The Big “She Shed” Project of 2019

I do have to say of all the projects that Dave and I have done, the “She Shed” was THE MOST labor intensive, but it turned out SO GOOD! This was, and still is a Labor of Love.

It all started with …

1. Wanting to have a potting shed, instead of potting plants in the house, getting dirt everywhere, and having to lug everything back out to the garden area.
2. Building an 8′ fence to prevent the deer from eating everything in my garden.

My first thought was to just move the old Victorian Cedar Shed back to the garden area and get another shed/woodworking shop for Dave. However, we were told that there would be issues with trying to move the shed. So, we bought a new 12′ x 16′ shed.

This was just your typical barebones shed; although, I did have them add 4 windows across the back of the shed to let in plenty of light. Over the phone, I was asked if I hunt, because they thought with all of the windows, this shed was going to be a deer blind.

The first thing I did was insulate the shed, add vapor barrier, and then I went on a neighborhood pallet search of the century. Okay. That may be a little drastic, but I did go to local flooring stores and pool supply shops for free pallets in order to create pallet walls within the shed.

I started with my friend, Ronnie, who owns Masters Flooring, and then I went to Flohr Pools and TLC Pool & Spa Services, but I picked up the majority of my pallets from Carpet World. They were gracious enough to let me take whatever pallets they put out there, and trust me when I say, I stopped by just about every day to pack my SUV full of pallets. And, if you ever decide to do a pallet wall, most businesses will say, “Please, take them!“

Disassembling tons of pallets is an extreme workout for your arms, legs, glutes and back. You WILL feel it EVERYWHERE! But, I loved every moment. I sorted, stacked, and organized the pallet wood into size and color. The various colors gives a nice visual interest to the walls, and since this is a garden shed, I kept the boards in varying depths, left in some old nails, and kept it pretty raw. The hardest part was keeping the lines level, but as I say, “It’s perfectly imperfect.”

Once the walls were done, Dave built my chalkboard doors; built a loft area; I whitewashed fence planks for the ceiling and Dave put them up; and then Dave built cedar beams, counter bases with shelves, countertop with metal trim; a pipe base for my old cast iron sink I found under the front porch; a library ladder to get to the loft; and flashing on the doors to prevent water from going behind the chalkboard or insulation in the doors.

Since then, Dave built a little gate to keep the dogs from going into the garden, so I can open the side door to let the breeze blow throughout the shed. Also, this prevents Mongo and Baxter from eating the yummy fruit off of the plants. I don’t mind them eating the strawberries and blueberries, but the grapes are toxic, so they must stay out during the growing season.

This project has been in progress for a year now, and we still have work to do. There is a solar fan to install, a deck to put on the front of the shed, and a water catchment system to build (and possibly an irrigation system…but don’t tell Dave). Despite the hard work, this project has been such a rewarding experience; although, Dave may feel otherwise. I am always amazed that Dave can take my rough drawings (my visions on paper), and bring my dreams into reality. I appreciate all the hard work, time, and enormous effort it took to get to where the “She Shed” is today. This is my happy place.