The Tool Shed

To really explain how bent I am when it comes to having projects, our home is exhibit A. The project of projects for DIYers, a home can be an unending laundry list of projects, some looked for and most catching you with your pants down. When my wife and I started considering what we wanted in a home we set our criteria as most house-shoppers would: price, size, location, amenities, style, quality, and age were all considered as high priorities. I was also semi-conscious of another priority lurking just below the surface; potential for expansion and modification.

When we finally found the right home for us, it was indeed everything we had looked for and the potential was endless. Immediately there were tasks to be done such as paint over the sterile off-white walls and add some character, remove the neglected and overgrown multiple rows of hedges and shrubs, and fix a variety of other minor items. One thing severely lacking was any sort of storage area for outdoor tools. The house had neither shed nor garage nor any other sort of covered area so my first real project was to build a shed to house all of our newly acquired gardening and maintenance implements.

At one point in time, our lot was under the same ownership as our neighbor and the previous owner had decided to put a door in the middle of the fence that separated the two. By the time we moved, the key to the door had been long lost and the lots had been sold off individually. So what do you do with an eyesore door to nowhere? What a perfect place for a shed! Because our lot is so narrow, a pre-built wood shed would not fit so a custom one had to be made. Looking back, I wish I had spent a bit more time trying to source reusable or reclaimed materials but for a small, first project, I think I did okay. We picked up some old windows and door from the Rebuilding Center in Portland and I was able to take the remaining cedar siding and some old gutters from my parents' lake cabin they had recently finished. Another neighbor had a leftover downspout so I ended up just having to purchase new the framing lumber, sheathing, roofing, and hardware. I also put in some pegboard inside to help organize the space since it is a very small shed. Now our shovels and lawnchairs stay dry and mostly rust-free and we have a place to quickly toss the clutter into when we need a quick clean-up in the backyard. One of these days we'll get the garage built and we may no longer need the shed but for now it's very convenient.