A few years ago, my husband took a remote job where he works from home full time. We didn’t have a great spot in our house for a home office, so we decided to convert a pre-built shed into a workspace. Here’s exactly how to convert a shed into an office, including cost, permits, and step-by-step instructions.”
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Why We Wanted to Convert a Shed Into an Office
As I have shared before, we have an old shed on our property. Our original plans were to convert it into an office, and potentially turn it into a studio Air BnB. We started deconstructing the damaged parts of the shed and got quotes from local contractors.
We soon found that it would cost more to convert this shed than to finish out a new one. There was extensive old, thankfully not active, termite damage. A significant amount of the studs needed replaced. Getting it up to code for an Air BnB would have been incredibly difficult, so we decided to scrap that plan.
We turned the old shed into half chicken coop and half storage shed. We did the work ourselves and it cost very little thanks to some excellent deals and not completely finishing it out to be used as an office.
After calculating the cost, we found that buying a pre-built shed and converting it into an office was our most affordable option for a workspace for my husband. This was way less than building from scratch with a contractor, adding on to our house, or trying to renovate the old shed into something safe for office use.
Shed Purposes
My husband currently has a remote job and needs a space to work from home. We are also licensed foster parents, and our state has regulations about having certain sized bedrooms available for children.
Our home is small and only has 3 bedrooms. My husband temporarily used the spare bedroom as his office, but we knew that we would eventually need to find another space for him to work.
In addition, I used to have a sewing business where I sewed handmade clothing for women and children. I have put this business on hold due to raising three little ones, but I still enjoy sewing for my family and friends.
Before converting this shed, my sewing supplies were stuffed in a tiny closet that didn’t leave me much room to work. Although my time to sew is still limited, it is much easier now that I have a space to work and leave projects out!
Convert a Shed into an Office Step by Step
While the steps may slightly differ depending on your location and situation, here are the steps we took when converting our shed.
Check local guidelines
The first thing you need to do is check local guidelines. Our city required us to buy a permit and the cost depended on the size of the building. I set up a meeting with the local department that dealt with building permits, and they helped me determine the steps to take moving forward.
Pull a permit if needed
We had to pull a permit for this project, which required paying $30 to our city, finding a licensed electrician, and following up with the city for approval at various points during the construction process.
Order a shed
We looked at a variety of pre-built sheds, but my husband found some from Murphy’s Buildings of Kansas for the best local price. They also offered free delivery within a certain amount of miles.
We decided to order a custom 10×16 shed. We got to decide the number and height of the windows and the exterior paint and roof colors.
Here are some other places that you could check for pre-built sheds:
- The Home Depot
- Lowe’s
- Costco
- Walmart
- Amazon
- Backyard Products
- Heartland Sheds
- Cedarshed USA
- Structure Depot
- Local Amish Shed Builders
Prepare the foundation
Our city required a foundation for our shed, and we know that it will also help it last longer. We priced out the cost difference between a gravel pad and concrete pad, and the gravel pad was significantly cheaper.
We know that it is not as durable as concrete, but we also didn’t want to be left with a huge concrete pad if we ever decide to move the shed or go in a different direction with this space.
Anchor the shed
Our city requires buildings of certain sizes to be anchored. We purchased these anchors that attach to the shed and screw into the gravel pad.
Install electrical
We found a local electrician who was able to install custom electrical work for us. We got to choose where we wanted the lights and outlets to go.
Additionally, we had it set up so that we could eventually add a mini split for heating and cooling. Make sure you tell them about future heating/AC plans so that you don’t have to go back later.
Insulation
The next step was to add insulation after the electrical was installed. My husband’s family came to help us with finishing out the interior of the shed. Carson purchased insulation from Menards and used a staple gun to install it in place.
Drywall
We also purchased drywall and used drywall screws and an impact driver to secure it.
Mudding
After installing the drywall, you will need to tape and mud the cracks and then smooth out the seams. This post from the blog Young House Love will teach you the basics of drywall mudding.
Below are some of the tools he used for drywall installation:
- Drywall mud
- Drywall tape
- Mud pan and putty knives
- Sanding sponges
- Electric sander
- 5 gallon bucket
- Drywall mixer
Trim + Painting
Once the mud has dried and been sanded, you can begin painting. You will also need to add baseboards and trim around the doors and windows.
We still need to finish our trim work around the windows. You could do this yourself to save money or hire it out.
Floors
We purchased waterproof vinyl floors that resemble hardwood from Floor and Decor. I’m unsure if Floor and Decor is nationwide, so here is similar waterproof vinyl flooring from Home Depot.
HVAC
For the winter, my husband initially used a wifi space heater like this to heat up the office, but we recently added a mini split to provide heating and cooling year round.
We have a mini split installed on the second floor of our house, and they are very efficient and effective for the price! This 9,000 BTU mini split is similar to the mini split we chose, and we had a licensed electrician install it. It cost about $1700 for the mini split and install.
Interior Decor
I will share about the interior decor that we used more in depth below, but we tried to purchase as much second hand as possible. We also used some things that we already had to make the most of this space!
Exterior Paint
We decided to paint the exterior trim Schoolhouse White by Farrow&Ball and the shed DeNimes. I ordered a color card from Farrow&Ball and color matched this at Home Depot to save on cost.
Eventually, I’d love to add some shutters, window boxes, and flowers around the shed.
Exterior Lighting
My husband found a light secondhand on Facebook Marketplace and installed it himself, but here is a similar farmhouse style exterior light. We had to have an exterior light for our city code so check your requirements on if one is required for your area.
We also found a secondhand bistro set similar to this.
Finishing Touches
My husband is in the process of finishing up a deck that he built for the shed. It makes the shed look so much more complete!
As I mentioned above, we still want to add a few exterior details such as landscaping and some window boxes. On the inside, I hope to sew curtains and finish out the trim soon. But, overall this project is almost complete and it is the perfect workspace for my husband!
Cost Breakdown: Converting a Shed Into An Office
We worked on this project in the year 2024 for reference. The entire shed conversion project cost us approximately 13k-14k. The shed was around $5K, electrical was around $3K, the minisplit plus install was around $1,700, and materials were around 2K (gravel pad, drywall, floors, paint, etc.).
We probably spent less than 1k furnishing it because we bought secondhand items and used what we had. We also hired a family member to help us with the project as opposed to hiring a local contractor for some of the work.
If you are wanting to do a similar project, it could cost more or less depending on where you live, local requirements, or the year/cost of materials that you are working on a similar project.
This was not a cheap project, but we see it as an investment in our home that we will use for years to come. It was also significantly more affordable than adding a room on to our 1920s farmhouse.
Furnishings for Shed to Office Conversion
We wanted to furnish the office as affordably as possible. We found the couch and coffee table on Facebook Marketplace. Carson’s mom gave us the rug for free. We bought our desks open box, and the sewing supplies were things that I purchased over time.
I’ll link our furnishings below! Some of them were bought secondhand, so I’ll link ones similar.
*Read this post to learn about my most-used sewing supplies and recommendations for beginners.
FAQs
Do I need a permit to convert a shed into an office?
My family lives in Kansas, and we did have to get a permit and have checks with the city throughout the process. This will depend on your city, so make sure to check local laws before beginning the work.
How much does it cost to convert a shed into an office?
We spent about 13k on this project, which includes the price of the shed. While you could probably do it for less if you construct the building yourself, we tried to find an option that was both time and cost effective.
From my research, most projects like this range from 10K-15K but can cost as much as 30K depending on size, location, and additions.
Can a shed be used as a home office year round?
If you insulate the shed well and get a heat/AC system like a mini split, absolutely! If you want to save on the cost of a mini split, you could try space heaters and portable A/Cs but in our experience these are not as effective and take a while to heat up/cool down.
Is a Backyard Office Worth the Investment?
This project took months of planning, and we had to spread the work out over several months due to busy schedules and the expense of the build.
However, converting this shed into an office/sewing studio has been a wonderful edition to our little homestead! Having a quiet space for my husband to work and a designated spot for my ever-growing sewing collection has been a gift.
Whether you have acres of land or a small backyard, converting a shed into an office or craft studio can be a great investment for your home and is typically much more affordable than an add on.
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