We all need a place to store the various items we use in our yards and gardens. For most of us, the answer is a storage shed. Whether you call it a baby barn, a garden shed, a utility shed, or storage shed, these small outbuildings are invaluable places to safely store yard and garden tools, sports equipment, and other items out of the weather.

But, will you build the shed yourself, hire someone to do it, or purchase something prefabricated and ready to go?

Do a little research first. Your local county government may have regulations about exterior buildings like sheds and require a permit to build.

How much storage space do you actually need? Where would you like to locate the shed: do you want it to fit into the surrounding landscape, built against another structure, easily seen from home windows? If you move to another location and sell your existing home, are you prepared to leave the shed as part of the sale?

Once you determine what size you need and where you wish to locate the building, you can go with one of three different options:

• You can have a contractor build you a structure to your specific dimensions and usage needs (which will be the most expensive route to take).
• You can purchase a pre-fabricated building from your local Kent store, and employees will deliver it to your location.
• The third option is to purchase one of the ready-to-build kits that Kent offers for sale. These include the Backyard Organizer designed by Marwood, a family-run operation based in the Maritimes. Marwood's Canadian sales manager for consumer products, Cory Clark, explains the beauty of this product:

"Our kits include pre-cut, pre-primed, kiln-dried lumber, pre-hung doors, and include all the hardware you need to assemble the shed," he says. "You don't have to cut anything, just need a few tools that most every homeowner has on hand - hammer, measuring tape, stepladder, etc."

Corey O'Dell, Category Merchant with Kent in Saint John, NB, says, "We like Marwood's Backyard Organizer because there are so many different models, making it easier for the homeowner to match the storage shed to the style of their home. These kits are popular because they're an easy, fun option for a do-it-yourself project that the whole family can get involved with." The kits take two people approximately four to five hours to assemble, excluding painting and shingling.