When you drive by a shed store, it might be easy to think the small buildings could be turned into a place to live.
You wouldn’t be the only one. Shed conversion projects have made the rounds online in recent years, and some enterprising Mainers have tried it.
A storage shed bought off the lot likely won’t be framed correctly to hold the amount of insulation needed for year-round living, and it could be difficult to convert it to meet building codes. But so many people want shed-sized homes that Maine shed companies have expanded into offering them.
Some see it as a more affordable option than trying to buy or rent amid Maine’s ongoing housing crisis. Others like living closer to nature in a small space, want an addition to their home or a quick construction to get them on newly purchased land faster.
The costs of fully finishing a shed vary by size, but it’s possible to do it for less than $100,000 — well below Maine’s median house price of $400,000. You can save money doing the finish work yourself, said Russell Gillen, president of Winterport Sheds. He started out five years ago building storage sheds, but expanded into home- and cabin-building because so many people wanted them.
“Overall, the structures are very affordable to get into and you can make them very comfortable,” said Jesse Ferreira, who custom-builds sheds onsite in the Midcoast.
About 40 percent of his customers want living spaces, from home offices to studios to garages to barns to seasonal rentals to bunkhouses to off-grid cabins.
Whether having a custom-built shed home or trying to convert a prebuilt one, check with your town first about its code and permitting requirements. People sometimes don’t do this, but building to code is the law in Maine, and it will keep you safe, said Alan Plummer, a tiny home builder in Maine and a code enforcement officer in Androscoggin County.
He’s heard people in his area talk about living in outdoor sheds, and said it would be better than nothing, but still needs to meet code requirements for a house. That includes insulated walls, a vapor barrier for air quality, and an air exchange system, which is especially important in a very small building.
You’ll also need a source of drinkable water. You can carry it onsite, but if you have plumbing you need a full septic system to dispose of the water, Plummer said.
To meet all these requirements, you’ll need a building with room for insulation. Most pre-built sheds use 2-by-4 stud spacing instead of the 2-by-6 stud that offers more strength and insulation space, said Cheryl Ryan, secretary and treasurer of Midcoast-based Shed City. That company also started out just making sheds. To meet customer demand, it now offers land, septic services, excavation and general contracting.
Prebuilt sheds also typically have less sturdy skids, or the base the walls rest on, and their roofs may not be built to withstand heavy snow loads. The skids need to hold up the weight of the whole building, and they’ll be sturdier if they’re all one piece instead of two together.
If you’re determined to try a conversion, as some of Shed City’s customers have been, pay attention to the windows and doors. If they’re single-paned, made of wood or not hung straight, you’ll lose a lot of heat, Ryan said.
The site needs to be a level, compacted gravel pad to support the weight of the building and avoid shifting over time. You can choose a concrete pad or leave it on the skids with plumbing exposed, like a mobile home.
Electrical hookups and indoor plumbing are also easier to put in when constructing from scratch, but you can run them afterward.
Not everyone wants those amenities for their shed conversion. Ferreira’s had a number of customers who make their sheds into off-grid homes without running water, using an outhouse or composting toilet.
If you’re hoping to go off-grid using solar panels, the roof angle and size of pre-built sheds probably won’t support them, according to Ryan. You can look for a more custom design, or check out options that are based on the ground instead.
Ferreira said people are often surprised by how many options they have now for living in small spaces with advances in heating, cooling and lighting technology.
He sees a lot of interest in the small structures for lifestyle reasons, especially in Maine, where people have always been thrifty and creative.
Plus, there’s an ongoing need for places that are affordable and versatile.
“One thing that’s encouraging is that it’s a lot more possible than people realize,” he said.
