Are you interested in converting an old shed into an office or even a tiny home? Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at our plans for converting a shed into an office and eventually a tiny home that we’d like to use as a rental.
Our Plans for Converting a Shed into an Office
When we first looked at our property, we immediately noticed the old shed located behind the house. It had broken windows, chipped siding, and a door that looked nearly 100 years old. However, this 20×20 shed has been the point of many conversations in our home over the last three years. We’ve talked about tearing it down, converting it to an office, making it into an airBnB, or removing the walls and making it into a huge greenhouse. The options are endless!
However, this shed, which was probably build shortly after our 1920s home, is in rough shape and needs a lot of work. My husband recently changed jobs and will be working remotely full time, so our hope is to convert this shed into an office. But, it’s a lot of money to spend on an office, so we are researching and talking with our city about the potential to also convert it into a tiny home that could be used as a rental to help us recoup our costs.
Before Photos of Converting a Shed into an Office
I didn’t get the very beginning photos because my husband had already gotten to work on removing the old walls and floors. When we first bought the house, this shed had several broken windows. We boarded them up to prevent further damage. It was also full of junk left by the previous owners.
My husband started pulling the walls and floors up. Behind the walls, we found old insulation. The walls around one of the windows had a lot of rot, and so the siding company recommended a sliding door instead of a window because it would require taking out more of the wood. This will ultimately let in more light.
Below the floor boards, we found old wooden planks–I’m sure they were beautiful in their original glory! However, they had significant termite damage. We had two inspectors come out who said the damage was all old and there were no signs of live termites; however, the floors will need to be fully removed.
There is also subfloor below the wooden planks, so we will work on removing that as well to see the extent of the damage.
The attic space actually looks like it is in good condition. We had our roof inspected and it is in good shape unlike the siding and floors.
If we are able to move forward with an Air BnB, we will need to decide where the bedroom, bathroom, living room, water-heater closet, and kitchen will go. We have a long ways to go before then, and right now we are determining if the structure is worth saving.
Process of Converting a Shed into an Office or Tiny Home
We renovated most of the interior of our home, but in some ways—this project feels even bigger! Perhaps because it will require all new siding, windows, doors, plumbing, and electrical. It’s almost like starting from scratch! The order of our list may change depending on what we find out, but here are our next steps and plans.
- Finish removing walls, insulation, floors, and ceilings to put in the rental dumpster.
- Check to see if the subfloor is damaged and level. Remove part of the subfloor to see the crawl space and open it up for plumbers to work.
- See if the support beams are in good condition or if they have old, extensive termite damage.
- Begin applying for the licenses and permits required by our city to convert this building into a short term rental.
- If this all goes as planned, we will first work with the siding and window company. Then, we will work with the plumber and electrician.
- After that, we will do as much of the interior ourselves as we can–drywall, insulation, floors, finishing out rooms, decor, etc.
Potential Problems We are Anticipating with Converting a Shed into an Office
So far, we have met with a few siding and window companies, a termite inspector, a roofing company, plumbers, and electricians. Our main concern right now is determining whether or not the building is worth saving. My uncle who has fixed up multiple homes encouraged us to tear up the old wooden floors and see if the sub floor below is level and in decent condition.
The plumber we met with said that there is not enough space in the tiny crawl space for them to work, so we will need to take up most of the subfloors as well. This is a lot of work but we’d rather do it now to help us make our decision before pouring any money into this shed renovation.
Alternative Plans
As mentioned above, we may finish peeling back the layers on this shed and realize that it would make more sense to do minor repairs or completely tear it down. We’ve talked about different options if we aren’t able to convert it how we hope.
Look into Building a New Structure
My uncle has fixed up a lot of homes, and he said depending on what we find under the subfloor—it would be good to consider the cost difference in building a new structure vs. restoring the old one. It may not be in our budget, but we are open to considering the cost of a new structure if we decide that it would be too costly to restore this one.
We’ve also looked into buying a pre-built shed, but we’ve read mixed reviews about their ability to hold up well over time.
Look into Adding on to our Current Home
Perhaps a cheaper option than building a new structure would be to consider adding on to our current home. We probably would not use it as a rental in this case, but our bedrooms are quite small so it would be nice to eventually have more space as our kids grow—plus an office for my husband!
Make Minor Repairs for a Storage Shed
If it’s not worth it to invest in as an office or tiny home, we have talked about simply using the shed to store tools or make it into a workshop. It wouldn’t last as long without new siding, but it would be a good place to store some of these items!
Convert the Shed into a Greenhouse
I personally love this idea if the office/tiny home option doesn’t pan out! If we turned it onto a greenhouse, we’d probably remove the siding and walls and add polycarbonate panels plus a heater. This structure is right in between my garden and food forest, so it would be an ideal place for a greenhouse!
Save Up for Another Short Term Rental
Something we have talked about for years is saving up for a rental of some kind as an investment. We talked to some friends who have air BnBs and they encouraged us to consider equity and how putting a down payment on a new home to use as a rental could have more equity long-term than putting the same amount into renovating our backyard shed.
If we go this route it would probably be a few years down the road, but it is exciting to consider and prepare for the possibility!
Next Steps for Converting a Shed into an Office and Tiny Home
We have a lot of work to do no matter what option we choose! We are grateful to have these options and will do our best to make a wise, calculated decision moving forward.
For now, we have to remove as much of the walls, floors, and siding as we can before our dumpster rental gets here to see the extent of the damage. Then, we’ll decide if we will move forward in converting this shed or if we will go with another plan.
Leave a Reply