8 Tips for Turning Your Shed into a Home

A residential shed is one of the most useful buildings on a property, so much so that people are converting them into homes — it’s a whole movement. Now, we know that the limitations to this depend on how you design and build the shed, so you need to design it well. So, if you’re thinking about doing the same thing, here are some tips to get the ball rolling.

1.   Give it a good coat of paint inside and outside

One of the first things we encourage people who want to change their sheds to a living space is to give them a fresh coat of paint after installing insulation and walling it in. Choosing the right paint has the potential to completely transform your shed, giving it a lovely, homely, warm feel. Choosing a lighter colour can make a room much bigger, open and airy if you have a smaller shed. This, paired with a minimalist interior design and furnishing, will create a magazine-worthy living space in no time.

The same goes for outside. Paint your shed with durable exterior paint and choose a colour that’ll help it stand out or achieve the look you’re going for. Depending on the material of your shed, you could even model it after a Queenslander home or opt for a more modern theme.

2.   Seal up any gaps or cracks

If you’re transforming your old garden shed or workshop into a liveable shed home, then you’re going to want to do a little bit of TLC before. When built, garden sheds or standard shed builds have a very basic structure. If you have a shed like this, you might need to seal up the gaps between the flaws and walls or the roof and walls. Likewise, you may have small gaps between panels, too. Either way, you’ll want to seal the shed properly before moving on with your transformation.

3.   Install insulation

Insulation has a two-fold purpose. On the one hand, it helps regulate the internal temperature of your home. On the other, it limits the amount of leakage you experience if your roof happens to develop a leak. If you’re using dry walling or another material to patch your walls, fill the centre between panels with insulating foam.

4.   Add enough windows

When building a shed, to make it as liveable as possible, you’ve got to have enough windows. Not only do windows ensure that your shed will be well-ventilated, but they also maximise the amount of natural light being let in. With enough windows, you’ll have a bright, airy shed that will feel comfortable to live in, and not to mention, the more windows the better view you’ll have of your yard.

5.   Install electrical components

No home is complete without electricity. For this part, you may need to get an electrician in. Before you transform your shed, you should ideally have a set plan that includes the different rooms and where you’ll place lights and points. Using this plan, an electrician will install all your electrical components before you continue with the build.

6.   Go off-the-grid

If possible, you can take your shed off the grid. This is particularly beneficial if you have another building on your property, as it would limit the utility fees you’ll need to pay for both buildings. Look at adding solar panels, one or two inverters, or even a residential wind turbine.

7.   Install good lighting

Make the best use of your home’s space by lighting strategically to create an aesthetic appeal and light a large area with fewer light sources. Consider dropdown lights in or hanging lights with warm-coloured light bulbs to create an atmosphere in your home.

8.   Create convenient storage

In many cases, the sheds we see owners wanting to customise aren’t extremely huge, meaning that how they use the space is important. With smaller sheds, utilising usable space that isn’t likely to be used like under stairs, in the attic, or even certain wall panels is a wise way to provide you with more storage space in the house.

Where can you get a custom-built shed?

When customising your own liveable shed home, you want seasoned professionals working on the project in order to get the best result. Fair Dinkum Builds is a shed-building company with over 30 years of experience, a huge network of local experts and a shed designer app to help you build your custom shed.

Final Thoughts

Transforming your shed into a home or building a completely new one is a quick and easy way to upgrade your living space and give you that home you’ve always dreamed of. With a few significant alterations, like running electricals through the shed, adding insulation, decent windows, and giving it a decent layout, you can create an interior design marvel at a fraction of the price you’d pay to build a brick-and-mortar home. Sounds like a good plan, wouldn’t you say?