swinging door banging on this clothesline

Roller – rolls up and down, pretty much what you find on most garages. And for good reason, as they provide the best access, don’t need space to open, and tend to be much more secure. Our Lifestyle Range sheds all come standard with a roller door, from 1.8m to 2.4m wide.

Ranchslider – glass with aluminium joinery, slides open, you know the drill. We only have a ranchslider available as standard on our Cedar Urban model. But soon they will be an option that can be specified on our Lifestyle Range.    

The Cedar Urban featuring a quality NZ Made ranchslider

That’s all the door chat you can probably handle for one day. But if you’re thinking of getting a garden shed it’s an important factor so it pays to be informed. Check out our ranges to see which configurations are available for each, then if you have any questions get in touch or chat with us via the live chat.