Many people have a garden shed or a summer house but they do very little with them. With attention only being paid to them in the warmer months, these structures can often become pretty dilapidated and unloved. Now is the perfect time to pimp up your garden shed to make it a space the entire family can use, whether you are completely redesigning it or simply laying down a beautiful new floor
A New Purpose
Long before you break out the overalls and brushes, you need to think about the new use for your summer house or shed. If you can’t come up with something, you run the risk of it just getting left abandoned once more.
There are plenty of uses your shed could have. You could obviously keep it for garden storage and just give it a reorganization to make it more accessible. A good-sized summer house could be turned into a glamping nook for guests if you are tight on space in your main home. You could even transform it into a working space if you need an office but have no space inside.
Add Lights
Whether it is just an outside space you can enjoy in summer or you are turning it into a full extra room, adding lights to your summer house will help to make it a more welcoming space. If you are only going to be using it every now and then, you can find some battery-operated outdoor lights to hang up. These can throw out a nice bit of light and you could even find solar-powered ones if you don’t want to waste battery power.
If the summer house is going to have more permanent use, you should consider adding it to your house mains. A qualified electrician will be able to wire up your new room so it has full electrical power like anywhere else in your home.
Wood Floors
Comfy and cozy rooms often have wood floors. However, this can be expensive even in a small space like a shed or summer house. To pimp out your summer house on a budget, you should consider cheap laminate flooring. The top layer helps you achieve the wood effect you love but it costs a fraction of real wood flooring.
Cheap laminate flooring also has the distinct advantage of being easy to clean. Even if you have a path leading to the summer house so people can’t track dirt in, much and debris can still be blown in by nature. You might find that you often need to clean the floors of your summer house to keep it as clean as you require. With laminate flooring, this task is easy. All you need is a brush down every now and then and a clean with a damp microfibre cloth if things get especially dirty.
Paint
One of the simplest but nicest ways to decorate the inside of your shed or summer house is to first properly treat the wood and then paint it. Light colors work best if you are trying to create an open space like sage greens or sky blues. If you want more of a nook, go a bit darker. Dark green paint would be a daring choice but it could create a space where you would be happy to escape.
Think about the function of the room too. If it is just going to be a chillout space then any color will be fine. However, there are some colors you should avoid if you want a room you can sleep in too. Anything bright or certain blues are unfortunately going to mess with the good night’s sleep of anyone who stays there.
Bi-Fold Doors
If you have a particularly beautiful garden, you might want to bring it into the shed or summer house. Get rid of the clunky doors you might have and install some slick bi-fold doors. They will allow you to throw the doors open come summertime.
Your garden will be right there for you to enjoy. It will feel less like you are in a separate structure, and more like you are sitting in a cozy shelter amidst the beauty of your garden.
Pet Shelters
Got furry friends you want to take care of? If you have cats that frequently come and go as they please, consider fitting a microchip-activated cat flap to the side of the shed. This will allow your pets to take shelter inside from bad weather. Meanwhile, the microchip will stop any other animals or wild pests from getting through the flap too.
Inside the shed, you can place a few things to keep your pet comfy during their stay. From a bed and a blanket to a water bowl and some food, there are several things you can put in for them to enjoy when they come to stay.
Endless Potential
Pimping out your shed or summer house truly has endless potential. Whether you are creating a playroom for your children or you are adding a room to your home to rent out through Airbnb, there are so many things you can do. Even keeping it as a shed still allows plenty of changes to be made. You could finally put together your perfect horticultural hub so you can repot your plants in peace.
Such renovations can also be done on a tight budget as you need. If you have the money for a full-scale renovation, you could end up with an extremely nice living space. Even if you only have a few hundred to play with, there are still some smart and clever changes you could make which could completely transform your space.
Got an old shed or summer house you have always been frustrated with? Get ready to pimp it out now and transform it into the ultimate outdoor living space. With some work, you should be able to make it seem fresh and new while curating a space you are happy to use time and time again.