Andrea Dekker

30 Comments

Our Outhouse Garden Shed

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an outhouse garden shed

I’ve always loved the idea of utilizing a fake outhouse garden shed as extra storage in our very large yard.

In fact, even when I was quite young, I remember thinking how cool it would be to live in an old farmhouse and build a pretend outhouse that would double as extra storage for gardening tools, hoses, fertilizer, etc. etc. Yes, I realize that’s a strange thought for a little girl!

Now that I’m “all grown up”, I’m still totally in love with the idea of an outhouse shed tucked back behind hydrangeas, hostas, and azaleas.

It fits the landscaping of our 130-year-old farmhouse just perfectly!

outhouse garden shed

outhouse garden shed

Our outhouse garden shed is SO stinkin’ cute and it’s a great conversation-starter whenever new visitors notice it!

Many believe us when we say it’s “original to the house” — LOL!

If you’ve contemplated building your own outhouse garden shed (or just buying one), I highly recommend it!

Even if you don’t have an old house, an outhouse shed is such a fun addition to any size yard and any type of landscape design. 

Here are a few more pictures of our outhouse garden shed: 

outhouse garden shed

our garden shed

outhouse garden shed

outhouse garden shed

Of course, the landscaping wasn’t always so “full” back when we first built our shed. 

Here are a few pictures of what our little outhouse shed looked 6 years ago. 

And one more “current” picture from last year. 

our outhouse garden shed

The landscaping sure has filled in nicely over the years! 

How to Build an Outhouse Garden Shed: 

We built a 3 ft. x 3 ft. “shell” from treated 2″ x 4″s and treated plywood.

Once the frame was built, we moved it to the location by our fence (it was SOOO heavy). Then we covered the plywood frame with old barn wood on the outside.

Honestly, if we had waited to move it until after we put the barn wood on, I’m not sure we would have been able to carry it!

The door went on last after the barn wood — I just love this style of door (these are the hinges we used).

The pavers were all found on our property!

outhouse garden shed with stone pathway

I wanted a corrugated steel roof, and thankfully 1 sheet was plenty. We borrowed a special saw from our neighbor to cut the steel. And since we only used half the sheet, I was able to sell the unused half on Craigslist! 

If I did this project again, I probably would have tried to find USED corrugated steel so it had an aged look — but over time, our roof has gotten more of an aged look (which I love). 

our garden shed

We did not think a cement foundation was necessary. However, if your shed is larger, this might be something to consider. We simply used treated plywood for the floor and screwed it on top of a treated 2″ x 4″ frame.

It’s been almost 7 years, and our shed shows no signs of rotting. 

More Shed-Building Resources: 

Here’s a video tutorial (not my video) that shows the process of building an outhouse garden shed almost exactly like ours. 

Here’s a set of FREE written plans to build a shed like ours — with the sloped roofline.

And here are more FREE plans for 18 different types of tiny sheds (seriously, they are all so cute — I want to build more!) 

outhouse garden shed

How we use our outhouse garden shed: 

We have used this shed for SO many purposes over the years…

  • smaller yard tools
  • hoses, watering cans, and sprinklers
  • extra pots, soil, fertilizer, and other potting needs
  • kids toys
  • lawn games
  • a stack of lawn chairs

There’s more space inside our tiny shed than you might think!

Plus, we’ve added hooks and shelves as necessary (depending on what we want to store inside). 

The “history” behind our outhouse shed:

Probably one of the coolest things about our shed is that the wood on the outside of the shed is salvaged wood from the original barn (many years ago).

Long before we purchased our home, the barn was taken down to make room for more houses. The current homeowners were smart enough to salvage lots of the barn wood — which they used to line the walls in our basement.

All we had to do was pull several chunks of wood off the basement walls to build our shed. Not only did this save us a bunch of cash, it’s also a nice little “sentimental” detail.

Plus, it made our shed INSTANTLY look old and loved!

It’s almost like a tiny piece of the old barn is right back where it belongs.

Cool huh?

shed

How much we spent on our outhouse garden shed: 

We spent just UNDER $100 for all the materials. Not bad for a really cute shed!

Of course, we got the barn wood for free — and I already had the window, the wreath, and 2 sections of picket fence. 

outhouse garden shed

Related Reading: 

We are so happy with how our outhouse shed project turned out. It’s truly exactly what I envisioned so many years ago!

No matter what type of house you have, how big or small your yard is, or what your landscaping style is, I’m convinced there is a place for a tiny outhouse shed SOMEWHERE! 

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Comments

  1. Marti says

    Your outhouse is the perfect compliment to your lovely back fence and garden. Our Montana farmhouse was built before indoor plumbing (electricity got here in 1936) and we have a whitewashed outhouse that we now use as our garden shed. I have 5 antique sprinklers displayed on nails. I have my vintage pitchfork, small shovel, and 3 rakes displayed on the side too, but I do use them throughout the year. Your outhouse looks authentic.

    Reply

  2. Julie Geary says

    I’ve been wanting a decorative outhouse for years. This is just what I’d like to use as my potting bench. I’m not a woodworker (want to be in my next life) so hopefully my hubby will help me with this. Thanks so much!

    Reply

    • Andrea says

      you’re welcome — you’ll love your outhouse once it’s built! We get lots of comments on ours (some people asking if it’s real! LOL!)

      Reply

  3. Mary says

    Your yard looks great! Wondering how you edge your bark areas to keep them looking so neat. Have you ever discussed that in a previous blog?

    Reply

    • Andrea says

      Thanks Mary!
      We have metal edging around most of our planting beds (it’s the professional-grade edging that comes in 8 ft pieces. It was pricy, but it works REALLY well and we are very happy with it.

      Reply

  4. Margaret @ Live Like No On Else Blog says

    That is really cute. But I actually grew up with a real outhouse for the first almost 7 years of my life. I’m from Poland and it wasn’t until 1981 when we moved to the states that I had a real bathroom. LOL

    Reply

  5. Chris says

    Oh my word! I love that your place used to have an old barn and that the wood is from there!

    Reply

  6. Meg says

    Your shed is wonderful! Did you use printed plans or a book with plans to build it? We want to build an outhouse toolshed as well and are looking for plans. If they can be found online or in a book, I would be most greatful if you could share. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Andrea says

      haha — it IS a cute shed, and I’m certain it would look cute at your house to… even if it’s not a farmhouse 🙂

      Reply

  8. Kathy says

    I was told that during Victorian times hollyhocks were planted around the outhouse to indicate where it was located. Very interesting….

    Reply

  9. CJ says

    Love it! My grandparents had something similar in the back yard of their vacation home when I was growing up. Too cute – nicely done!

    Reply

  11. Rose says

    OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I haven’t even read the article yet….I had to say, I LOOOOOOOOOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!

    I NEED ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply

  12. ShellyL says

    Welcome back, friend! I’m glad you had an enjoyable break. Love the cute garden shed. Great idea. FYI: I actually used an outhouse once and it was not fun. LOL

    Reply

  13. Lori McEvoy says

    Andrea,

    Glad you’re back and had a relaxing break . Love the “outhouse”. Is there any plan to do a post of what you ordered from Thredup and the cost?

    Thanks again for a great blog. Can’t wait to read everyday!

    Reply

    • Andrea says

      Thanks Lori — I doubt I ever to a post about what I ordered from ThredUp — just the next size up for both kiddos 🙂

      ThreadUp is definitely more expensive than a garage sale, but pretty comparable to consignment shops and I love being able to shop online from my house. Also, a bunch of their stuff is brand new with the tags still on!

      Reply

  14. Janice says

    Oh my goodness! If you aren’t the most clever person I have ever known (and I do feel like I know you)! When I was a little girl on my parents farm in the 1950s, we had an outhouse which we had to use until Mom and Dad earned enough money to remodel our 4 room tiny farmhouse. What a memory! Well, now after seeing your clever idea, I want to have an outhouse garden shed, too. Wish my parents hadn’t torn the thing down cause I would love to move it to our farm-like location.

    Reply

  16. Debbie says

    I knew you guys could make an outhouse for yourselves instead of buying one! Looks cute! You should add some kind of saying on the outside like “Keep Out” or “Occupied”

    Reply

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