How to Build a Man Shed
When you hear the word shed, you probably think first about a place to store your rakes, shovels, wheelbarrow, and other yard tools. Or, you might even use a shed as overflow storing from the house, using it to hold boxes that don’t have anywhere else to live. While practical, that’s not exactly exciting. Things are different with a man shed, fortunately.
The idea here is to create a space that is all your own and is perfectly customized for whatever you have in mind. Adding a so-called “man shed” to your property is a great way to indulge in a favorite hobby or pastime without using up space in your house or existing garage. In this article, we’ll get into some of the details of how to build a man shed. Of course, you’ll need a building to serve as the shed in this equation, which is where Carport Kingdom can come into the picture. Explore our free Build & Price tool to see what’s possible.
Establishing Your Concept
The first step in how to build a man shed doesn’t require any tools at all – it only requires you to sit down and think about what exactly it is that you want to create. For some people, this is obvious. You may have had an idea for a man shed in mind for years and you are finally getting the opportunity to make it happen. If that’s not the case for you, however, this list of ideas below may help to get the wheels turning.
- Reading and writing. Man caves don’t have to be flashy, loud, or even exciting – you might choose to simply create a comfortable, quiet place to engage in peaceful hobbies like reading and writing. With a comfortable chair, a nice desk, and some soft lighting, you could create an area that you’d love to return to time and again for a peaceful retreat.
- Project space. Do you love to build? You might opt to create a man shed that is customized perfectly to your favorite types of projects. Whether it is small-scale woodworking, painting, electronics, or other types of crafts, this new shed could become your oasis for that time of creativity.
- Game room. This might be one of the most popular applications of the man shed idea. You could outfit your space with a game table, a few chairs, and whatever else you need to play the games you love with family and friends. If your games are low-tech – like playing some poker or other card games – you’ll need little more than the table, seating, and lighting. On the other hand, if your idea of fun games involves a video game console and a large screen, some additional tech is going to be required.
- Sports hangout. If you love to spend evenings and weekends watching your favorite sports teams, creating a fan space to kick back and enjoy the games is another appealing option. You’ll need a TV and electricity for this option, as well as some way to tap into cable or streaming services, so think this portion out carefully before you get started. Also, the décor in your sports hangout can be customized to represent your favorite team’s colors – and some comfy seating is probably on the menu, as well.
The ideas above represent just a small fraction of the many possibilities for this space. You might decide that you like one of these options, or you might want to blend a couple of them to create a more flexible space that can serve multiple purposes. Take your time to gain clarity on what you would like to use this space for and then move on to bringing the project to life.
Some Practical Considerations
It’s pretty easy to just sit back and dream about the possibilities of what your man shed could become one day. It’s harder, however, to take concrete steps toward making it a reality, as the restrictions that come with the real world tend to get in the way more often than not. So, somewhat, unfortunately, we need to stop here and talk about the practical side of how this project will take shape.
Some of the points below may cause you to rethink your original plans and ambitions so they can be adjusted into something more realistic. Among the key considerations at this point include the following:
- Space available. This is a big one – you can’t build a huge man shed if you only have a small portion of your property to work with. Right from the start, it’s a good idea to figure out exactly how big your shed can be and then use that as the basis of your planning process. Of course, you don’t have to use up every available square inch in the finished design but start by determining the maximum size for your shed and pare it down until you are left with a footprint that makes sense for your needs.
- Even on a property you own, there are likely to be rules in place that govern at least some of what you can do. Remember that you can’t necessarily build right up to the property line, as many areas will have setback restrictions that require you to stay at least two or three feet away from that line. Consult any relevant building codes or HOA rules before getting too far into the project. The last thing you want to have to do is take down or move your shed after finding out later that you’ve overlooked an important restriction in your area.
- Comfort in the shed. Don’t forget to factor in space to move around comfortably in the shed when coming up with your design. It’s easy to get carried away with various ideas for what you want to pack into the space – and pretty soon there is hardly any room left to walk around without bumping into something. This should be a relaxing, enjoyable space, and you’ll struggle to relax if there is something in your way at every turn.
- Project timeline. Depending on where you live, there are likely to be certain times of the year that are better for taking on this kind of project than others. Specifically, if you live in a northern climate with harsh winters, it’s probably better to plan out the construction of your new shed after the snow has melted and the ground has thawed. Getting your timeline organized right from the start can help you avoid any unwanted headaches along the way.
As with so many projects, the devil is in the details when creating a plan for your man shed. Go through all of the various factors that are likely to impact this endeavor so you can sidestep future issues and see this all the way through to a successful conclusion.
Growing Into the Space
You don’t need to have a complete vision for your shed on day one of the project. Yes, it’s important to consider the factors we’ve talked about so far in this article, but don’t get so bogged down in the details that you never even get started. Instead, come up with a solid plan that you know will work, and keep it simple at the start. It’s perfectly fine to gradually grow into the shed over time and allow it to adapt to your needs and wants.
Also, you might find that it’s cost prohibitive to create your dream space immediately without any delay. You’ll need to purchase the shed itself, do some site prep, and then fill it up with the various items that will make it perfect. That’s quite a bit of spending to do all at once, so consider having the shed built and adding just a few items as a starting point to get the project off and running. Then, as time passes and your budget allows, you can purchase new elements to add to it and enhance the experience.
Expert Installation Included
One of the great things about ordering your new shed from Carport Kingdom is that the expert installation of this new structure is included with that order. You don’t need to worry about having your tools all ready to go when the shed is delivered, as we’ll assemble it and make sure it’s all ready for the next steps. That way, you can hit the ground running and take on the more exciting task of molding the interior of the shed into exactly what you would like it to be.
Thank you for taking the time to consider Carport Kingdom. As a leader in this industry, we take great pride in the quality of our structures and the value we offer to our customers. Take some time today to play with our Build & Price tool to see what you can create and what features you can add to your shed to make it ideal for your needs. Don’t wait any longer to bring this dream project to life!
