The Ultimate Garden Shed Makeover: Drab to Fab!

Yes, I realise the title of this post makes it sound like I’m going to put gold leaf on the ceiling of our shed but rest assured, the ultimate garden shed makeover will be done on a budget. A very tiny budget that involves me getting it done alone. Again!

So, below is the ugly shed as it was the day we moved in. The great thing about this shed is it has a tonne of room for storage and is close to the house. The bad part is, it’s close to the house! The shed is situated near the front entrance to the farmhouse. I want the it to fit the style of our home but have a personality all its own. It needs to be gorgeous on the outside, even if the inside is a tool disaster. Which it often is.

What We’ve Done So Far

Late last year, the old wire fence was taken away and the concrete ripped up. Gavin put in a garden bed across the front of the shed because we decided to use one door and make it one big room. We laid crushed sandstone in front of the shed and planted some topiaries we got at an auction for $70. They still look a bit sad but they were very root bound, so we’re hoping they’ll bounce back with lots of TLC. We removed the inside wall and blocked off the left-hand door.

Inspiration

After pondering many sheds, I decided a black (or charcoal) shed would be perfect for our little shed. Below, you can see how I’d like the structure to look after the ultimate garden shed makeover. As with any mood board I make, the look will evolve as I progress. This is merely my starting point. I’ve also included a few other photos to show the rustic country vibe I’m going for.

The Plan

The garden shed had something of a mini refresh inside a couple of months back when my parents moved house. Somehow we ended up with a whole heap of my father’s tools. Ok, fifty years worth of tools. The tools are sturdy and as you can see from my board, I’d love to make some kind of display on one of the exterior walls.

Some of the items, such as the garden bed in front of the shed are static and will not change. I’ll add more plants to these to fill them out. Getting those geraniums on my mood board past Gavin might be tricky. He dislikes geraniums intensely. I don’t know why. Maybe I’ll simply buy them and install before he gets home?

Another thing I would like to do is to put awnings over the doors and fill in the window with perspex. The doors will remain timber colour but will need sanding and a new coat of varnish. As for the awnings, they may have to wait until the carpenter comes. I’m not sure I’m confident enough to tackle that alone.

So what do you think? Will our garden shed look cute after the makeover?

For more garden shed ideas check out the Pinterest board I created.

See how I’d like to update the verandah for Spring in this post.