Many people think that storage sheds are just used for storage, but that’s far from the truth! Sheds are outfitted for a variety of purposes, including an office space, man-cave or she-shed, art studio, playhouse, outdoor kitchen & bar, home gym, pool shed, or in-law suite. If you choose to use your shed as one of these buildings, there will be a few extra steps you need to take to make the interior fit for use. At Country Cabins, we pride ourselves on being able to adapt our designs to fit your needs. See how we outfit your shed interior for non-storage uses.
Shed Insulation
Shed insulation is the #1 key to outfitting any shed interior for year-round use. Insulation acts as a barrier for heat and moisture, keeping the heat inside during the winter and the cold inside during the summer. There are three types of insulation you should consider for your building: floor, wall, and roof insulation. Using all three types is the best way to control the climate of your shed, and there's a few other features that'll improve climate control even more!
Electrical Wiring
If you’re planning to use lights, electronics, or power tools in your outfitted shed, you’ll need to wire electricity to the building. You can either connect to your home’s meter or connect the shed directly to the power line. The latter option will be more costly upfront but is a good way to separate business expenses from living expenses if you’ll be operating a business out of your building. Either way, you’ll likely need to apply for a permit to install electrical utilities.
Plumbing
If your workshop, outdoor kitchen, or bar needs a sink, or if you’re building an in-law suite with a full bathroom, you need plumbing and sewer attached to your shed. As with electric, you’ll likely need a permit to install water utilities. You can also attach these to your home or on their own water and sewer lines, just like the electric. Attaching to your home’s existing utilities will always be much cheaper, though.
Extra Windows and Doors
All of our building designs come standard with either a single, double, or garage door but you may wish for a different door or extra doors to fit your needs. In addition, you can add any number of windows you’d like, which will let in some much-needed natural light if you’ll be spending time inside your shed. You can add traditional vertical windows with screens or horizontal transom windows that are higher up your walls.
If you’d like to use your shed as an outdoor kitchen or barn, you’ll likely want an open serving hatch. This is a wide opening at bar or countertop height for you to serve drinks and food to everyone outside. You could even add a bar top and barstool seating for some additional functionality.
Drywall and Flooring
To give your shed interior a real finished look, you’ll want to install drywall and flooring. This should be done after all of your insulation and utilities are installed. You might not want this if you’ll be using your shed as a dirty workshop but it’s a must for any man cave, she shed, office, or in-law suite. With the interior fully finished, you can add so much character to your shed, like painted walls and decorations.
Workbench and Pegboard
If you’re using your shed as a workshop or art studio, a place to do your work and store your tools is essential. Upgrading your shed with our workshop package is the perfect solution. This package includes a workbench for you to use for projects and a pegboard to hang up your tools. Add some electrical wiring like we mentioned above, and you won’t need to mess around with extension cords for your power tools.
Loft Space
If you’d like to use your shed for storage and another use, consider adding a loft. Barn style sheds are best for this, because of the high ceilings. These storage barns are tall enough to build a loft and still stand up straight, allowing it to function as a workshop, office, or man cave as well. Lofts are a great place to store seasonal decorations in plastic totes that you’ll want to keep out of the way until the holidays.