The Most Original & Unusual Shed Uses Contest – The Shed Shop

The Most Original & Unusual Shed Uses Contest
2005 Winners

Real stories and pictures from our customers who've made life easier and more fun with a Shed Shop shed.

Grand Prize:
Backyard Schoolhouse
Wayne & Barbi N., Livermore, CA

Our adopted daughter Viktoria came to us recently from an orphanage in Russia. At first we home schooled Viktoria in an office inside our home. It was manageable but tight. But when we heard about The Shed Shop on KCBS, it became our dream for our own backyard schoolhouse.

As a side benefit it has enough space to be used as a playhouse as well. The children love it and so do all the adults that see it. We take pleasure in letting others know about the value of using a Shed Shop shed to get extra space at home.

First Prize:
Surfboard Shop
Matt W., Alameda, CA

I make and repair surfboards and I needed a special place to do my work. Making a surfboard uses fiberglass so I needed a good shed for containment for both myself and my neighbors. I was thinking about making one myself but realized it was beyond my abilities.

You can see how it's working out from the photos. I do fiberglassing and sanding on surfboards. I have also created a "sand box" to catch excess resin and put up shelves to hold my supplies. ...hope you enjoy the DVD*.

(*Matt sent us some unique video footage on a DVD of his shed being built. He titled the DVD "Shed Zeppelin".)

Second Prize:
Faux Office
Leaman & Cheryl H., Sacramento

We wanted to build an office in our back yard for my husband's business. Our house is pretty small, so an in-house office was out of the question. We found The Shed Shop and were immediately sold after reading all the testimonials and seeing all the great pictures. We knew we could make ours as cute as if it came out of some decoration magazine by installing track lighting, ceiling light, and painting the walls with faux decor.

Inside the office there's time for work and play. I input numbers into our QuickBooks program, and then we play on the computer with our photo projects where we have spent numerous hours creating wonderful photos of friends and family.

We love our Shed Shop. But soon we will have to part with it... as we will be selling our house this summer. Our realtor has told us that our Shed Shop shed will definitely improve the sale of our home in numbers tripled that we spent to build it. Well worth our effort!

Honorable Mentions

Artist Studio

"I have plenty of room to work and the natural light is perfect for painting and drawing."
David A., Placerville, CA
Photography Studio

"I looked at sharing space with other photographers but opted to have my own studio instead."
Kathryn B., Napa, CA
Art Teacher's Space

"Being an art teacher that sees over 300 students a week (in addition to creating my own art), I definitely needed space for art materials."
Nancy M., Campbell, CA
Clay Projects Studio

"My neighbors were very complimentary that it is a nice looking building and not just a shed."
Pat R., Sacramento, CA
Office/Bird Room/Sewing Room

"This is my get-away. I love to have my pet birds with me."
JoDee R., Palo Alto, CA
Glassworks Studio

"My husband moved in too... we need to order a new shed so he will have his OWN workshop."
Michelle M., Grass Valley, CA
Playhouse

"It's a play haven for our girls and their friends, and will be great for future sleepovers."
Jenny J., Rancho Cordova, CA
Garage Saver Shed

"Our cars had not seen the inside of our garage in half a decade... now they smile!"
Eldon K., Petaluma, CA
Two Sheds: Exercise Room & Garden Shed

"Inside our garage were my son's gym equipment and my wife's garden supplies. Outside were our cars – not a good situation."
Richard M., Pleasanton, CA
Dog House & Storage

"We are very happy; so is our dog Jasmine."
Lillian A., San Jose, CA
General Storage

"By the time I got home from work, they had finished the shed. It was like having a second home."
Darlene, P., Richmond, CA
Quilter's Studio

"A room addition over the garage would have been prohibitively expensive. The Shed Shop solution was much more economical."
Bill & Connie K., Elk Grove, CA
Music Studio for Teaching & Practic

"My new studio has saved $3,600 a year I was paying in studio rent to teach private lessons and eliminated 3 hours of commuting each week."
Chris B., Martinez, CA
Wood Shop

"It's nice to have my own ‘man' space! And my wife is happy that I can again build projects for the house."
Dennis W., San Jose, CA
Exercise Room

"Since it's separate from our home, it feels more like a membership club where you aren't reminded of chores that need doing."
Eric T., San Jose, CA
TV Room

"Now that the cable TV and satellite radio are installed I have regained my space in the backyard."
Gil & Nancy C., San Jose, CA
Candle Making Studio

"I now produce candles for several shops in the area and attend craft shows regularly. My logo is ‘Nanas Cottage Candles'."
Janice C., Grass Valley, CA
Just Plain Storage

"An unusual benefit is enjoying the peace and quiet of a gentle winter rain while sitting on a patio chair inside my high and dry cottage."
Joe S., San Jose, CA
Music/Recreation Shed

"We wanted something the boys could use to play their music and hang out with their friends."
Mike & Diana L., San Jose, CA
The Dead Shed

"It's the perfect place to listen to my vast collection of Grateful Dead CDs."
Steve L., Rocklin, CA