From Wrecked Shed To Cozy Shop

Sometimes it takes a fresh viewpoint or a new perspective to see the potential in a dilapidated building. I had a 30 x16 foot decrepit shed on my property with a ruined roof, a nearly nonexistent north wall, and the occasional hole poking through the remaining three good walls of the building. I planned to tear this wreck down but never got around to actually following through on my threat to demolish this worthless structure.

All that changed this summer. “I” became “we” and my better half took a good look at the old heap of a shed and decided he could salvage it and turn an eyesore into a functional shop at a fraction of the cost it would take to build a new shop of the same size.

So, we rolled up our sleeves and got to work. We first poured a cement floor, shaving a foot off the width so we could construct a new north wall when the time came. Friends and relatives assisted in the pouring of the concrete floor, making the job a lot easier than had we two older people tried to do it ourselves.

Electricity to run saws and other equipment was required to construct a new wall and a roof became a must, so we trenched in an underground line from the meter box to the shed, then wired in a few outlets to get us started. We then framed in a new wall so we would have support to put on the new roof, which was the next order of business. After all, a building without a roof is no building at all, and the roof on the old shed was completely ruined. We tore off what was left of the tin, and then ripped out the rotted plywood, completely opening the roof to the air. After allowing the rafters to dry for a day, we replaced the plywood with new sheets of particle board, and then covered the particle board with steel and we had a new, weather-tight roof that no longer leaked.

Once we had a secure roof, we ripped out the old north wall and sheeted in the new framed wall, building the new wall one foot inside where the old wall previously stood. This gave us a 30x15 foot building, a perfect size for a man who loves his tools and likes working with wood and puttering with other projects.

Insulation became the next priority, so we completely insulated the interior ceiling and walls, which certainly made a difference in temperature control in the shop as well as giving the place a warm, cozy feel.

Over the Labor Day weekend we completed a few small cement jobs, hung an eight-foot ceiling light, installed several wall outlets, and got a bit of sheetrock in place.

These renovations and changes took us all summer to complete, as we both hold down full time jobs and only had weekends to work on the shop. We haven’t finished this project yet, but we will. We intend to install the remaining outlets and electric lights, finish the sheet rock, hang peg board and cabinets for storage, and install a wood burning stove to heat the shop over the winter.

We did run into small snags as we ripped, hammered and nailed, but we overcame the small problems and when we finish, we will have a fully functional, snug little shop that we renovated together for relatively little cost. The project gave us a lot of time together and we find we work very well as a team.

We have other projects in mind for the future, projects that will enhance our home and make life a little easier.