From Home Offices To Shed Pubs: Five Alternative Uses For Garden Sheds

Industrial & Manufacturing Articles

Long gone are the days when garden sheds were just used as garages or for storing tools and lawnmowers. Now, in addition to those utilitarian functions, many garden sheds are being converted into living or playing spaces. The options are truly endless, but here are just five of the ideas you may want to explore:

1. Granny Flat

You can easily retrofit the inside of a garden shed to make it into a mini-granny flat. By adding a bit of extra insulation, a fresh water tank (similar to the type used in caravans), a few cupboards and some furniture, you can create a spot for grandma to rest her head while still providing her with privacy. To create extra space, you can make a small upstairs with a lofted bed.

In addition to using this living space for a grandma or mother-in-law, you can also use it for grown adult children, or you could rent it out as a holiday cottage.

2. Bar Shed

Instead of turning your shed into a living space for someone else, turn it into a bar for yourself. Drawing from the man cave trend, shed pubs are growing in popularity, and there are a range of options you can embrace when turning a shed into a pub.

On the most simplistic level, you could add a few comfortable chairs and a cooler of beer, but if you want to get more complicated, you may want to add a wet bar and electricity. Bringing electricity to your shed may be easier than you think – essentially, you need to run rigid metal conduit from your house to your shed in a shallow trench. Wires slip into the conduit, and you have power for your fridges, lights and big screen TV. (You can use the same method to run wires to your shed to make it into a granny flat.)

3. Kids Playhouse

Instead of straining yourself by making a treehouse, give the kids a prefabricated house on the ground. You can easily make a beautiful kids play house out of a garden shed, and if you like, you can build a wall or hang a curtain in the shed to split up the space – your kids get half of the area, and your tools get the rest of the space.

4. Horse Barn

Of course, your storage shed does not have to just be for people. With a little creativity and some building savvy, you can convert a storage shed into a horse barn. Basically, you need the doors to open into your field, and you need to build a couple of stalls for the horses to hang out. You can do this conversion with a new shed, or you can convert your existing shed. If your area does not allow horses, play with the idea of turning a backyard shed into a chicken coop or a spot for goats.

5. Home Office

While most of the ideas above are fairly playful, you can also opt to work in your shed. If you have a home office and you are tired of the noise and chatter inside your house, consider relocating to your backyard.

You can use the ideas regarding electricity and water from above, or you can simply run an extension cord to the shed to power your computer and a desk lamp. To bring the internet into your shed, invest in a strong Wi-Fi router for your house and position it near a window so you can get a signal from the shed. Alternatively, you can increase the data allowance on your mobile phone plan and use your smartphone as a mobile hotspot.

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23 March 2015