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Extreme Makeover Shed Edition

Amanda Fletcher

Question: How do you eat an elephant?

Answer: One bite at a time


Overhauling our wasteland of a backyard can certainly feel as daunting as devouring a pachyderm. Looking around at all the work that needs to be done is overwhelming, so I decided to focus on just one area at a time.


And the first area on my radar? Our decrepit shed.

A sad white shed with two chairs in front of it. It's dirty and looks rundown.
She's a little...rough.

The side of a white shed in the corner of a yard. There are garbage cans beside the shed and ladders and tipped over wheelbarrow behind it. A large limb from a nearby tree has fallen down.
The side angle isn't much better. In fact it's far, far worse.

Built god-knows-when, our one and only outbuilding was such an eyesore. It had never been properly waterproofed and was rocking the scratches and scars left behind from a lifetime of neglect (not to mention the avocado trim paint held over from a bygone era).


Since moving in six years ago we had done very little to fix the shed situation, aside from replacing the door. The shoddy old wooden door couldn't hold back a stiff breeze, let alone a would-be intruder. So, in typical Fletcher fashion, Hubs built a new door strong enough to guard Fort Knox. A built-in ramp can be laid down over the round patio stones at the threshold so we can wheel the barbecue out without getting it stuck in the cracks, while the tamper- and cut-proof latch and lock would lead one to believe we're guarding millions of dollars in fine art, not a few Ryobi yard tools and a half-empty bag of grass seed.

Side by side image of the same white shed. The first photo shows a really decrepit door. The second photo shows a nice new door. The lantern light fixtures and window boxes have mysteriously disappeared in the second image.
New shed door courtesy of Hubs. Removal of window boxes and shitty lanterns courtesy of gravity.

We know that down the road we will need a new, larger shed. Hubs can't stand upright in the current one and, to be honest, it likely won't last much longer. So my goal this year was to simply disguise it. This was a true "lipstick on a pig" situation. To quote my mother: "a silk purse out of a sow's ear."


First step: clean-up. After power washing the entire shed, I removed the portion of picket fence extending in front of and behind the structure. I moved the garbage cans from the side and the ladders and wheelbarrow from the back. Then I gave everything a good mow.


The Front


The first thing I did to the front of the shed was paint the trim around the windows and door. This small change made a HUGE difference, as the shed now matchs the rest of the house. Bye bye avocado!


I wanted to add some kind of motion light, but since we don't have electricity running to the shed and typical solar lights are too bulky, my options were limited. Luckily, I found this awesome little battery-operated motion sensor light. It's surprisingly powerful and I like that it blends in with the siding.

A slim white motion sensor light is attached to white siding.
And since the shed is so short, this light shines directly at eye level, blinding any potential intruders. Perfect.

Since the shed is too small to house our ladders, I needed to find an inconspicuous way to store them. Hubs noted that the space between the shed and our neighbour's fence would make a good ladder storage option, as it's pretty well hidden and largely sheltered from the elements. I built a gate out of what was once our Christmas Tree Cat Barrier and affixed it to the fence, thus giving birth to Ladder Alley, monitored by Sir Hermes the Royal Guard Frog. I've planted some clematis that will grow up the gate and further conceal the ladders while still allowing access in and out.

Yes, we used to imprison our Christmas tree for its own protection. The tree barrier has since been repurposed and now protects Ladder Alley.

Finally, I added some additional paving stones and two planter boxes under the shed windows. I filled them with sun-loving annuals (and one sun-hating begonia that, in classic me fashion, I confused with another plant and which has since turned a crispy-fried brown).


Click the arrows below to see the Before and After.


The Side


The next step was to add some interest to the side of the shed, which, on its own, is just a sad white rectangle. Once again I decided to use plants to add texture and colour and to hide the multitude of gashes in the siding. I installed two long perennial planters and hung metal trellises using robust siding hangers. I've planted clematis, tickseed, and phlox, which will hopefully fill out next year and conceal most of the siding.

Lesson Learned the Hard Way: The side of the shed gets far less sun than I initially thought, so I may need to swap out some of my plants for more shade-tolerant varieties next year. I hear begonias do well in the shade...

Click the arrows below to see the Before and After.


The Back


The backside of the shed is where most of the work was done. It was, to put it mildly, a disgusting swamp jungle back there when I started, and I used to do everything I could to avoid that area, so convinced was I that some gruesome beastie had made a home back there.


The first massive project was my floating pallet deck, which, once the shade sail was installed to protect against bird bombs, resulted in a functional seating area under the large maple.


Next, I installed my bed slat vertical garden to the shed wall and filled it with shade-loving plants. I loved the slat wall look so much, I built another permanent version on the side of the deck closest to our neighbours' fence. This gives additional plant hanging space while simultaneously concealing the end of the massive ladder protruding from Ladder Alley.


Finally, I planted some hostas around the base of the maple and wrapped battery-operated string lights around the trunk. The result is a sweet little oasis where a swamp jungle once stood.


Click the arrows below to see the Before and After.


Lesson Learned the Hard Way: Squirrels love to nibble on outdoor light strings, partly because some of the cords are wrapped in soy-based insulation.

Squirrels quickly dispatched the first set of lights I strung around the tree so I decided I needed some kind of non-lethal squirrel deterrent. Since squirrels dislike the smell of mint, I did what any normal person would do - I smeared the trunk of the tree in Vicks. And guess what! It worked!


Update: It did not work. The squirrels have chewed through a second set of lights.


Backyard Beautification Goals

Here's how the shed portion of Operation: Backyard Beautification stacks up against the overall project goals:


✓ Include a seating area


✓ Include outdoor lighting


✓ Be a space where insects, birds, and other wildlife feel comfortable visiting

(Clearly, since the squirrels think I've made them a buffet and the birds think I've built them an outhouse.)


✓ Be completed on a fairly restrictive budget


Stay tuned for more backyard adventures!


Xo Fletch


This post contains affiliate links through which I may earn a small commission. This presents no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own.




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I only recommend products I use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This site contains affiliate links through which I may earn a small commission. This presents no additional cost to you.

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