When my grandfather was still farming, the shed behind their house was where he parked his tractor and combine. It's still where spare parts and empty grain bags hang at the ready and where tools fill the old kitchen cabinets.
This NYTimes article by Becky Gaylord talks about mens' sheds in Australia. There's apparently a book, Blokes & Sheds, by Mark Thomson, who's quoted in the article. Some ideas I liked:
What looks like chaos to outsiders is easily deciphered by the master of the shed. A man can put down a wrench in his shed and know it will stay in the same spot until he moves it weeks, or even years, later...
Men speak of shed coal: layers of things that build up on the floor, shelves and workbench, reflecting the depth of their lives.