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Most of us use our sheds as nothing more exciting than a space to store tools, garden furniture, a lawnmower and other outdoor maintenance equipment. However, with a well-planned shed transformation project, the possibilities are almost endless. Instead of an outdoor storage facility, your shed could be a home gym, a recording studio or a reading room. If you long for a space to really call your own, you could also consider installing a personalised man cave or investigate the seemingly endless ideas for women’s caves! For more inspiration, see the section below, entitled Creative Shed Transformation Ideas, in which we discuss 3 of the most popular shed remodelling projects in Australia. Before that, let’s examine the primary reasons behind the enthusiasm for this type of home improvement project.

The Popularity of Shed Transformation Projects

The inexorable rise of property prices in Australia has led many families to seek new ways to increase the amount of liveable space in their homes. Instead of moving, people are converting their lofts, adding extensions to their houses or transforming a shed into extra living space.

The time, money and effort it takes to transform a shed compared to building an extension or converting a loft, make it an attractive home improvement project for all households. It’s an especially good project to tackle if you want more room but don’t want to invest a large sum of money upgrading your home.

Now it’s time to look at some of the best shed transformation ideas that you can try.

Creative Shed Transformation Ideas

If you want to transform a shed into an extra living space with a specific function, the following ideas are all worthy of serious consideration. Whether you’re starting with a garden shed, an industrial shed or even a farm shed, these projects can be completed relatively quickly and without investing more than a few thousand dollars in most cases.

Home Office in Your Shed

With more people working from home now than at any other point in modern history, turning a garden shed or carport into a home office is one of the most frequently attempted shed transformation projects in Australia. If you would like to turn your steel shed into a home office, you’ll need to start by having electrical outlets installed, together with efficient air conditioning and insulation.

Craft or Art Studio

Creating a home art or craft studio in a spare room or unfinished space is something Australians have been doing for many years. Most often, it’s a loft converted into a painting room or a garage into a pottery studio, but an ordinary steel shed is also an excellent candidate for such a project. For a more spacious studio, you might like to consider converting an American barn-style shed. To transform any shed into an art or craft studio, you’ll need to add electrical outlets, insulation and air-conditioning/heating, together with the equipment you need for your hobby.

Garden Shed Transformations

Transforming a garden shed doesn’t have to involve a complete change of use. Many people choose to transform their storage shed into a more specialised gardening space:

• Potting Station – If you like growing flowers, shrubs or vegetables from seedlings, a potting station could come in very handy. It’s also a relatively simple shed transformation project: add shelving and windows, and you are ready to go.
• Greenhouse – With the addition of even more windows, you can transform a shed into a greenhouse instead of a potting shed. This is a good choice of project for those who like to grow vegetables out of season and tropical plants.
• Mushroom Growing Room – To transform a shed into a mushroom growing room, you will need to clean, sanitise, insulate and seal the space. The fewer windows the better of course, and any present should be covered to prevent direct sunlight from entering the growing room.

If you want to keep spending to a minimum when transforming a garden shed, simply adding some new shelving and spacious storage bins could make a big difference.

Tips for Successfully Transforming Your Shed

To ensure the success of your first shed transformation, we recommend following the suggestions below. In this way, you can avoid making rookie mistakes, minimise wastage and stay safe while having fun.

Planning and Design

Most mistakes can be avoided at the planning and design stage by taking your time and consulting professionals when necessary. Map out any utilities you need to have installed, decide on the position of shelving, furniture and any specialised equipment you may require, and then review every detail carefully.

Essential Tools and Materials

Gather essential tools and materials once your design is finalised. If you don’t own the necessary tools to transform a shed, hiring a handyman could work out cheaper than shopping for saws, drills, screwdrivers and everything else you might need.

Budgeting Your Transformation

The cost of transforming a garden shed, double garage or agricultural shed into an art studio, home office or mushroom growing room will depend on the size of the structure and the scope of your transformation plans. If you don’t already have a shed on your land, you’ll need to factor in the cost of that too.

In Closing

Any of the ideas we discussed would make a good first project for a competent DIY enthusiast, and whatever shed transformation ideas you’d like to try first, you can order a brand-new steel shed from us. We have an extensive range of quality structures, including open bay sheds and skillion-roof garages. If you need something special, we can even manufacture a custom shed for you. All sheds are made in our Australian manufacturing facility and come with a 20-year warranty.