Today we’re kicking off the budget refresh of the small shed at our Michigan Tree House! We’ll be focusing on low-cost, high-impact solutions to get this little shed working harder for us.
Storage inside our Michigan Tree House has never been much of an issue. Walls of cabinets, a DIY built-in storage banquette and spacious closets offer ample space for everything we need for both us and our airbnb guests. Outdoor storage, on the other hand, has always been a challenge.
This post is in partnership with Troy-Bilt as a part of their #FenceTalks series, in which experts from completely different backgrounds solve important issues to help you make yard work the best work. This year, we’re teaming up with @organizingspacesbykim to help our little shed live its best life!
Have You Seen Our Shed?
At the end of our gravel driveway is a small red shed that has, until now, served as a cluttered spot to toss our tools, bikes and beach gear. You may not have seen it at all because, frankly, we rarely show it in photos! Over the years, we’ve contemplated replacing the shed with a variety of options including a shipping container, a DIY pre-fab shed kit or a traditional garage. While the extra space might prove helpful down the road, spending upwards of $10k on a space that stores a few bicycles, tools, fire pit supplies and beach toys seemed pretty excessive.
So, when our friends at Troy-Bilt reached out to let us know that they’d be reviving their annual Fence Talks series with a focus on organizing outdoor spaces, Kim and I looked at each other and said, SHED! For last year’s Fence Talks, we helped give advice to our friend Boris the Pibble to address some lawn issues. This year we’ll be on the receiving end of the advice, so we’re excited to learn from one of the best organizers out there this time around! Troy-Bilt paired us up with Kim from Organizing Spaces by Kim*, and she’ll be giving us space-saving tips and tricks to implement!
*Psst: To avoid confusion, we’ll refer to her as Kim B. moving forward.
The Plan | Exterior
The majority of the work will happen inside the shed, but we certainly couldn’t get the interior dialed in without also giving the sad exterior some love as well! Here’s the plan for the outside of the shed:
- Pressure wash (check!) and stain exterior black to help blend into its surroundings
- Replace damaged roof shingles and make small exterior repairs
- Replace damaged deck boards on front ‘landing’
- Plant additional arborvitae in front of and to the left of the shed, in turn, creating a wall of greenery
Cleaning in Preparation
The last time we visited Tree House, the weather was unseasonably warm, so we went ahead and pressure washed the entire structure in advance. Pressure washing knocked off any loose paint and stain and will give us a clean surface for the black stain to adhere to. Taking care of this ahead of time will also give the wood appropriate dry before stain application, which is very important!
Our hope is that once the shed is stained and the arborvitae are planted, the whole structure will disappear into the matching fence and become a part of the landscaping. But, like, it’s also gonna be really stinking cute too!
The Plan | Interior
While the exterior work will certainly be transformational, the interior is where the real magic will happen! Kim B. has already begun to help us come up with a game plan and next steps. This is how we’ll do it:
- Install pegboard on the whole left wall for tools
- Paint the inside white to brighten things up
- Add vertical wall-mount storage for 2-3 bikes
- Add a shelving rack and storage bins for beach, campfire and outdoor supplies
- Install interior solar lighting for easy nighttime access
- Shift to Troy-Bilt’s SpaceSavr mower that folds flat for easy storage
In the past, we’ve simply utilized the existing shelving and hooks that were left behind by the previous owners. This collaboration will mark the first time that we’re re-working the space to suit our storage needs, and we couldn’t be more excited!
We’re thrilled to be working with our friends at Troy-Bilt once again, and we know this shed is going to be the cutest little workhorse this side of Lake Michigan. We’ll be sharing more updates on Instagram @yellowbrickhome and @organizingspacesbykim, so we’ll see you there!
PS: You can see our #FenceTalks from last year (and here’s the completed project!), when we helped Boris the Pibble solve his yard dilemma.
You guys always make the best of a small space. I’m looking forward to seeing how this turns out!
Thank you. Small spaces forever!
This little shed is so cute! We have a garage that is pretty small, and we don’t actually park a car in it, so we use it more as a shed. I’m sure this will gives us lots of ideas on how to utilize it better!
So ‘reached out’ means you are being paid to DIY your property?
Yes, we’re being paid to document and share our content in partnership with brands we admire, as noted in the gray box disclosure at the top of the post. In turn, they’re supporting us, as a small business.