A Newer Trend--shed Homes

[Weedygarden]

Shed homes are becoming a popular thing in America. These are not your 8 x 8 or similar sized shed, although someone might be in that size. Sheds can be 14 x 40. I have seen people who start with a smaller shed and then t another on an end.

A number of years ago, I met a woman who had a shed in her yard that was used as a bedroom for a son of hers who was terminally ill. She lived in a very small one bedroom cottage. Not the best option for her son, but it provided a place for him at the end of his life. She is a talented person whose home has been featured in a few magazine articles and she decorated her shed so that it was very attractive.

People are trying to live debt free, off grid, and on their own land. Not all locations allow them. I saw some in the Black Hills this summer. I know several people who live in South Dakota who have cabins in the Hills. A shed is certainly an easy option for setting up a cabin, but there is work to be done after they are delivered.

There are a number of Youtube channels of people who are living in a shed. I think it is an option as we see the middle class lose ground and struggle. It certainly can be cheaper than buying one of the pricey tiny homes, but will need work.

Dirt Patch Heaven is having their shed delivered starting at 5:00

 

[joel]

My son has went though every concept out though to get a home & stop paying rent.
He is now looking into this one, "shed homes".
If this works, maybe I can up load photos.

 

[backlash]

I have thought about putting one on some forest land.
They are expensive for what you get but the good part is they will deliver and like you said there are many options.

 

[hiwall]

Tiny houses or shed homes are certainly becoming popular. Likely because young people could only dream of having their own home if they wanted conventional living. So they turn to these low cost alternatives. There are many in Arizona.
When we moved this summer I had a shed delivered here because I needed additional storage until my garage/shop could be built. Our shed, like many, has windows and looks nice right from the get-go.

 

[WVDragonlady]

14x40 is a mobile home( aka trailer)! lol

as for the the tiny home thing I think thats ridiculous. for the money they pay they could a nice rv that is built with everything they could need and tailored for "tiny" living.
people are so gullible with "trends".

 

[Weedygarden]

14x40 is a mobile home( aka trailer)! lol

as for the the tiny home thing I think thats ridiculous. for the money they pay they could a nice rv that is built with everything they could need and tailored for "tiny" living.
people are so gullible with "trends".

Yes, I agree, if you go that route, buying a finished tiny home 8 x 20 for $100,000.

Take anything in this world and some people can spend a fortune, while others can do it for much, much cheaper. Some people are creative and skilled and build their own with found and used materials. I think once you have a trailer, you can build a tiny house for a few 1000 dollars, or even less.

My parents bought a house in the 1950s without plumbing. They dug out the basement and put in a bathroom, running water, remodeled the kitchen. They did the work which is always cheaper than hiring or paying for it to be done. Some people have no knowledge to do it themselves.

And some people have no sense, and therefore have fewer cents!

 

[robin416]

I've also thought about the larger sheds as a home. For those that can do a lot of the work themselves it's a viable option.

 

[Weedygarden]

I've also thought about the larger sheds as a home. For those that can do a lot of the work themselves it's a viable option.

I think we are going to be seeing more and more of this in America as people continue to struggle financially.

 

[skittles]

That would be a perfect business... building shed homes for people.

They go up fast and can be easily customized on the spot if you can build them for a fair price compared to delivery.

But then again most people buy them on payments.

 

[Weedygarden]

That would be a perfect business... building shed homes for people.

They go up fast and can be easily customized on the spot if you can build them for a fair price compared to delivery.

But then again most people buy them on payments.

Many people are living in shed homes. It is a big thing now. People are ditching the big mortgage, buying some land, having a shed moved onto their land and finishing the shed to live in. I saw some in the Black Hills this summer.

 

[skittles]

@Weedygarden If it happens that's the goal... buy a e250 or even an e350 cargo van and a 30' holiday rambler bumper pull. advertise that I build cabins and pull in somewhere, call the yard and have stuff delivered, and throw up houses in a few weeks. Max size would be around 24' x 24' or 500-700 square foot. I was asked to stay in Arkansas and do that in 2010 when I was down there for the summer. Should have stayed.

 

[katlupe]

We looked at them and they are really nice. But we opted to build one here for my son. It got halted by the weather.

 

[robin416]

How are they tying them down to a foundation?

 

[Swing]

I've been looking at those for at least the last 7 years or so. I need somewhere to put one. And NERVE to do it.

 

[Weedygarden]

How are they tying them down to a foundation?

I think different people are doing it differently. There are a number of videos on youtube. I have seen some resting on blocks. I haven't seen any of them with tie-downs, but it certainly is an option.

 

[Weedygarden]

I was driving through an area that has small homes, probably post-WW 2 homes. They look like they are mostly 24 x 24. I noticed that some of them have a shed in the back yard with air conditioning units, blinds on the windows and other indications that they are extra bedrooms, MIL apartments, or some sort of living space. One of them had a dish for television viewing.

 

[Amish Heart]

We have a really nice shed with a front porch and a rocker. We use it for storage, but it could be liveable if it had insulation put in it. Meanwhile...son and girlfriend live in our 28 ft travel trailer in our driveway. It has everything they need while they save up for land.

 

[Sunshine]

Half of our pole barn is a 1 bedroom apt...I've often thought if we had to build a new home, I'd do a pole barn on a cement slab.

 

[goshengirl]

My parents bought a house in the 1950s without plumbing. They dug out the basement and put in a bathroom, running water, remodeled the kitchen. They did the work which is always cheaper than hiring or paying for it to be done. Some people have no knowledge to do it themselves.

And some people have no sense, and therefore have fewer cents!

That's my problem, Weedy - no knowledge of how to do any of this sort of thing. I'm bullheaded enough that that actually helps me push on through, but it isn't knowledge.

We originally planned to build a shed home on our new acreage - build it over time so that it would be debt free. I've even had a desire for what son#3 calls "Mom's shed compound" lol. A bigger shed in a central area with a kitchen and living area, and smaller nearby sheds for individual bedrooms/personal spaces. The Amish in the area sell some really nice sheds AND they deliver.

Instead we ended up buying an old 24 x 28 house on one acre adjacent to our acreage. It's closer to the road than we would have preferred, but that has trade-offs, too. It also has a septic in place, which can be really tricky in our area (shallow soil depth). It's a leaner with some rot going on, and it sits right on the ground with no foundation. So we'll be pulling back layers to see exactly what we have and what we can repair or salvage. The whole thing is sort of like a glorified shed house with jerry-rigged plumbing.

 

[Sunshine]

I like your shed compound idea. I had a similar idea several years ago after playing Fable 3 and also obsessesing over the new ( at the time) tiny home craze. I wanted to make tiny trailers and set them up to look like the little gypsy village in the game. But they'd be rooms of our home.

That idea never quite took off.

 

[goshengirl]

I like your shed compound idea. I had a similar idea several years ago after playing Fable 3 and also obsessesing over the new ( at the time) tiny home craze. I wanted to make tiny trailers and set them up to look like the little gypsy village in the game. But they'd be rooms of our home.

That idea never quite took off.

I'm not familiar with Fable 3, but I can totally picture trailers set up like a gypsy village. I like that. A lot of flexibility there - and mobility, if you need it.

My thinking with the shed compound was in part due to the idea that we would have land before actually living there, and I didn't want our place to stand out like a good place to rob. Not that people don't rob sheds, but a run-down looking shed would be less of a target than a house. We'd start with the main shed, give it a scruffy, no-thrills exterior, and ragged barn doors to cover the glass patio doors. Then another shed as we could afford it - that way it's all debt free. In theory, by the time we had enough sheds that trespassers would know what it was, we would be living there.

I really liked the flexibility. Main shed first, with kitchen and living area. Mine & hubby's shed next. Then a shed for the boys to share. When one of the boys gets married, build a new shed for the newlyweds, and so on. Need more room for something else? Build another shed. I really liked the debt-free aspect.

 

[Weedygarden]

I'm not familiar with Fable 3, but I can totally picture trailers set up like a gypsy village. I like that. A lot of flexibility there - and mobility, if you need it.

My thinking with the shed compound was in part due to the idea that we would have land before actually living there, and I didn't want our place to stand out like a good place to rob. Not that people don't rob sheds, but a run-down looking shed would be less of a target than a house. We'd start with the main shed, give it a scruffy, no-thrills exterior, and ragged barn doors to cover the glass patio doors. Then another shed as we could afford it - that way it's all debt free. In theory, by the time we had enough sheds that trespassers would know what it was, we would be living there.

I really liked the flexibility. Main shed first, with kitchen and living area. Mine & hubby's shed next. Then a shed for the boys to share. When one of the boys gets married, build a new shed for the newlyweds, and so on. Need more room for something else? Build another shed. I really liked the debt-free aspect.

I like the idea of a compound. In some places, each building is taxed. I have thought that the sheds could be connected together in a variety of formations--t, h, x, and other variations, like wings. I like the idea of a main shed with a kitchen and living area.

 

[Homesteader33]

I have thought about putting one on some forest land.
They are expensive for what you get but the good part is they will deliver and like you said there are many options.

Build your own for a fraction of the price, they are simple to build unless they come completely finished/insulated, etc.

 

[Homesteader33]

I think different people are doing it differently. There are a number of videos on youtube. I have seen some resting on blocks. I haven't seen any of them with tie-downs, but it certainly is an option.

I would prefer building on a trailer so it is not taxed! This presents other issues though such as the requirement to insulate the bottom against cold. If it is on wheels in TN then it can't be taxed....yet! That is why I own a 52' semi trailer that was a freezer box so it is insulated very well.

 

[Swing]

This is a shed home that was a 10 x 20 Home Depot building. They added the porch. The stairs to the loft is on the far side way inside.

 

[goshengirl]

In some places, each building is taxed.

That would stink. In my current county, buildings under 200 sf on skids aren't taxed - hence my idea of multiple sheds. Although I think it's possible that even if it's that small it's taxed if it functions as a residence (not sure about that) - I believe some people have winterized sheds that they live in that don't look like residences, so they can fly under the radar when it comes to getting taxed...

 

[Homesteader33]

my 10x20 shed is taxed and it sits on blocks, that is why i would put it on wheels if i were to do something like this!

 

[VenomJockey]

Many may not realize it but these are shed homes, too....https://www.google.com/search?q=4+b...79gfDYAhUMbK0KHbikBE0Q7AkITg&biw=1880&bih=970

 

[Sunshine]

That would stink. In my current county, buildings under 200 sf on skids aren't taxed - hence my idea of multiple sheds. Although I think it's possible that even if it's that small it's taxed if it functions as a residence (not sure about that) - I believe some people have winterized sheds that they live in that don't look like residences, so they can fly under the radar when it comes to getting taxed...

Our county has a minimum sq ft that the main floor has to be on newly built residences.

 

[PopPopT]

Years ago, in a place I left behind almost 20 years ago, I wanted a workshop. I pondered over building one. But what I ended up with was a local Amish place building me two sheds with a common wall (large openings) that got joined together much like you'd set up a double wide trailer. I never did figure out how they built it as cheaply for me as hey did. It was not much more than what it would have cost me to build it myself. I don't remember the exact dimensions but I believe it was something like two 12 x 30 sheds. That was a nice workshop. I insulated it and wired it for electric. I often commented that it wouldn't be that hard to turn that place into a little house.