Hi all! My name is Shaley and this is the first of many posts to attempt to guide you in designing your own quilt shed, as well as sharing the step-by-step processes I am using to create my own shed. (I'm sure some will be 'what not to do' sections, but we'll see how it goes!)
The first step is planning, and honestly this is such a time consuming and important step- don’t skip anything! I’m going to break it down into a couple different parts- picking a shed, building a budget, and planning your blueprints (I may even break these down further!) Although I am creating these as separate steps, you’ll end up needing to work between these three simultaneously during "Phase 1" to make sure that your plans don’t exceed your means, space, and are the right size for your needs.
For me the first step was deciding what barn I could actually bring onto my property, where I would place it, and how large it could feasibly be. We had an existing shed on the property that we discussed turning into my quilt shed, but once we factored in converting the garage door to a window, trying to get power to it, adding insulation, and finding a new home for the existing items stored inside, it made more sense to bring a new barn onto the property. We also knew the likelihood of staying at the current property forever was low, so I wanted a building I knew I could bring with me to the next home without having to start from scratch.
When selecting a barn, you have several options- you can bring in a portable building, build stick built building, or convert an existing garage or shed into your quilting space. Obviously each of these options will depend on your property, needs, and overall budget. I chose a portable barn- these a building set on wooden skids that mean the entire building can be picked up and moved. With a portable barn, you’ll need enough space to have it delivered as a whole piece. So a 15 foot wide shed needs 17+ feet of clearance from the landing site all the way to the road. The other options allow for a larger building to be placed without the need for very wide access.
I'm glad we are taking on this project in the winter time. The only way for our backyard site to get a building this large delivered is to have it come through our neighbor's yard! Thankfully he was kind enough to agree to this, but requested that we try to make sure the ground was frozen (or very dry) on delivery day to prevent destroying his yard.
You’ll also need to factor in how and where your electrical power is coming from, and if this isn’t in your skill set, you’ll want to have an electrician out to make recommendations. In my area, power is typically buried between buildings and that can get expensive quickly so putting the shed close to a power source would save me a lot of money. You’ll also want to discuss with your electrician if having the shed builder install the electrical components or the electrician run the wiring will be more economical for you. For example, from my builder having them do the electrical components was about $2500 extra, but with electricians in the family it was offering home cooked meals, beer, and paying for each individual component. If I was having the manufacturer add the electrical components, I'd probably have had them do spray foam insulation to the walls and ceiling so that everything was sealed very well (although this adds an extra $3000 to the project, it does make the shed more moisture proof, more sound resistant, and less expensive to keep cool/hot).
I knew my building was going to double as my office work space for my 9-5 job, so rain or shine I’d be headed out to the shed. That made it important that it was easily accessible from my house without tracking muddy footprints or trudging across the whole yard in knee high snow. I also will have two young children that could possibly be napping while I’m sewing, so being close enough to run inside when I see them awake on the baby monitor was important, as well. Because of this, we selected a space just a few feet from my back door. (Currently the location of our daughter's playset.)
Once you have your rough space decided, you’ll want to take measurements to determine how large your building can actually be. For me, I had enough space to put in a 24’x40’ building, but that was a lot more building than I needed (and could afford!) I opted for a 14’x30’ garage shaped building.
There are several different building types to pick from. My mother also built herself a quilt shed, but she opted for a barn design with a small porch. I didn’t want to spend the money on the porch and preferred having the taller sidewalls that are in a garage. This is a good time to start shopping around and gathering prices from different barn builders in your area. Also be sure to do some walk throughs, ask about pricing to have one custom built vs buying the standard build (it wasn’t extra from my builder! I paid a bit extra in some upgrades, but I’ll talk about those later.) Don't worry - I'll share a tour of my mom's shed sometime along this journey to compare some ideas.