The Completed Shed

We finished building our new backyard shed.  We primed the trim and installed the window and doors. 

 

Earlier this summer, before our interlock was laid, we ran wiring underground to the back corner of the yard so that we could have power in the shed.  Now it’s a perfect storage and work space!

Building the Backyard Shed

When we tore down our garage, we knew we’d need to get some sort of shed to store tools and garden accessories.  However, since building the fence was the first priority, we were stuck with an ugly storage container for the summer.

 

We found an 8x12’ pre-fab shed at Lowes that would work perfectly in the back corner of our yard.  Unfortunately, it came in a million pieces (you can see the pile of shed pieces hiding under the blue tarp in the photo above!)

After seeing how much water pools in our backyard during heavy summer rains, we decided to pour a concrete pad as a base for the shed.

Last weekend, we finally got started building it.  Dave built all the walls and then got some help from our neighbours to put it all together (thanks Jim and Jose!)

  
Finally, we put on the roof and added shingles.

 
Next, we’ll paint the trim and install the window and doors.  Then, we’ll build the shelving inside the shed.  Soon, we’ll be able to finally get rid of our storage container!

Stairs and Stuff

Today, we continued sanding and priming.  With the help of Marilyn and Cody, we got tackled the staircase.  The plan for the stairs is:

• paint the spindles and stair risers white
• stain the banister, post and stair treads dark brown. 

Since we’re hiring a flooring company to refinish the hardwood floors on the second storey, we will get them to do the staining on the stairs.  We’re doing the painting ourselves. 

 

 

We also did some work on the built-in linen closet in the upstairs hallway.  We removed the hardware, sanded the drawers and door, and primed everything.  We plan to paint it white and add some updated drawer pulls.

Here’s the closet before:

And here’s what we’ve done so far:

Closet Space

One would think that moving from a condo to a house would give us more storage space. However, that doesn't seem to be the case! The bedroom closets were especially small, causing Jen some serious stress. While it was clear that there would not be room for the walk-in closet we were used to, we had to do something to make some more storage space.

In the master bedroom, we were able to expand the closet a bit by taking some space from the closet in the second bedroom. By opening up the wall, we were able to make the door a bit wider as well. The only question remaining: where is Dave going to put his clothes???