Lynn wanted a shed for plants. A potting shed, she said. Not being one to shy away from a project I was all on board. My work at the time allowed for some flexible time to work on home projects, so we jumped right in. Little did I know at the time that this "potting" shed would evolve into a backyard office space complete with marble top work space, flat screen TV, and refrigerator. This is a classic example of "scope creep" where the original scope of work turns into a completely different end result by the time it is finished. Anyway, it was an incredible learning experience for me as I had never undertaken anything even remotely like this before and I had a lot of fun and satisfaction in the process.
Let's start at the beginning. Lynn found a 10'x12' shed kit at a discounted rate that she really liked so the first step was to get that on order. My thoughts were centered around the fact that if this is a kit everything will be pre-cut and some assembly required. Yeah, not so much. As it turned out, pre-cut does not necessarily mean precise cut. Also, assembly required means a 100 page book with pictures that don't necessarily match the materials you received. That is all part of the aforementioned learning experience. So with the shed kit on order my goal was to get the decking built before the shed arrived so we could start on the shed construction right away once it was on site.
First we had to clear the space as this part of the yard was still thick with brush and small trees. The area circled in red is where the shed will go.
At this point I also ordered the decking material. We decided the deck would be 16'x20' so it would provide wrap around deck space on 2 sides, with the shed set in one corner.
Decking arrives!
Now at this point I am realizing I really have no idea what I am doing so Google research and YouTube become quite the go to for the next steps. I lay out the deck position by marking the corners and setting up batter boards...
Next step was to mark the post locations, dig the post holes, and set the posts. Now this is where I went off a bit on execution of the plan. I planned for 12 posts and marked those with 4 across and 3 down so the shed would be supported at all corners. With the post hole locations marked and checked for square, it is now just a matter of digging the holes and setting the posts. Yeah, not so easy. With all of the rocks and roots we have the holes got off square a bit, which also made the total deck off of square a bit, but we were able to work with it. People say don't point out mistakes, no-one but yourself will notice when done. Well I learned a lot with this step and if building something similar in the future I will have a much better outcome.
I brought in a hydraulic post hole digger and got to work...
I sprayed the bottom of the posts with FlexSeal, set and leveled with pea gravel, then filled in with concrete and a final layer of dirt. Once the posts were set we could start framing the deck. I aligned the joists to match with the shed kit subfloor joists as best I could so it would be fully supported.
At this point I am back working solo as I am determined to do as much of this as possible on my own. Next step is to finish the decking so I have a work area to walk on and then start with rafters and dormers. Since I was working on this on my own mainly during the day while Lynn was at work I have fewer pictures. She is the photographer in this family. I did manage to capture highlights, however.
Deck flooring complete!
Rafters and dormers complete!
End gables complete! I should mention here that getting those gables up on my own was a real challenge. Once they are assembled they are one piece including the triangular siding. I had to devise a way to get those up myself without dropping and breaking them or any of my bones in the process. What I came up with was a sort of ladder on each side to walk them up one step at a time. I screwed 2x4s at 2' intervals on each side at the end. I could then set one end of the gable 2' feet up, go to the other side and move that end 2' up, and so forth until they were in place. The ladder method also gave me something to rest them on at the top while I screwed them into place. In this photo I am enjoying a much needed sandwich delivered by Lynn to the job site!
Lynn gets the crew of one (me) motivated to work on a cold Saturday morning by delivering her fantastic Bloody Mary to the job site!! Even though it is just a few steps away in the back yard, the delivery was much appreciated!
It is right about this point that some decisions for interior and roof material needed to be made. This is when I realized this is evolving into much more than a "potting" shed. It is to be a tin roof, so those materials were picked up locally. Next is what to do with the posts that I had installed to use for either extending the roof, or to install a beam for hanging, plants, whatever. The decision was to build a pergola. Also materials picked up locally.
Pergola materials...
Windows and doors installed, tin roof installed, pergola in construction...
Pergola complete. She wanted planters and benches instead of railings so I also started on those.
Planters and bench complete. I also installed cable railing but that is hard to see in the picture. Lynn has started painting the outside to match the house.
Paint completed! Next steps are staining all of the wood, which Lynn will do while I focus on the inside. Electrical, lights, insulation, walls, and ceiling.
Now, before we start with photos of the inside progress I want to share a photo that was taken of us with friends in Cabo San Lucas. I don't know if this was intentional but I cannot help but to think this was the inspiration for her color choices inside the shed. Note the ceiling and wall colors, even the chandelier. You be the judge.
I ran all of the electrical but have no photos to share due to my focus on the work and totally forgetting to photo journal the progress. I learned a lot with the electrical and had excellent guidance from my good neighbor who is an electrical engineer. After electrical was in I started with the ceiling. I would insulate a section then then install the ceiling panels. Notice the color!
Main section of the ceiling is in as well as ceiling lights. Hmmm..., looks familiar.
Starting on the walls. Porch lights installed.
With the interior walls, ceiling, and trim complete Lynn is starting on painting interior trim. Where have I seen these colors before?
Next step is the flooring. I was unsure about how this would go but it turned out to be easier than I expected. We selected a locking panel floating laminate. The installation took me about 4 hours having never done that before. Someone with more experience could probably do it in half that time. Pleased with how it turned out.
Next step is the workspace counter top. Lynn picked out a remnant that our neighbor who owns a countertop business was kind enough to offer up. His crew came in and had it installed within 30 minutes of arriving. Looks good!
Hanging the TV and sound bar...
Our first big party since the shed was completed seemed to gravitate toward the shed instead of the house. Could be because I had a bar and a keg set up on the shed deck? And yes, that is a stage just outside the deck, and yes there was dancing.
Some photos of the finished project...
So overall this was a tremendous experience for me. I learned so much about this type of project that I am confident I would do a much better job on another one. One thing I realized is that like most projects it quickly went over budget and behind schedule. Start to finish took about 6 months due to travel, work, life, etc. Some weeks I worked on it several days and others not at all. I am glad to be finished with this and we feel it has added quite a nice space to our back yard. Lynn uses it for an office and we often sit on the porch for happy hour. Loving it!
Please feel free to leave a comment in the comment section below. Also, I can be reached at Rocky@Rocklyns.com should you feel the need to reach out.
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