How is your shed looking these days? Full to the brim with garden equipment and tools? Overcrowded with things you can’t fit into the garage? Well, it’s time to feel proud of your shed again. Shed conversions are more popular than ever. Here’s some inspiration on how you can transform your humble shed into something spectacular.
Is Your Shed a Potential Award-Winner?
Want to get creative and turn your shed into a show-stopper? There’s a chance to win an award. The Readersheds Shed of the Year competition is open to anyone who wants to showcase how they’ve made their outbuilding their pride and joy. Last year’s winner was a potting shed. What will yours be?
Shed Conversions: What are the Options?
Want to convert your shed? The possibilities are endless. You could turn your shed into a cosy home office. Or what about a games room, home gym, or even a tiny home? The only limit is your imagination! Can’t decide what you want your humble shed to be? Here’s some inspiration.
Shed Conversion 1: Home Office
The pandemic has changed the way many of us work. Have you embraced home working and the benefits that come with it? Or are you sick of working from the dining table or that tiny box room? Converting your shed into an office that’s fit for purpose could help you work from home a lot more comfortably. Imagine having a space that’s separate from the house so you can draw the line between life and work. Imagine being able to escape from the constant distractions that affect your productivity. You can. Here’s how to get started.
Check your shed walls, roof, and floor are stable and in good repair. Next, give it a good clean and insulate it. Remember you’ll need to work in there all year round.
Then there are the electrics. You need decent lighting for those Zoom calls plus a WIFI router and safe electrical points for your equipment. This is where enlisting the help of an electrician will come in handy. All that’s left is to kit your new home office out with furniture, shelves, plants, and whatever else you need to make it your own.
Remember to put a lock on the door to keep things secure and there you have it; your very own bespoke home office.
Shed Conversion 2: Home Gym
Love the gym but hate paying hundreds of pounds each year for a gym membership? Don’t get us started on having to wait for machines, or making your way there in bad weather. Convert your shed into a home gym that you can use for free, whenever you like.
So how do you make your grand home gym plans a reality? Well, start off by making sure your shed is fit for this purpose. You need to think about things like floor strength, insulation, and ventilation.
Consider fitting some hard-wearing flooring. Impact-resistant materials like rubber will be able to take the strain of you dropping your free weights. The next thing to think about is insulation. Ideally, you’ll want your shed to be cooler in the summer and a little warmer in the winter. Proper insulation helps keep things comfortable. As well as insulation, you need to think about ventilation. Adequate ventilation keeps you cool when you’re working out and stops germs from spreading too. Consider installing windows or wall vents, and using fans.
Of course, if you want lighting and fans, you’ll need electricity. Talk to an electrician about how you can best hook up a supply. A popular way to run power to a shed is by running an underground cable to it from your home. If you’re big on sustainability, you could even think about having solar panels fitted.
Now all that’s left is choosing your ideal gym equipment and setup. You’ll probably find that home versions of gym equipment are more compact and lightweight than commercial gym kits. If you have free weights, medicine balls, or other small bits of equipment, install shelves or racks to keep them on. Once you’ve splashed out on the initial set-up, you’ll never look back. No more pricey gym memberships or queuing for the squat rack!
Shed Conversion 3: Tiny Home
Go on Instagram or Pinterest, and it’s full of people who are living their best life in a tiny home. So why would you convert your shed into one? Well for some people, a simpler, more minimalist life appeals. Then there’s the fact that you save so much money on housing costs while reducing your impact on the planet. However, you don’t need to go all out and move out of your home completely. You can convert your shed into a tiny home for Airbnb guests or create a self-contained living space for granny or grandad.
There’s one important thing to note before you start your shed conversion. If you’re going to use the shed as accommodation, you’ll probably need planning permission. Check with your local council on this.
Got the go-ahead but not sure where to start? We think painting the exterior of your soon-to-be tiny home is a great starting point. Consider whether you want the colour to complement or be a contrast to your house. Sand away any rough areas and give your shed a couple of coats of your chosen shade. Remember to let each coat dry before applying another.
Next, turn your attention to the interior. Install insulation to keep the temperature comfortable and block out noise from the outside. While insulation helps, you’ll also need to think about heating for the colder months and fans for the summer. This is the UK after all, and the climate can be unpredictable. If you’re serious about creating a tiny home, you’ll need those home comforts like running water and electricity. We recommend you get in some professional help to connect everything up correctly and safely.
The next thing to think about is storage space. Even a tiny home needs a place to put things. The best thing you can do is make use of the wall space to free up the floor space. Install shelving where you can keep things or add décor to make your tiny home more homely. Get creative with furniture and look for ultra-compact, multi-purpose items. Places like IKEA make great furniture for small spaces. Think side storage units that fold out into dining tables or futons that double up as beds and extra storage. Last but not least, think about the area around your tiny home. Put in a flower bed, add some hanging baskets, or create a cosy porch. Your former shed will be a tiny home from home!
There are so many shed conversion possibilities out there, why would anyone want to use it just to store a lawn mower? For more interesting articles on all things gardening check out the rest of our blog.
