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Living in a Shed?


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So what do you think it would be like to live in a shed? Would you do it? How would you convert a shed into a tiny home? What do you think it would need?

I’ve always wondered this… Especially whenever I pass by one of those places where they sell sheds. Some of them look like they could be a comfortable home for me. Really.

The one pictured below looks VERY SMALL. Enough room for a couch that turns into a bed, a tiny kitchen and a desk. Oh and a place to put a composting toilet bucket I guess?!

Could YOU live in a shed?? Are you already doing it? Please, tell us about it in the comments!

Single-Dad Who Converted a Shed into a Debt-free Tiny Home for his Family

Single Dad Turns a Shed into his Debt-free Tiny HomeImages © Our Journey to Bliss via YouTube

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Alex

Alex is a contributor and editor for TinyHouseTalk.com and the always free Tiny House Newsletter. He has a passion for exploring and sharing tiny homes (from yurts and RVs to tiny cabins and cottages) and inspiring simple living stories. We invite you to send in your story and tiny home photos too so we can re-share and inspire others towards a simple life too. Thank you!
{ 59 comments… add one }
  • David
    February 19, 2010, 8:49 am

    I live in a 12′ x 24′ wood frame, metal clad ( old style mobile home siding and rollout roof) storage building. At the moment it’s still mostly a hardened tent; minimal electric, haul water, bucket with toilet seat, and big canning pot for catching waste water from washing up. In East Texas it’s not a good thing during the summer and some of the winter months but it could be worse. It’s an ongoing project and I’m trying to finish it out with leftovers from handyman jobs and any castoffs that I run across. Lost my “real” job a couple of years ago, along with my dependable transportation, so all is on an extreme shoestring.

    • Laura
      December 20, 2016, 11:30 pm

      I just read David’s situation and I was just wondering if thing’s have gotten better for him. I hope they did. He should get a portable toilet from Walmart. They have one that holds water and flushes like a real one for $55. It also sounds like he needs some social service agency help and maybe some food. Good luck to you David.

  • admin
    February 23, 2010, 11:04 am

    Hey David thanks for sharing some of your story with us. If you ever need a lift check out Tiny House Lover. Take care and I’d love to hear/see more.

  • Phill
    April 30, 2010, 1:51 pm

    In fact, we live in a 10×12 shed, exactly the Amish-built type pictured (it serves as the “extra room” and workspace) and a fifth-wheel RV. Perfectly comfortable. I even have my piano and a woodstove in the shed!

  • Alex
    April 30, 2010, 5:53 pm

    Thanks for stopping by, Phill. I went to your website and I *think* i saw that piano set up you’re talking about. Looks really nice inside there.

  • Gloria
    September 2, 2010, 3:56 pm

    My house is very small now, so I could probably live in a shed! 🙂

    Best regards,

    Gloria

  • sesameB
    October 31, 2011, 1:50 pm

    Yes, I currently and have been living in my shed (by choice), after college graduation from Henderson State University. My shed is located on back of the property away from traffic in a meadow.
    Barefootin’ in rural Arkansas, living clutter free, solo & car free by choice with very nappy hair.

    Nappy News — Mosetta publishes first eBook– Snap Backs!

    • Ccrri
      November 14, 2013, 11:54 am

      just looked up your website — looks inspirational and joyful. Looking forward to reading more.

  • November 1, 2011, 9:53 am

    Yes! Nappy News! Again- so glad you came by sesameB. Enjoy your day!

  • sesameB
    November 1, 2011, 1:53 pm

    Thanks for the feedback. I am leaving your readers one more reason to live small and live with less in this timely article — EARTH WOMEN: Barb teaches workshops in Michigan several times a year. One of her workshops, called Earth women, is focused on getting women out into the woods. It seems men have more opportunities to go out hunting and fishing these days. I take a small group of women out and we learn about plants, how to forage, and how to track animals, she says, Pg. 51. COUNTRYSIDE & SMALL STOCK JOURNAL, NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

    Barefootin’ in rural south central sunny Arkansas, living small, drinking spring water and bathing in hot springs waters

    • Prof. Gabriel J. Grayling
      August 15, 2014, 6:40 pm

      That’s fantastic! Do you ever catch any fish?

  • Jodyne
    November 2, 2011, 4:20 pm

    I lived in a small, dry cabin about 10X20 for 7 months this year in Fairbanks, AK My 20 year old daughter came and we shared it for 3 months during this time. I totally loved it! It was my retreat on the outskirts of Fairbanks, on the edge of open wilderness. Wonderful environment right at my fingertips!

  • November 4, 2011, 1:47 pm

    SesameB you are awesome. Thanks as always for stopping by and glad that you shared part of that article.

    That’s great Jodyne. Do you have any pictures you can share of the cabin (and the views)?

  • sesameB
    November 7, 2011, 3:02 pm

    I certainly hope all of you will read this very important article on housing and the future — October 21, 2011 (NYT)
    Rescued by Design
    By MICHAEL KIMMELMAN

    Ms. Smith spent a couple of years seeing what designers have been doing to improve living conditions in them. As at Bang Bua, one lesson seems strikingly obvious: the need to solicit the people living in poverty to come up with their own solutions. In so many slums — Dharavi in Mumbai, India; Corail in Bangladesh; Cape Town, South Africa; and in American cities too — the poor are left out of the process. But urban-renewal projects always work best when they’re ground up, not top down.
    Design shows may conjure up fizzy displays of Van Cleef & Arpels or stylish tributes to Helvetica and classic automobiles. Design implies for most people the beautiful things an affluent society makes for itself.

    This show is not about that kind of design. The objects here tend to look rugged and sometimes embarrassingly simple, as in “Why hadn’t anyone come up with that idea before?” Their beauty lies elsewhere: in providing economical, smart solutions to address the problems of millions of the world’s poorest people.

    Barefootin’ in rural sunny south central Arkansas

    • steve
      January 15, 2012, 7:04 am

      SesameB: I’d love to talk to you privately. I’m moving from Europe to South Central Arkansas and am planning to convert a small high barn shed into a tiny house. It would be great to connect with like minded people to share ideas. Let me know if you’d like to communicate.

      • sesameB
        January 18, 2012, 10:53 am

        Hi Steve, I cannot blame you for relocating (with spouse/family) to the lovely state of Arkansas. I love my south central Arkansas, where the sun shines brightly even in the winter!!!! (smiles) And, I love going to get the (free) spring water since 1993 and bring it back to my small abode. Small is beautiful, and I would NOT live any other way, with no regrets. Why did you choose the state of Arkansas???

        • Libertymen
          November 15, 2013, 6:40 am

          Beautiful Arkansas.
          All that sun.
          All those REd State politicians?
          Voter Suppression.
          Right to work laws
          Bible Belters
          ANti Choice
          Poverty
          Lots of reasons not to live in Arkansas.

      • sesameB
        January 18, 2012, 10:58 am

        Also, during the holiday, after a trip of hiking in Mt. Ida, Arkansas, I spoke with a salesperson with Derksen Portable Buildings 870-246-9464, and he told me that these buildings are now being purchased by couples, singles, small familes and old folks to live on in the back of a large house, or just on an acre. Years ago, these buildings were NOT purchased for living in them, but NOW due to the long downturn of the USA economy, these sheds are hot property!!! the life of these red barns are 50 years, providing the owner takes care of the outside by weatherr
        izing it.

        • Ruth R.
          May 4, 2012, 7:28 am

          I like the shed-living idea, and have a yard to put it on, but without septic tank, and not wanting to use a compost toilet, how would a person manage sanitation.
          That is what has stopped me, since it is not my yard.
          Any thoughts? Also, wouldn’t zoning laws prevent most of us from doing the shed house thing?
          Thanks!
          Ruth

        • sesameB
          May 7, 2012, 2:14 pm

          Ruth see my comments below. Hope this information will help you. I will never, ever live in a traditional house again in my life.

      • November 10, 2012, 1:38 pm

        I have been working with an Amish shed company for several years now designing structures & have made several Tiny Structures. Mostly cabins for weekend stays, but a few for full time living. We also have made them on trailer beds for for those who use them in them when going on the ‘circuit’ lifestyle for craters etc. I would love to communicate with people who have converted sheds to swap ideas. I have worked around zoning & road permit issues on the east cost primary & found that there is always a way to work things out.

    • brandon
      October 15, 2015, 1:34 pm

      I live in northern ar in a 12 *6

  • sesameB
    January 18, 2012, 11:04 am

    Sure we can connect and talk or even email back and forth via facebook, too. Let me know how you want do do the communication. I do have 2 cell phones and a landline phone. If you can to talk from Europe, we can on the land line on YOUR dimes. Smiles. I am a simple gal!
    Small is beautiful, less is more. We have the fruit durian here in Arkansas, and I just ove my durians!!!!!!

  • sesameB
    May 7, 2012, 2:13 pm

    You asked: not wanting to use a compost toilet, how would a person manage sanitation.
    For the past 9 years, we have 5 loads of wood chips (freely delivered) to our 3 acres and it works. Composting, composting, worm farms, we do it all here year round. the wood chips are the magic provided that you have room and the time dedicated to work with the wood chips. We use West Tree Service here in Arkansas, and have used Asplundh Expert Tree Service in the past. We own the property and it is out of the county — NOT in the city limits. In the summer, I solar shower outside, and in the winter, I use the bathroom in the big house.

    –sipping spring water, sprouting, using my food dehydrator, gardening and making kimchi in my tiny home with a loft in rural Arkansas

    • Ruth R.
      May 8, 2012, 11:59 am

      Thanks for this post SesameB…you sound like a hearty
      soul! If I could have my own place it would be best, but right now, at this time in my life, that is not possible. I sure enjoy dreaming about it and the Tiny House movement though. Thanks for your input here.
      Best to you!
      Ruth

      • May 8, 2012, 5:17 pm

        Hey Ruth- thanks. Glad you two can connect here. Wishing you the best and if you keep dreaming enough it’ll someday be real. Alex

      • sesameB
        May 9, 2012, 2:59 pm

        Ruth, No problem, I have the desire and time to reply to you. Keep dreaming and one day whoa—it will happen, your own dream will come true. This lifestyle suits me just fine. Less is truly more. Sorry about the delayed reply. I have been with my ‘freegan’ friends all day yesterday. Lots of free fruits and veggies. I have attended 2 freegan potlucks a week for a year now in the city. I walk everywhere and, is now known as the ‘walking lady’.
        I have a large Stainless Steel Water Trough sitting next to my dwelling outside. I use it extensively for sitting outside day and at night near the woods. I have over the past 25 years purchased and maintained an Excalibur Food Dehydrator, solar oven, Sprouts and Sprouters: Trays, Jars & Sprouting Sacks, seed storage, etc. I now have a worm bin, composting, of course ,yes, composting is for ever. I make my very own Kimchi, and have done so since 1988. I own a pair of Binoculars, and take them everywhere with me. Plus, a decade ago, I had made especially for me a pine box, which is beautifully and masterfully crafted in Black Walnut with multiple raised panels, a split lid, and full-length, wood handrails. My pine box is used for many things, especially for seed storage at this time. Just remember, Ruth, the song ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’, Sam Cooke, 1963. In reference to our tiny house movement, I’ve listen to this song by Same Cooke, over and over and I know that a change is gonna come!!!

        I still wear hemp fabric clothing, wool, burlap, cotton, and yes – silk—no high heel shoes for me. I have a solar oven, food dehydrator. I have always used my PORTABLE STEAM SAUNA with ‘aromatic oils’ for many, many years. Actress Kate Hudson who is reported, “Instead of slaving away at the gym, Kate, 33, found a way to incorporate exercise into her lifestyle. “She bikes everywhere!” To change up her workout, Kate also dances in her home studio….
        Kate has nothing over me, I walk everywhere and I, too, dance in my own home studio! (smiles), and it was reported that actress Johansson, like her homemade turkey chili, and she boxes for a knockout bod. I have been boxing for years at the local gym and now in my own abode. I, also had a Ringside canvas boxing bag and gloves, delivered to my small abode 10 years ago. I had the boxing bag suspended from the ceiling with heavy duty chains. Who says living small has to be sad and unhealthy????) NOT ME. (I store quinoa and wild rice as well.)

        May I suggest Bronnie Ware’s book to you. She recently released a full-length book titled ‘The Top Five Regrets of the Dying – A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing’. It is a memoir of her own life and how it was transformed through the regrets of the dying people she cared for.

        I have always wanted to visit the state of Alaska, and I did back in the early 1990s. The state of Alaska rocks!!! I was able to travel to Chena Hot Springs, which is a hot spring, resort, and community in the Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States, 56.5 miles northeast of Fairbanks near the Chena River State Recreation Area. The resort makes use of the first low-temperature binary geothermal power plant built in Alaska, and is working on several alternative energy projects, including production and use of hydrogen and vegetable oil for fuel. Plus, I wanted to visit Latin America, and my dream came true also in the late 1990s.

        Also, there are no Paula Deen books/products, and NO Martha Stewart books/products in my tiny nest! No apologies. I go forest bathing, especially in the summers here in Arkansas both day and at night.

        I am a flat belly woman of color, slowing sipping real spring water, barefootin’ living small, (gardening, sprouting, eating the durian fruit, making kimchi) close to nature in an imperfect world in rural south central sunny Arkansas, with no apologies.

        • abner
          December 1, 2012, 8:47 pm

          Awesome…I am an older man, live in a 16×80 mobile home and have been considering ‘downsizing and increasing my self-sustainability.I make custom writing pens, lathework, small wood proects and play music.
          A van, camper, pickup truck, shed, or self made home seems to be my goal. I want to keep my ranger pickup and small util trailer and then go for it.
          I am so tired of $450 electic bills and all the hoopla of a mobile home…taxes, insurance and etc
          I am intrigued by your personna, the clor of your skin is immaterial your soul..spirit…lifestyle is important

        • libertymen
          November 15, 2013, 6:45 am

          Why do you have a $450, electric bill? AC?
          Heat? Get a pellet stove.

        • Rosalyn
          November 15, 2013, 3:31 pm

          Dear Sis. Sesame B I love tiny homes, also all of what you is stating in your writings. I would love to live like this, off the land. On God wonderful, and beautiful land. I’m a woman of color also. I want to learn as much as I can about this life style. Please give me some advice on how I can start. Thank you sooo very much Rosalyn

        • Linda D.
          November 18, 2013, 11:48 pm

          I’ve been lurking and reading here for a while. I’m in NE Arkansas, but have a lot just inside the Fordyce city limits. It had services at one time. The city said they didn’t have a minimum building size. I’m planning to get one of those little barn / shed buildings next spring and put it on some pier posts there. I have to be sure they’ll let me do it first.

          Mostly though, I just wanted to say that I’ve always loved Sam Cooke and “A Change is Gonna Come” is one of my favorite songs of all time. I remember 1963, too, and the Otis Redding cover of that song as well. So, your comment made me smile. Great thought. I’m so glad to know that I’m not the only person that’s thinking I could go live in a shed. Peace!

  • bob
    July 27, 2012, 6:34 am

    Luv flat belly women of color who wear hemp live in microhouses! 🙂

    • sesameB
      December 3, 2012, 4:47 pm

      Thanks for the repll. I love ruralsouth central Arkansas! Linen, burlap, cotton, hemp YES and silk, also.

  • October 13, 2012, 12:11 pm

    This thread is so inspiring! I don’t live in a shed, but I am recycling a small 100-year-old house in Jacksonville Fl. My daughter and I plan to turn it into an off-grid homestead. It’s great to read the experiences of like-minded people.

    • October 13, 2012, 12:28 pm

      Glad you liked it Asante. Looking forward to more updates on your conversion in Jacksonville. See you around!

    • sesameB
      December 3, 2012, 4:54 pm

      I was born and raised in the state of Florida, and do not have any plans to return to visit or live in Florida, with no apology, Asante.
      There is a short essay, titled “The New Rich,” about living carfree. It’s a decent depiction of life without a car, focusing on the money saved. People living without cars are described as “economic miracles” and “rich in terms of lifestyle.”
      Living tiny, carfree in south central sunny Arkansas

  • October 13, 2012, 12:13 pm

    SesameB, I’m also in the south, and I’d love to connect with you. It’s great converse with other revolutionaries. You can learn a little bit about my and my current project at http://www.AsanteGeorge.com.

  • Ruth R.
    October 13, 2012, 12:55 pm

    Glad I found this thread again…since I wrote on here, I have developed Electrichypersensitivity to the extent that I can not be near WiFi, most cell phones, and other wireless devices for any length of time without extreme dizziness. Needless to say, I do not belong in this environment I’m in presently…need to find a safer place to live…willing to relocate from Wisconsin. Don’t have the funds to buy a country home, no matter how humble! ha Any thoughts from anyone will be greatly appreciated. Incidentally, this is not a rare condition nowadays…the smart meters in my apt. building is what started it all…then the WiFi affect kicked in…so it is progressive…how many of us must there be before our gov’t steps in and recognizes how we are affecting ourselves with EMF?
    Anyway, at 68 and widowed, still have life I want to live and wonder where it will lead…living with an older sister now, but it is temporary. Senior apts. are all being WiFi’d now, as is every place else!
    thanks for listening,
    Ruth R.

  • Ruth R.
    December 1, 2012, 11:21 pm

    Still looking for a small place that is safe and
    comfortable…no land to build on, but would love to
    connect with someone who would like to find a place,
    or who has one and would like some help building
    a tiny house…not necessarily mobile. Am in southeastern Wisconsin at present.
    Anyone out there?

    • sesameB
      December 3, 2012, 5:09 pm

      yes, I wish I was in a position to help you.

    • ruth
      November 15, 2013, 9:01 am

      Thanks for your comment, SesameB. When health issues prevent us from moving forward with our dreams, it feels like the kid pressing his nose against the bakery window, never being able to get inside. (sigh)
      Here I am nearly a year later and still hoping…still looking at Tiny House site. Still electric sensitive, so dreaming of an off-grid place I can afford.
      I will be 70 next month, so eventually I will just give up on it. Sorry to sound so dismal…but that is how it feels. What are other disabled people doing to achieve Tiny House dreams? Appreciate some feedback.

      • Alex Pino
        November 15, 2013, 9:58 am

        Hey Ruth please don’t give up, see it through, it’s always good to be a dreamer no matter the age. Age doesn’t matter. Keep believing and opportunities will begin to appear with a little faith and patience.

      • Patriz
        February 2, 2014, 5:10 pm

        Stay positive! My 95 year-old dad lives in a converted shed, 12 x 20, nothing fancy, and he loves it. I keep an eye on him, as it’s on my property. We put in a composting toilet, pricey, but worth it. He has his tv, radio, windows for bird watching, phone, heat, electric. The shed was Amish built; we finished the interior.

        • Alex Pino
          February 3, 2014, 8:50 am

          That’s so cool! Thanks for sharing. If you wouldn’t mind, we’d all love to see more of it (if you have photos you’d be willing to share w/ us). You can submit them here: https://tinyhousetalk.com/submit-content Wish you the best! Alex

  • Jeff
    January 13, 2013, 12:22 pm

    Hi guys,

    I am living in a shed, with my wife and three kids.. we are doing this on a very tight budget so its a work in progress , but you can check out all out photos and videos here if you like

    we are using a derksen portable shed as a starting point.

  • April 2, 2013, 1:07 pm

    Interesting idea, Alex. Some of the sheds I end up selling people are almost as big as a small home!

  • Jay
    November 14, 2013, 11:53 am

    I could totally do it. I have thought about building a shed house many times before. I have even though as far as to buying one of those little small steel shed buildings you could buy for $10,000 and retro fitting it into a house. Think about it you could have a really nice 30×30 donor to start with and have several bedrooms.

    • Alex Pino
      November 14, 2013, 12:25 pm

      Cool idea Jay, I like that!

  • Freddie peak
    April 13, 2014, 10:07 pm

    My one bedroom house was hit by lightning on March 29th and it burned to the ground. It had a total of 450 sq. ft. and cost about $16,500 to build. I bought a 10 X 12 metal building for $1,350.00 and I am going to turn it into a small house and live in it. Will post a before and after picture on here if anyone wants to see it…I love the page…

    • Alex
      April 14, 2014, 12:14 pm

      Hey Freddie, so sad to hear about your 450 sf $16k house going down like that. What a shame. But I’m excited for you on the 10×12 metal building conversion. Can’t wait to see it. Thanks and best wishes, Alex

  • Jackie
    August 22, 2014, 8:24 am

    I am single with a son, these types of houses are looking better and better for home ownership for me and my son~! Love the comments.

    • Alex
      August 22, 2014, 10:15 am

      Thanks Jackie glad you are enjoying the ideas here 🙂

  • wvm
    December 1, 2014, 2:36 pm

    Hey guys. I got a storage building about 3 monthes ago.. it is 12 × 32.. it had a garage door on one end which I closed up. I added a front door and a few windows.. I have insulated it and did all the wiring.. I out a wall for the bathroom and I got all my appliances. . I should be finished in a few monthes. I have pics if your interested in seeing my progress.

  • Liz Rambo
    January 1, 2015, 7:15 pm

    That is exactly what I’m planning to do. I have my shed/building picked out from the manufacturer. I’m just waiting to find a tiny plot of land. Once I do all the upgrades, I want to propose the idea to the VA as a solution for homeless vets to gain home ownership. As a vet myself, I’ve been fortunate to have family help that kept my son and me from ever being homeless.

  • TinyDreams
    April 23, 2015, 11:27 pm

    Just bought a 12×24 shed with a loft on one side that the previous owner began converting into a tiny home. Luckily I will be able to move the tiny home onto family land and live out a dream of tiny living and enjoy life without the baggage mortgage or rent entails! I am also in the same area as sesameB and am so inspired by her attitude and strength! If you are still in the area, I’d love to get in touch with you, chat and hear any advice you have.

  • Huy
    May 1, 2015, 12:12 am

    I have a 12×16 shed in the back yard that I’ve been living in for almost a year. I have electricity so in the winter time I have a portable heater by my bed that keeps the room warm and also an electric blanket that keeps me toasty. I still have to go into the house to use the bathroom and shower but most of the time I prefer to live in the shed. I just got married so I’ll be moving back into the house soon after we get settled in. It’s been a great year. I highly encourage people to live how ever they want instead of worrying about what other people think. They will be much happier.

  • m. d. arbizu
    December 10, 2016, 3:53 am

    Been living in an 8 by 10 plastic shed in the back of my ex mother in laws house for about 6 years. I have a bed, a refrigerator, TV, air conditioning, and a heater during the winter . I do go to the bathroom and cook things in the main house. it works out great people know where I am if they need me and in return I do a lot of things for her for allowing me to live there

  • Deb O.
    January 30, 2021, 12:57 am

    I have a r-t-o 14×32 shed, 3 lofts. I use a pool ladder to get up. Only 2 widows on each side of door but i have a roll up door on one end that i plan on putting screen and a deck with outside kitchen. I have a wood burning stove I plan on installing when I can get help. Its sheet rocked on main floor. I use bookcases, bakers racks. No real kithen is built. I use a bedside toilette right now, I keep one by my bed so I don’t have to climb down at night. I also have a bathroom. No running water yet. I have power. I hope to get modivated again to do more work on it. When your alone, its hard to keep to it. I have my mother in a mobile home beside me so I have washer and dryer, shower in there. I dont have to money to hire someone to finish it. At first my son was going to but hes gone on with his own life. Alot of plans got pushed away or back maybe

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