Have you ever imagined turning your storage space into a tiny house but don’t know where to start? We’ve come up with a list of the essential things to consider when converting your backyard shed into a cozy living area.
Make A Storage Building A Tiny House
Turning a storage building into a tiny house is affordable but labor intensive, and if you don’t want to hire outside help, it requires basic skills in renovation, electrical wiring, and a working knowledge of the local laws regarding living in a shed (which can be more stringent than you might expect).
Before you Start
Before hooking up your shed to all of the utilities and making the structural changes you’ll need to live in it, make sure your local council won’t be knocking on the door immediately asking you to tear it down; make sure you have all the legal permissions you’ll need before starting.
Most states have zoning laws and building codes that govern what your allowed to build and what structures are fit for human habitation.
First Steps
With your permission granted, it’s time to get renovating! Depending on how you intend to use your tiny house (as your primary residence? A summer reading spot? A guest house?) you need to consider what the following steps will entail:
- Emptying and cleaning the shed.
- Have you thought about where you’re going to keep everything that’s in there?
- Basic carpentry and structural integrity of the shed.
- Connecting utilities (water, electric, sewer, heat, and gas)
Structural Changes
Do you need insulation? Are there leaks in the roof or any drafty gaps in the walls? What might be acceptable for a storage shed is going to make a tiny house unpleasant to live in.
If you’re planning a year-round living space in a northern climate, you’re going to need insulation, and at the very least you’ll want to go over every inch of the ceiling and wall to make sure it’s going to keep you dry.
Foundations and Moisture
Minor leaks and excess moisture from the ground can pass unnoticed if you’re not in your storage area every day, but you’ll notice once you move in.
Check the drainage of your property and the integrity of your foundations.
Utilities:
Water
Connecting your shed to water should be straightforward and carry little risk, but it can also be costly to hire professionals, and labor intensive to do it yourself.
In terms of making your shed livable it’s a crucial step; bottled water might sound tempting to cut down on costs but you’ll need every inch of space and quickly regret filling an entire corner with a water cooler or bottled water.
Electric
Installing electric carries the most risk, and it’s also the most likely to run afoul of local regulations.
It goes without saying that you need to be thinking safety first with power. Connecting power to a shed is no different from connecting to a standard sized house, and needs to be done with the same forethought and due diligence.
Sewer
It’s worth considering an outhouse or a compostable toilet rather than installing a bathroom in a shed – the size limitations make it a less than ideal prospect, but it’s also the least likely utility to gain planning permission.
Other Considerations
Are you planning on reselling, and if so, how will your changes affect the resale value?
Are you staying here long term, and have you planned for colder weather?
Do you want flexibility with how to use your tiny house and should you avoid installing any permanent utilities at all?
Knowing what your goals are for your property ahead of time will be the main factor in how much, or how little, you choose to improve your shed.
Conclusions
Converting any storage space to a tiny house should be thought out carefully ahead of time.
There are many considerations, but a few should be at the top of your list:
- Local regulations – Don’t start until you’ve reviewed local zoning and building regulations to be sure that you won’t be wasting a lot of time of money.
- Plumbing and Water – Be sure that you have a source of fresh water and that you can flush your toilet. There are off-grid options, but generally, it would be tough to live full time without fresh water and a sewer system of some sort.
- Electric – Can you turn things on? Aside from being tied to the grid, be sure you know how you’ll get or generate power before you start.
- Heating and Cooling – Depending on the climate, be sure that your power supply is sufficient to properly regulate your temperature.