Husband Project: Backyard Shed

My husband has been busy working on a shed for the backyard. It took him all month to build it, as he also has an 8-5 job. His Fridays and Saturdays were kept busy, and he did manage to take a couple of afternoons off throughout the last few weeks when the weather was nice. He's quite handy, and being an accountant, he is always finding ways to save money, which is why he opted to build the shed himself rather than pay someone else to do it.

The entire cost of the shed, from foundation to shingles, was only $2000!! 

I think it turned out great---what do you think?

My husband decided on a concrete foundation, and we were grateful to have two men from church to help him pour the concrete. They started at about 6 p.m. after they had gotten off work and worked well into the night. The very next morning, my husband went out to inspect the slab in the daylight and discovered that a deer had walked across the slab. Fortunately, the concrete was not fully dry and my husband was able to smooth it out. Although we live in a neighborhood, we still have wildlife roaming around. We've noticed many deer tracks in our yard (and nibbles in our garden). I only hope that they haven't dropped any ticks along the way.

The children had a blast with the construction project. Liam got his black rubber boots on and put himself right to work. The slab was dry by this time, but that didn't stop him! He seemed to know exactly what he was doing.

I neglected to get very many pictures of the full construction of the shed. The children each had a turn climbing the ladder during framing. My husband built all of the roof trusses in our garage (having gained the experience from a construction job he had while in college) and my dad came over to help him put them on.

My dad also returned to help enclose the top of the shed. It was nice to see my dad back in his element. He has been building houses since childhood, and made a career in custom cabinetry while also assisting his older brother with building houses. After retiring and moving here to be closer to his grandchildren, it has been awhile since I've seen him build anything. It was also nice to see my dad and my husband working side by side.

This is the only picture I got of the enclosed shed before vinyl siding. I was intending to take a picture of Liam playing in the dirt. This mound of dirt is another project we have going on. It wasn't supposed to be delivered for weeks, but one day the delivery truck arrived and I couldn't tell him to come back in a month. So... we have dirt. It's the next project on the list.

After framing, my husband and dad put on the asphalt shingles, then my husband put on the vinyl siding. Our HOA is very particular about sheds and they want them to match the house exactly (even though most sheds in the neighborhood do not). Being a good rule follower, my husband purchased the exact shingles and vinyl siding that was used for our house.

He also purchased the doors (shown above) from Habitat for Humanity. They looked rough when he brought them home, but he sanded and painted them, and they're just like new again!

My husband asked if I wanted the shed to have a window, and I said yes so he purchased this one, complete with shingles and a flower box. Isn't he thoughtful? It almost makes me want to move right in.

We are so very happy that the project is complete!

George especially made some fond memories working with his daddy. It is a good feeling to build something just how you want it, and to pay for it with your own money. George may only be five, but it's never too early to teach children that hard work pays off!