Chris Gleason - The Versatile Shed: How To Build, Renovate and Customize Your Bonus Space

The Versatile Shed

How to Build, Renovate and Customize Your Bonus Space

Chris Gleason

Introduction

Im not sure exactly when the first house was built, but my guess is that it was probably followed a short time later by the first shed. People have always constructed small outbuildings as a way to gain additional space, whether it is for working or storage, and this need is as vital today as ever. Todays challenging housing market means that it is difficult for a lot of folks to trade up, so many of us are finding creative ways to make our current homes do more. One of my favorite ways to do this is by considering the value that a shed or small outbuilding might add to your daily life. Formerly just a place to store the lawnmower, sheds have undergone a bit of a renaissance in the past few years: the phrase shed working has entered our collective lexicon, and the tiny house movement has perfectly illustrated that a high quality of life can be attained with very little space, indeed.

Because I believe so strongly in the potential that sheds have to offer us as fun, creative, and interesting bonus spaces I have written this book in a way that I hope addresses a lot of different perspectives. For those who would like to build their own sheds, I have offered step-by-step construction photos and tips. For readers who would like to modify an existing shed to meet their needs, I think that there is a lot of great info on how to do just that. And finally, for everyone, including those who are just looking for some inspiration to show whats possible, I have assembled a lot of beautiful pictures of sheds that just about anybody would be proud to have in their yard.

Heres to a great shed project!

Christopher Gleason

Salt Lake City, Utah

November 24, 2011

CHAPTER ONE

Off-The-Rack Sheds

If youre not interested in building your own shed, youll probably end up working with a company in your area that specializes in small outbuildings. I spent some time with Mike Anderson from A-Sheds, a company with offices in both Denver and Salt Lake City, and I was really impressed with what they have to offer. I took a tour of a number of different models that they had on hand, and learned a lot about some of the more unique projects that theyve undertaken. Mike affirmed my belief that sheds can be much more than just a place to store the lawn mower. Their company has built sheds that have been transformed into:

Art studios

Pottery studios

Motorcycle garage

Small rec rooms

Offices

and Mini-Cabins

I think that this photo tour will demonstrate the kind of quality and attention to detail that you may be able to expect.

Mike had my attention right away when he directed me toward this unassuming looking building: it contains the office of one of their salesmen. (As an aside, Mike said that theyre building a lot of sheds with porches now, too. His clients seem to like the looks and the fact that it creates a nice shady place to set up an outdoor area for seating and entertaining).

This shed demonstrates perfectly the way that a small outbuilding can go above and beyond. This office lacks nothing in terms of being a comfortable and efficient place to work. There is even ample space to meet with prospective clients and roll out a set of blueprints.

Even though I visited on a chilly day in late Autumn, the interior was cozy thanks to this electric baseboard heater.

I loved the cedar shakes below the eaves. It turns out that custom paint/trim jobs like this are very popular.

Mike mentioned that they have seen a real increase in demand for playhouses this one caught my eye as being both very solidly built and also rather cute with the custom cupola on the roof.

Mike told me that they built 50 of these mini cabins this year. The interiors can be left wide open so that the owners can customize them, or they can be fully built out with insulation, drywall, and paint. The gambrel-style roof provides nearly 16 of uninterrupted height at its peak. You could just about have a small basketball court in there.

There is so much vertical space, in fact, that most of their clients end up wanting a small loft to create an upstairs bedroom or a childrens play area. If you are lucky enough to have a blank canvas like this, I imagine that you could come up with all kinds of cool interior treatments and finishes.

This trim detailing definitely goes above and beyond. The window is also made with double-paned, insulated glass, which means that it would be very energy efficient if you chose to insulate and heat the interior.

I was impressed by their doors: they feature a steel frame for rigidity, which makes it nearly impossible to break in.

The steel frame was carefully engineered to allow the opportunity to use conventional locking handsets. This provides a lot of security, and it also gives you the option of choosing just about any exterior lockset that you like.

The interior of their sheds can be kept cool in the summer with the addition of these baffles that reflect heat up through the vented ridge cap. Id be interested in trying these myself.