Sommaire pour Sheds de Sheds

We can always use more space, which explains the exploding popularity of backyard sheds. Folks who work at home save commute time by turning those sheds into garden offices or studios. Soaring real estate prices push homeowners to add backyard guest quarters, entertainment spaces, and hobby rooms instead of buying bigger houses. As Americans spend more time at home, the “stuff” that we collect piles up. We find new interests to enjoy—gardening, collecting wines, wood-working—and need personal space to decompress. In response, we install potting sheds, storage sheds, and workshops. Inside, you’ll find inspiration and thought-provoking ideas about how people use sheds. There is much to explore in the ways of shed construction and materials. Ideas for popular shed designs will inspire you. Whether you are considering installing a shed…

Ashed/workshop is as basic or extravagant as budget, need and space permit. A discrete 10-by-10-foot shed may suffice, one that relies on proximity to the house for essentials such as electricity and water. A serious woodworker, on the other hand, demands a powered-up shed with every amenity for getting jobs done. Organized Storage Clever storage keeps the workshop uncluttered. While some of us rely heavily on junk drawers for storage in the kitchen, people who are handy enough to require workshops have better ideas. Inspirational Objects Every creative spirit profits from inspiration. Books, magazines and photos deserve a place in the workshop, too. Photo records and descriptions of past projects are reminders of clever shortcuts and possibilities. Favorite artworks inspire, as do images of family, friends and good times. Quotations…

Colors & Music Both Inspire Color experts suggest that, although every person has unique responses, the color yellow energizes and inspires creative thinking. Red and orange also stimulate and energize. But do colors send the musical composer’s instincts in specific directions? Would the colors in your music studio inspire you to compose a particular kind of music? It’s possible. Research shows that humans do associate individual colors with specific types of music. Participants in a study were asked to choose colors that connected to the type of music they were hearing. When researchers played light, upbeat music, participants—across cultures—picked vivid yellow and other warm colors. When they played slow, somber music, participants chose moody grays and blues. There’s no more tripping over guitars and power cords strewn across the room,…

Shed Security Accessory buildings are prime targets for burglars. Motion-sensitive lighting might frighten away a thief approaching the shed at night; a motion-sensitive camera with a microphone might be even more effective. If the shed is out of warranty, windows and doors can be swapped for more secure—and possibly more attractive—versions. Lightweight sheds can be anchored to the foundation, so that burglars are not able to lift them up and steal your belongings—or steal the shed itself. Early vinyl sheds were prone to fade in direct sunlight and grow brittle in cold weather, but today’s models are made of higher-quality materials. Steel-reinforced construction, including roof trusses and doors, means that they require very little maintenance and can be cleaned with soap and water. Metal sheds are coated with materials that…

Concrete If the shed sits on a concrete slab, then this might be the least expensive floor because it’s already there. Sealed, or stained and then sealed, a concrete floor may also be one of the most attractive. Concrete is probably the most durable flooring: termites won’t eat it and water won’t cause it to rot. Sealed concrete floors are also easy to clean. Concrete is hard, though, and cold. In a workshop or studio where you’ll be standing on the floor for long periods of time, concrete’s not ideal. In a crafting space or kitchen, where things will be dropped on it, expect breakage. Epoxy One way to dress up that concrete slab is with an epoxy coating. It’s available in loads of colors, so it will work in…

Concrete Slab If you want the shed to last forever, this might be the foundation to make it happen. It’s the most durable, but also the most expensive. A slab foundation can be installed on a slope, which is an important point for homeowners who don’t have a level spot for the shed, and it works under almost any type of shed. Post and Beam Constructed like a deck, this foundation is made of wood. It’s usually less pricey than concrete, but it’s not as durable, either. It can be installed on a slope, because the frame raises the floor of the shed off the ground. Gravel or Crushed Stone Pad This one’s a favorite among shed owners for its versatility and ability to drain. This foundation relies on a…

While extending the shed’s usable space, a porch becomes a favorite family hangout or your place in the garden to sip coffee and read emails. If the shed is also guest quarters, a front porch or patio offers guests a spot to sit outside and enjoy breakfast. A slightly larger porch or patio serves as outdoor dining space—or a locale for the family to gather for afternoon snacks and games. When the babysitter cancels at the last minute on date night, the porch becomes a candle-lit restaurant right outside the back door. Extend the porch a bit more and it’s a carport, storage for the sailboat, motorcycle, riding mower and utility trailer. Maybe it’s possible to park the cars in the garage after all! Pergola Perfection A pergola can stand…

Afieldstone exterior dresses it up as an elegant home in miniature. A hipped roof—how about a dome topped by a spire—declares the “shed’s” importance on the property. Double doors matched with a pair of antique carriage lights beckon to visitors. The front door, after all, is the face of the shed/guest house/office/studio/whatever-you-want-your-shed-to-be. The door commands attention or projects modernism, solidity or maybe a sense of humor. Double “barn doors” slide apart and boast iron hardware to emphasize country life and style. Arched doors—glass, wood or metal—say the shed is part of something older—it has history. How grand would it be to own a shed in an enviable location—one with hilltop views, perched next to a lake or lost deep in the woods? Even without a fabulous location, a splendid landscape—let’s…

NASA has challenged the world’s best and brightest to design 3D-printed colonies for construction in outer space. In 2015, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory built a tiny house and a vehicle using 3D-printing technology. On the other side of the world, the city of Dubai aims to 3D-print 25 percent of its new buildings by the year 2030. Are we on the verge of a world where a homeowner could custom order a 3D-printed she-shed? The technology has been available for decades, but inventors have not yet stepped in to fill this void in the marketplace. Maybe if they had garden offices to work in……

If you long for a commute from the back door to the backyard office, your options are endless. DIY plans for shed conversions, ready-to-build kits and prefab—custom-designed—office “pods” share the market with companies that specialize in garden offices. Great spans of glass not only bring in natural light, but also surround the worker with nature, igniting creativity. Intentional placement of mirrors bounces light around a space, along with views worthy of reflection. Windows and mirrors are not enough to brighten some sheds, though; inset lighting does the job handily and doesn’t interfere with furniture placement. On the other hand, small, brightly lit offices can heat up quickly, so some shed owners invest in insulation for walls, roof and even floors. Window treatments like thermal shades help keep things comfortable, too,…

In the meantime, textiles and toys collect dust. Basement temperature fluctuations ruin wine collections. First-edition books develop mold and decay as packing materials break down over time. Once in a while, the collector has a few hours to spare, but you can’t find your treasures to pull out and enjoy because they’re hidden away in the garage. But what if the collection had its own place? Imagine a climate-controlled wine shed with a tasting zone. Think of a library shed with book-lined shelves on every wall and a reading nook in the middle. A humidity-controlled shed for the antiques collection. A 10-by-12-foot museum of everything related to your favorite sports team. A shed just for jigsaw puzzles. A salt-water aquarium shed! Is there any collection that wouldn’t be better in…

Sheds converted to yoga studios encourage health-conscious living at home. Kits and customizable prefab yoga sheds relieve some of the stress of a shed conversion. Some manufacturers offer “green” shed options with insulation made of recycled fabric and zero-VOC paints. Nestled into the garden, a yoga shed takes advantage of our instinctive preference for natural light and green, growing plants. As quiet spaces for exercise and meditation, many yoga sheds have bifold doors that open all the way across one side, bringing the outside in. This kind of indoor/outdoor air exchange also prevents a buildup of odors. Sealed wood, vinyl and plastic surfaces can be cleaned frequently, a real plus if the space is sometimes used as a gym or workout shed. Wood flooring is also easy to clean and…

Shoso-In was constructed to hold treasures donated by the Empress Komyo after her husband, the Emperor Shomu, died. To protect her husband’s soul after death, the empress collected about 600 personal belongings—textiles, embroidery, glassware, pottery and art from all over Asia and the Middle East—and gifted them to the Buddha of the Todai-Ji Temple. More donations followed the first, eventually numbering around 9,000 artifacts. Shoso-In Repository, as it’s now known, is an ascetic box of time-blackened cypress logs, so precisely milled and planed that the structure preserved the empress’s donations in sterling condition for nearly 1,200 years. The building hovers on 40 wooden piers. The eaves of the tile roof lift in the corners in a style that was typical of the time and place. The empress’s treasure was relocated…

The lowest-cost roofing materials are purchased by the roll; one example is mineral-surface roll roofing, an asphalt product similar to asphalt shingles but thinner and not as long-lived. The economic appeal of roll-out roofing materials is tempered a bit by the appearance—it just isn’t as nice to look at as, say, a composite shingle roof. Corrugated poly-carbonate and metal cost a bit more, as do composite, metal and rubber shingles. Clay tiles and cedar shingles or shakes are among the priciest alternatives. However, along with price, the shed owner has to consider durability, practicality and overall appearance. Side-by-Side Comparison…

Transom Windows—More Than Ornamental Windows mounted above doors, or transom windows, provided ventilation in homes built before central air conditioning and heating. An attic fan pulled warm air out of the house while cooler outside air flowed in through open transom windows. Fixed transoms were popular, too, allowing natural light to stream into spaces without loss of privacy. As central air conditioning became standard in homes, transom windows fell out of favor, but more recently they have been regaining popularity. Shed owners are drawn to the natural light and fresh air that a transom window offers. Old tools and tires, bowling balls and bottles, car parts and recycled lumber—there’s no end to the materials used. The results are as astonishing as they are delightful! Greenhouses built entirely of old windows…

Others are destinations in themselves, not part of the home, but something else: a place of business or a weekend rental. Landscaping gives the shed an identity, either as part of a whole or as an independent space. Independent from the House If the shed is to have a separate identity from the house, it needs landscaping that is separate as well. An outdoor seating area crisscrossed with fairy lights sequesters the shed in its own environment. A patch of lawn encircled by flowerbeds gives it its own front yard. A landscape style (think of a wildflower meadow or Japanese tea garden) that’s a bit different from the landscaping around the main house subtly sets the shed apart. Some shed owners locate barriers between the house and the shed to…

Cruising through new-built neighborhoods, anyone can see that Americans still have a special place in their hearts for Craftsman architecture, nearly a century after it came into vogue. One reason it has emerged as a favorite is the modest practicality of Craftsman style—perfect for a small structure like a shed! What Makes a Craftsman Shed Craftsman? Modesty isn’t the whole story; certain details set a Craftsman structure apart. Starting at the top, a Craftsman shed has a shallowly pitched roof and at least one gable that faces the front of the building. Deep, generous eaves sometimes mark the shed as Craftsman, especially if they have exposed rafters. A porch spacious enough for a chair or two is supported by tapered columns, and trim for windows and doors is wide. In…

Presidential Shed Revamp Shed conversions are nothing new: in 1877, a couple of years before he became president of the United States, James Garfield reported that his teenage son Harry had converted a woodshed on the family farm into a chicken coop. No one talked much about how Harry’s shed conversion turned out, but apparently Mrs. Garfield was fond of the concept. Sixteen years later, the then-widowed lady had another coop built. This one was entirely more upscale than Harry’s, and it stood up across the years. So it was that in the 1930s, the coop held enough chickens to draw the notice of grandsons Jimmy, Bobby and Dick. The boys were curious to know if chickens could float. A sensible question, right? Ducks float. Swans float. So, according to…

This shed has four walls and a roof with only one slanted surface, as opposed to a gable roof with two surfaces or a gambrel roof with four. The roof of a lean-to shed can slope from side to side, back to front, or front to back. If it’s built up against the exterior wall of an existing structure, such as a barn or home, then the builder only has to create three walls, making the process even simpler. Added to an Existing Structure Besides being simpler to construct, this type of shed is a bit cheaper when built against a larger building because fewer materials are needed. When a lean-to abuts another building, the high point of the roof is usually at the back. If building your own shed…

Some Things Never Go Out of Style In the United States, the popularity of gambrel roofs, sometimes called Dutch roofs, goes back to homes and barns built in the 17th century, mostly by settlers from the Netherlands. One of the most prominent characteristics of Dutch Colonial homes was the gambrel roof; by “blowing out” the sides of a typical gable roof, Dutch builders gained living space in the attic. These homes were typically brick or stone and had fireplaces at each end. Another hallmark of Dutch Colonial homes was a door constructed in two halves, so that the top half could stand open to let cool breezes flow through the house while the bottom half stayed closed to keep the littlest settlers from running outside. Today, we call this much-admired…

No more fumbling in lightless corners of the toolshed for a missing spade while the question of what small, sharp-toothed animal might be crouching in the shed with you niggles at the back of your brain. One skylight can flood a small shed with natural light at surprisingly little cost. In situations where interior wall space is needed for storage or display, skylights and light tubes are sensible alternatives to windows. The same is true if you are wary of exposing the shed’s contents to prying eyes for security reasons. You don’t want expensive tools or electronics, for instance, to draw attention from passers-by. In climates with cold, damp winters, sunlight entering the shed through a skylight or light tube helps moderate temperatures inside and may reduce growth of mildew…

Almost a century later, modern style is still hugely influential and shows no signs of losing its appeal. Many outbuildings incorporate elements of or are influenced by modernism. The modern aesthetic is unsentimental and direct. Clean lines and simple shapes mark modern design, and in sheds that most often means rooflines with only one surface. Wide eaves shade the large expanses of glass that are so popular in these little gems. Clerestory windows (those above eye level) allow for plenty of blue sky while privacy is protected. Modern design “brings the outdoors in” in every way that it can. When the sunlight is too much, a pergola or shade structure attaches to a modern shed without spoiling the look. Just a few feet deeper, a carport/shade structure adds convenience. A…

Whether the shed is a personal getaway, studio or guest quarters, well-used furniture and surfaces that show their age reflect the owner’s appreciation for comfort and timelessness. Layered rugs in pale colors, straw baskets and faded textiles mark classic cottage style. Stripes in fabrics and on walls introduce a fresh, beachy flavor—and who can resist a beachy cottage? Introducing elements of black on window frames and doors updates the cottage look. Slipcovers freshen up old-favorite furniture without breaking the bank, and nothing says “cottage shed” more clearly than slipcovers. Salvaged windows and beadboard, wicker and cast metals, flea market knobs on painted furniture—all these are hallmarks of classic cottage style. A white-painted exterior sings with cottage appeal, but so does a shed sided in naked wood. Color says “cottage,” too,…