Why Guys Have Sheds

Workshop

• While a shed may encourage the trading of fish stories over a cold beverage, a common reason for a man to have a shed is to serve as a workshop. He may have a basement workshop, or tools set up in the garage, but a backyard shed can be a place in which he can keep his beloved tools, work on projects and not worry about cleaning up after himself. A shed can have functional applications, with shelving and storage for power tools, garden tools and other house supplies. If the shed is big enough, the man may have a small workbench and power to listen to the ballgame on the radio.

Escape

• While it may be dramatic to suggest a man needs an escape from his wife or family, it's true that downtime and hobby time are important to everyone. Just as a wife may occasionally need a shopping or spa day with her girlfriends, a man needs a place where he can unwind, forget his manners and put the stresses of work, bills and family out of his mind for a short period of time.

Storage

• If a man's house is too small to adequately store all his belongings, he may use a shed for certain items that he wishes to store. Some items, such as tools and extra tires, may be worth keeping. Other items may have such a sentimental value to him that he's not ready to part with them. Often, a man's shed contains this type of item, including his high school football helmet and other mementos relating to his youth.

His Space

• Perhaps you've visited the home of a couple you know and are amused that the house is clearly decorated by the wife, with little or no influence from the husband. While some people may suggest this is because the wife is controlling, the actual fact may be that the husband simply isn't interested in choosing which carpet goes with which color of paint. When this is the case, he doesn't really have a place in the house that's "his space." A backyard shed fulfills his desire to have his own little territory, without laying claim to a room in the house. To help the man identify the shed as his space, he may place posters, tacky signs and other memorabilia on the walls.