Shed Revival: These Crumbling Sheds Turned Into Something Beautiful

Monica Gray - December 10, 2023

Photo: Houzz

Crumbling sheds don’t automatically equate to trash. There’s a reason one man’s trash is another man’s treasure! Upgrading your shed can turn it into something beautiful, like a shed, guesthouse, art studio, or office. The options are endless, and with some elbow grease, you can completely renovate your shed and build it into something you’re proud of. Depending on your budget, you could spend anywhere from $1,000 to $60,000 to convert your dilapidated shed into a home that’s livable and beautiful. At the end of the day, it depends on how much money you want to dump into your project, and how much time you have on your hands.

There’s more reason than one to convert your crumbling shed into a home. According to The Tiny House, by starting with a shed, “You’ll be able to order and collect your tiny house shed in a matter of minutes compared to the months it’d take you to build something from scratch. You also won’t lose any time to newbie mistakes that would have to be undone and redone. As we’ve seen, if you’re short on time, money, or skills, a storage shed converted to a tiny house could be a really smart move.” If you have a shed in your backyard, maybe it’s time to reconstruct it!

Minimalist Shed Lifestyle

Young couple Katy and Michael Zientek embraced the minimalist lifestyle by renovating their crumbling shed. They took their 280-square-foot shed, which dates back to the 1980s, and put some money into it. Because they needed a place to live, they decided to renovate this shed. With a budget of $16,000, they transformed this shed over nine months. If you thought it was game over for your forty-year-old shed, think again (YouTube).

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A Tiny Guest Home

These YouTubers spent less than $4,000 to completely renovate their shed. It already had electricity which helped cut costs. Because they wanted to make it into a place where their stepdaughter and parents could stay during visits, it was time to get renovated. According to the shed owners, “The cottage is just under 110 square feet and the outside dimensions are 10 x 12… The kitchenette has a mini fridge, sink, and microwave. The coffee station sits on the dresser. The composting toilet is in the built-in on the right. Water for the sink is fed through a garden hose and drains into a grey water tank. The toilet is composting so it doesn’t need to be hooked to plumbing.” (YouTube).

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This She Shed

Take it from this YouTuber who turned their crumbling shed into a fun, funky, little flex space. She completely transformed the shed with paint and primer, for which she gives most of the credit. She said I can’t say enough for high-quality premium paint. I’ve done a lot of painting and while you can sometimes save and get a great look – many times you wind up using WAY more paint for adequate coverage which not only costs you more than you originally planned, but it’s WAY more work.” It’s best to invest in a little bit more quality paint than buy cheap, especially if you want to make your shed the best one out there (YouTube).

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The She Shack

Nothing screams passion more than this woman who worked from sunrise until sunset to put together her personal she shack. This woman turned her shack into a full-on, beautiful shack. She added cabinets, and laminated flooring, and painted the entire shack to look beautiful and inviting. In her YouTube video, she shows the entire process from start to finish and is even honest about her exhausting, early mornings. But it’s all worth it in the end (YouTube).

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From Greenhouse To She Shed

This woman had an old, disintegrating greenhouse in her backyard. Instead of hiring a company to get rid of it, she decided to put it to use and revamp it. She bought a bunch of paint and fixed up the inside, making it look brand new. It’s just the start of her she-shed journey, until she eventually “filled this small space with some of my favorite things, making it a cozy and comforting little spot to retreat to.” That’s what these she sheds are all about, after all (YouTube).

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From Shed To Creative Space

This woman takes us through her step-by-step process of turning her shed into a beautiful creative space. She starts by completely emptying her shed to clear it up. She takes old furniture and paints it to make it look brand new, and places it around her space. By adding adorable, thoughtful, finishing touches, she turns it into a cozy space she can call her own. With a little bit of thoughtfulness and creativity, you can turn any old shed into a creative space (YouTube).

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The Tiny Office

Why not convert your shed into a tiny office? Not only will it feel like you’re leaving your house to go to work, but you’ll have the freedom to decorate it however you want. In this person’s shed revival experience, they “converted a 12×16 shed into a fully built out tiny office featuring pallet wall, loft, mini fridge and more.” It cost them about $12,600 and took them roughly five months to complete (YouTube).

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Art Studio On A Budget

This person managed to turn their old tool shed into an art studio for less than $3,000. If you’re on a tight budget and feel that you can’t revive your shed for little money, think again. In this person’s YouTube video, they said they “began painting seriously at the beginning of the pandemic and quickly outgrew my bedroom studio. With no other options available, I decided to take an old shed in my backyard and turn it into an awesome art studio with proper walls, electrical, window, and a custom wall easel.” It took them about two phases to complete the look and turn it into something they’re proud of (YouTube).

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Remodeling A Dilapidated Shed

This couple on YouTube bought a new home a couple of months ago, with a surprise in the back: a dilapidated shed! Most people would have gotten rid of the shed within weeks of buying the home, but this couple saw potential in it. On their YouTube channel, they said, “You convinced me to keep it and try to renovate a garden shed that others (including me!) might have consigned to the tip. This is what the new potting shed looks like after rebuilding the floor, painting it, and sprucing it up. Let me know what you think, especially of the COLOR!” Their shed began as a gray piece of trash and turned into a beautiful blue treasure (YouTube).

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Upcycled Vintage Shed

When Nat the Maker upgraded his shed, he made some drastic changes. According to Nat, all it needed was some “New paint, a little picket fenced English garden, and a new salvaged corrugated roof for the porch. It is all part of our master plan to redesign our backyard one garden shed, garden box, treehouse, pergola, and fire pit at a time.” They find a lot of pride and joy in redesigning their shed because it gives them an excuse to spend time with their family and friends (YouTube).

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A Chic Makeover

When HGTV saw this boring, unorganized shed, they decided to take it into their own hands and turn it into a “fabulous, chic makeover both inside and out.” They added a gorgeous front garden, plants, flowers, and paint to have it blend into the gorgeous nature around it. They used glue on the stones to create a beautiful pathway entrance. With a little bit of chic, you can turn anything into something beautiful (YouTube).

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Revamping On A Budget

When this YouTuber realized they wanted to revive their shed, they realized they could only do so on a tight budget. Using things they found at Dollar Tree and second-hand shops, they completely redecorated their shed space and furnished it for an affordable price. They even added a rustic tea section outside (YouTube).

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The Additional Guest Bedroom

Some people see their shed as something transformational. This person took their shed and completely turned it into an additional guest bedroom. It’s a fantastic way to add space to your house, without having to go through the trouble of adding an extra wall and floor to your actual house. All it takes is a little bit of creativity and you can build anything. These YouTubers even had the help of their adorable, tiny puppy, and of course, drills, carpet, and paint (YouTube).

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The Luxury Tiny Home

In Washington State in the USA, Nick takes us on a wonderful tour of his shed turned into a luxury home. Back in 2019, he purchased a pre-fab shed and spent 18 months building it into a luxury tiny home. He was able to create a space that’s suitable for full-time living, all for a whopping $30,000 which is unheard of in this part of the world. Even though it took him a while to build, the results were well worth it. It’s equipped with wood paneling, a bathroom, and a cozy bed suitable for two people (YouTube).

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A Small, Rundown Shed

This couple is looking to turn the small, rundown shed on their 70 acres of inherited land in Texas and turn it into something beautiful and liveable. Stay-at-home mom Krebs said, “We thought the shed was the perfect thing to fix up and make into a tiny home, where we could live while saving up some money so we can have money for the forever house.” They’re going to live in the tiny shed until they save enough money to revamp the main house. This is a blessing in disguise because they’re now realizing what their tiny shed can become and how much potential it has. Krebs said, “I’ve been in love with tiny homes forever. I used to watch tiny-home shows on TV all the time. When my husband brought me to look at an old shed his grandparents had, it was like a dream come true.” (Business Insider).

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Converted Shed To Surf Shack

These adventure-seeking triathletes took their passion for life and poured it into a shed, converting it into a tiny home. Not only did they create a tiny home, but they thought of everything, from an industrial-sized composting system to beautiful plants, flowers, and trees. Within their shed turned home, “The interior of this compact tiny home has a functional layout designed to suit a solo traveler or close couple. The Herringbone countertop is eye-catching and complements the other woodwork throughout the house. A loft holds the bed and sits just above the main lounge area, with a couch, a small bar, and plenty of natural lighting. There’s a micro bath with a narrow shower and Nature’s Head composting toilet. Everything is just the right size for a cozy surf shack!” (YouTube).

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The Coolest She Shed Out There

This YouTuber claims she’s built the coolest she shed out there. She felt inspired after realizing there wasn’t enough space in her childhood bedroom as an independent 25-year-old. She feels it’s much more than she shed, and said, “This will be my home office, my creativity hub, where I make tons of YouTube videos in the future, where I figure out how to write a book, and where I can relax in my own space. I seriously doubt there’s a cooler she shed on the whole internet.” In her video, she takes you on a full-on tour of her adorable finishing touches, equipped with tables flowers, and throw pillows (YouTube).

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The Dream Home

This couple managed to turn their tiny shed into the home of their dreams. They “share the incredible transformation of a shed into a beautiful and functional house, bringing our dream to life.” Like many other creators on this list, they managed to turn their shed dream into a reality. They take their viewers on a journey during this video. They said, “You’ll see the exterior renovations, interior transformations, electrical and plumbing installations, insulation techniques, and more. We also explore different shed living ideas, including converting a shed into a bedroom or studio, and how sheds can serve as affordable and versatile living spaces.” (YouTube).

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The Total Shed Conversion

John and Fin have taken shed living to an entirely new level. They’ve lived in their shed for 9.5 years, and as their family grew, they had a ton of add-ons, including 16 cats, three dogs, and a chicken. They’ve taken the concept of sustainable living with their animals in mind to make a unique home. They have a greenhouse bathroom, catio, wrap-around decks, dog run, rainwater collection, and solar heater. That’s some serious next-level shed living! (YouTube).

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From Abandoned Shed To Tiny Home

Finding an abandoned shed is like having a free home to build from. In under twenty minutes, these guys managed to safely convert this abandoned shed into a tiny home. Of course, the interior and exterior design took much longer than 20 minutes, but they were able to get all their bases covered in a short amount of time (YouTube).

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From Shed To Microhouse

Jessica is all about the minimalistic lifestyle. She has a floating tiny house, a short bus, and now a micro-tiny home! This little micro used to be a tool shed and has now been converted into a quaint bohemian sanctuary. Everything one needs for a comfortable life, including a compost toilet, single stove top burner, top-loading fridge, and unique clay pot sink. The shower is outdoors with the stars for a ceiling, right next to the welcoming fire pit and secret garden! The overall ambiance is highly eclectic, with items from thrift stores, garage sales, antique shops, and recycled art pieces (YouTube).

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Shed To House

This 16×40 shed to the house is beautifully finished. It was converted from a ramshackle shed and brought to life with a lot of love. It’s even equipped with air conditioning, wooden panels as walls, and enough sleeping space for plenty of people. This YouTuber loves the bathroom and even says it’s his favorite part of the beautiful house. There’s a huge stand-up shower, toilet, and storage for towels (YouTube).

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The Retirement Home

If we told you that you could retire into a home that only costs, $6,000, what would you say? This inspirational woman had a budget of $35,000 and managed to keep her DIY project way under her budget. Ellen is a 67-year-old retiree who converted her shed into a liveable home where she can spend her non-working days relaxing. She originally bought the shed from a yard where people sell things, and instead of converting it into a storage unit, she decided to convert it into a home. She’s lived in the space for five years (YouTube).

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The Amazing Shed Adventure

This YouTuber and his wife spent six months planning and building their beautiful cabin out of a 12×20 shed. Their story is inspiring because they’d never done anything like it before. If you think a lack of experience will stop you from building your dream shed, think again! All it takes is a little bit of creativity and believing in yourself, and you’ll have a beautiful shed turned into a home. They’ve even completed their home with a beautiful, sprawling garden and grow their vegetables (YouTube).

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The She Shed

It took this YouTuber about three months to turn her shed into a shed and YouTube studio. She upgraded the lighting, added five different backgrounds so she could make her videos, and improved the overall sound for the best quality videos out there. This finished product is the outcome of all of her hard work, and she feels more than proud. She added a finishing touch of a rug that says, “Pawsitivte vibes only,” which is something that every house needs (YouTube).

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From Abandoned Shed To Oversized Tiny Home

Take a look at this 23-year-old and his dad, who are turning this $5,250 shed into a fantastic retreat. They’ve documented the entire process from start to finish. The shed had been left, untouched, for 20 years. When they discovered it, it was covered in vines, trees, shrubs, and even a snake. They knew they had a lot of work to do, but something incredible to work with. It all started with a single text message from his dad, saying, “We need to rescue the shed.” The shed sits on nearly 30 acres of land, and Cronise, the son, finds it surprising he’s working on this kind of project. He said, “I’ve always been into videography, tech, programming — I never thought I would’ve been doing construction.” (Business Insider).

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The Work In Progress

Even though Kathleen feels a bit like she cheated at building her tiny house, considering she bought the shed ready to go, she still managed to put a lot of work into it and convert it into something liveable. The shed measures 12’x12′ and has a 6′ porch (The Tiny House).

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Catherine’s Mom’s Tiny House

Catherine and her husband converted their storage shed into a tiny house for Catherine’s mom, aged 75. Besides totally revamping the shed, they added an extra 16’x10′ to the build, installed full-sized appliances to make living more comfortable, and tried their best to keep the original look of the shed so as not to take away its unique, beautiful, rustic look. The mother now lives happily inside her converted shed, and couldn’t imagine a better way to spend her aging years (The Tiny House).

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From Shed To Art Studio

This woman completely transformed her shed into an art studio. First, she cleaned out the shed, tore down the shelves, insulated the walls, and put the main walls up. They had to tear down the walls at one point and put up new ones, which is a part of the process of revamping and rebuilding. To complete the shed look, they filled it up with furniture and made it as homely as possible. This couple certainly struggled throughout the process, but never let their doubts take over. Eventually, they built a beautiful shed they could call their home! (YouTube).

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Shed Turned Guesthouse

These YouTubers documented their shed-turned guesthouse journey, to show us how they converted their 110-square-foot shed into a cozy place to live and sleep. They wrote, “We’ll follow up with a tour of the cottage so you can see the kitchenette, the toilet closet, air conditioner, and the trundle bed that pops up to make a king-size bed. This was an existing structure on our property (just 10 feet off our front porch) and already had electricity. This saved on cost and we spent under $4000 to make it into a place for my stepdaughter and our parents to stay when they come to visit. We’re not renting it out or living it.” It’s fully insulated and has a composting toilet, which cuts the costs of having to install plumbing. This is a great hack for converting your shed if you’re trying to do so on a budget (YouTube).

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Stacey’s Shed

YouTuber Stacey showed us how she converted her shed into an art studio in West Virginia. She enthusiastically converted her shed into something she could create and make art from. To put it all together, she used vintage and antique pieces to create a unique texture that inspired her and her art. She redid the ceiling, installed paneling, and added countertops. The transformation is almost unbelievable! (YouTube).

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The One Weekend Shed Makeover

In one weekend, this YouTuber managed to makeover her entire shed. She shows us that making over your shed doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming, which is the reason you might be hesitating to redo your shed. By starting with emptying her shed, she had more of an idea of how she wanted to revamp it. You can’t completely redo a space if it’s cluttered with old items! She added some beautiful finishing touches that turned her space from drab to fab (YouTube).

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This Couple Moved Into Their Shed

It sounds like moving into a shed is becoming more and more of a popular thing. There’s nothing wrong with minimalistic living, which is why it’s such a beautiful idea. According to these popular YouTubers, “We are Casey and Savannah- two best friends who moved from Nashville to the Upper Cumberland region of the Appalachian Mountains in Tennessee in October 2021. We have 7 chickens, 3 cats, and 2 dogs. We have 5 acres of raw land that we are turning into an off-grid homestead. We’ve been blogging with Hey Wanderer since 2011.” Their tiny home is compact, as it would be in a shed, but it’s not lacking in comfort or style (YouTube).

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Retired And Debt Free

This YouTuber shows you how to live both retired and debt-free. She manages to live a comfortable life in her 475-square-foot shed home. When she converted her backyard shed into a home, she tremendously cut down on her living costs. Decorating was simple and easy, and she added tons of framed photos of her family and hung them up on her walls for added decor (YouTube).

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From Abandoned To Livable

This couple got to work converting an abandoned shed into a tiny, livable home. They did this buy purchasing the shed, having it delivered to their home, clearing space in their backyard, and then getting to work. The shed replaced a massive tree in their yard. Once the shed was in their yard, they got to work painting, installing walls, and making other necessary adjustments to change the shed into something livable. It’s an entire house extension for an affordable price! (YouTube).

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The Shabby Shed Makeover

This YouTuber completely upgraded her shabby shed with tons of renovations and a lot of work and turned it into something beautiful. She said, “When I first bought the flip house, I assumed the shabby shed in the back of the yard was a liability and would immediately go away. But then I started removing the overgrowth and took a closer look and realized it as actually in great shape and would be an easy makeover.” She didn’t let fear of the unknown stop her from completely revamping this abandoned shed.

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Shabby Shed Makeover (Part 2)

She went on to say, “After removing the deteriorating screen and the old swing from the area, I cut back the weeds and overgrowth. Next I gave the shed a power wash to remove dirt and mildew. This is a metal shed so there was a little rust to content with but nothing major so I painted it with an oil based metal paint in a dark gray color to easily cover the stains in one coat. Some simple planting and a cute barn light over the door and this shed is good as new! I am so pleased with how it turned out… under $100 and a day of my time and it’s like there’s a whole new shed back there.” The fact she did it all on a budget is remarkable, and just goes to show how much you can get done with a little bit of will power and motivation (YouTube).

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