From Empty Yard to Crafters Shed to Tiny House!

Life changes drastically, often quickly. One minute you are dreaming of a future project. Then you start thinking about how it doesn't have to be years down the road. And before you know it, you are building with urgency because it is a need. 

Well, that is how it went for us at least. When we moved into our home, our own home, we had a couple sheds in the backyard already. But those were my husbands. Storage and workshop. Eventually, I knew I wanted to have my own crafters shed. A place for all my projects to be centralized. To clear space in the house. Where I could work in an organized way. But that would cost a pretty penny for this family that is making it check by check for the most part. So I knew I'd have to wait a year at least. Or so I thought. 

We started talking about our tax refund money. And what projects might be beneficial to start. About this time, my mother-in-law had quite the health scare. Before we knew it, she was talking about moving out here this year. But she needed a place to stay. Her, my sister-in-law, and their 4 pets. My husband and I are decidedly not animal people. No pets. He has pretty severe allergies, and with all I have on my plate (4 kids included), animals are just a nuisance. We talked about how to accommodate the in-laws without coming to issues with the pets. Thus the shed build was decided as a priority. 

Getting started

Our first step was in deciding where and how big this thing would be. Then we searched online. I can tell you that was grueling! Searching for delivered, pre-built sheds wouldn't work. Our backyard set-up would make for difficult delivery. Kits were also a no. They look great in pictures, but then you read the fine print. Windows not included. Roofing not included. Paint isn't included. Nor were the floors. All that is on you or costs extra. Sizes are rigidly set. Once we compared pricing, we noticed that it seemed cheaper to just build from scratch on our own. With the ability to design it to fit our needs. So, we did just that. 

Foundation to last a lifetime

Usually, you build a slab foundation. The whole building sitting right on top. However, that would have costed around $1,100 - $1,500. We didn't have that kind of money. And we needed to get the foundation started. So the engineer put his brain to work and created the next best solution.

Square slabs. It was inventive and cost us a fraction of the price. I think we used about 50-60 bags of concrete mix total to create 20 squares in rows.

These are 43 bags my mother-in-law had delivered. Each one was a whopping 80 pounds. Made for some back breaking work. 

However, this was also slow-going for us. See those boards forming the square? We needed 20 total to create the foundation. But those board molds - we only had enough to do 6 at a time. Well, we had enough for 6 after the first couple pours. They had to set for 7 days. So it took us a little over a month just to finish that part. Burned out the new drill trying to mix it that way too.

Had to swap to this nifty device my mother-in-law sent us. While this is by no means industrial-strength, it held up for us to get the blocks finished.

And then on top of each one, we had these metal brackets set in the concrete. My husband told me this was to add strength for the high winds we fight here. 

We dug holes and poured concrete. Working as a well-oiled machine together, every chance we had.

Took many weeks, but it slowly took shape with each block we finished.

Then came the next part - the floor foundation. We weren't just laying plywood on top of the blocks. My husband created his plans with a little insight from my research on shed building.

Once we came to this stage of the build, I could finally feel confident that it was really happening. Although there were days when I was pretty tired of going to the hardware store. I know my husband loves window shopping there, but the kids and I get so tired of trudging around the lumber and fasteners.

My daughters took their toys and this is what I saw when we had a particularly long wait as dad checked out the various types of screws... Anna falling asleep with her unicorn on a shelf.

We laid cross sections that added stability. My sons learned a lot from their dad about getting this part right.

Our SUV can't handle the amount of large pieces of wood we needed. So we had to resort to having them delivered on a flatbed truck. Thankfully, the guy bringing them was nice enough to get them dropped off in the backyard, closer to the build. Otherwise the boys and I would have to cart them from the driveway, through the house and out back.

We laid down treated plywood for the flooring and then the walls started to quickly take shape. 

As of today, all four walls have been framed and 3 are standing. It has been a long process. And we are not even close to finished.

But we have learned a thing or two along the way so far that I wanted to share with you. 

1. Careful measurements are crucial to getting everything locked in together correctly. 

2. Having a sense of humor is the only way to break the stressful moments. Don't forget to laugh when it gets hard. 

3. Look up. You get so focused on the craziness right in front of you that you might forget the beauty that is around you. So take a deep breath, and look up. Or around. Great stress release. 

4. Be mindful of your local weather. For us, wind was a battle we hated fighting. It gets strong and lasts all day. Not only did we have to focus our efforts with this in mind, but we had to build something that would withstand those winds as time goes on. 

5. If you are able, ask for help from friends or family. I can't tell you how many times I wished we would ask for someone to help. While my husband isn't big on interacting with others outside the family, it could have gone smoother. 

I'll keep posting as we go along. There are many more steps ahead of us. Both exterior and interior. But we will take them each in stride as a family. And have something amazing to show for it when we reach the end!