Donna O’Toole has enjoyed crafting as a hobby for quite a few years. More recently, her daughter nudged her to consider getting a backyard shed.

Donna and her husband Bob enjoyed perusing the Sturdi Shed lot in Corsicana on Beaton St. Donna was very impressed with the quality of the buildings.

While they started by looking for a small shed, they quickly started thinking about how nice it would be to have a large shed — large enough to both store Bob’s tools and have a crafting area for Donna.

Working with Sturdi Shed dealer Jim Stewart, they settled on a 12×24 ft Sturdi Shed Lofted Barn, painted gray and white to match their home. One end has a large roll-up door large enough for a lawnmower. The long side of the building has a single door, making it easy for Donna to get in and out of her crafting space.

So far, the crafting space isn’t fully finished out, but it does have a window air conditioner, pegboard, and electricity. Donna hopes to fully finish out the interior with sheetrock in the future.

For now, the simple space provides a wonderful little getaway area where Donna can immerse herself in her art. A large sign on the wall says “DONNA’S SCRAPPY PLACE.”

“I come out here in the morning, and I lose track of time,” says Donna. “It’s just a place for me to relax and enjoy my art.”

A word of caution, though, to husbands who are considering sharing a shed with their wife. Donna says she may take over the entire barn for her hobbies!

After Gary Prewitt moved onto his retirement property in east Texas, he needed a space where he could both play music and workout.

Along with his wife Mary, he began shopping for different storage shed brands. Gary liked the quality of the paint and the heavy-duty construction he found on the Sturdi Shed models. He settled on a 14 x 28 ft Gable Cabin Shell with a porch.

To make his new man cave comfortable, Gary installed electrical, insulation, wall paneling, and laminate flooring. To keep costs down and to go along with the rustic look, Gary cut 4×8 ft sheets of floor underlayment (thin plywood) in half and used them as ceiling panels.

Outside he installed skirting, which helps keep critters out and makes the building more energy-efficient. Gary is pleased that it only takes one electric heater to keep the building comfortable.

Gary has a sizeable collection of vinyl records that he finds at garage sales. He then digitizes the old albums, making so he can enjoy the tunes on his phone. His ritual is to digitize two LP records per day, which takes 1 ½ hours. During that time he does his cardio workout.

For Gary, his new Sturdi Shed is not just about having a fun retirement,  it’s also about living a healthier lifestyle.

Larry and Shelly Hutson recently had the opportunity to purchase a lake lot near Teague, TX. Their idea was to place a small home on the lot that could serve as a vacation home. Larry is pretty capable when it comes to DIY, so the couple started looking for a basic structure that they could finish out themselves.

With Sturdi Shed, they found the building they were looking for. They settled on a 16 x 44 ft gable cabin shell, as well as a 12 x 20 ft garage for their motorcycles. 

They designed the layout themselves before they purchased the cabin shell so that the windows would be in the correct places. The cabin features two bedrooms, a full bathroom, as well as a full kitchen and living room. To save space, they installed a tankless water heater and used sliding barn doors.

One of the big challenges of a small space is storage, so Larry built a full-length deck with storage space underneath the deck. Another unique feature is that the garage has a “doggy palace” built on the backside for the couple’s two dogs.

The couple watched home design shows for inspiration, and it shows. The cabin has a modern vibe with a rustic flair, perfect for a home by the lake.

Larry and Shelly are happy with their cabin and would definitely recommend Sturdi Shed to other buyers.

Jeff Summers is a real estate investor who lives in rural Fort Worth. His home office worked well until his wife started working from home several days a week as well, and began sharing his office space.

Jeff needed a separate space where he could stay organized without fear of having his papers re-shuffled or relocated while he was away. On the way home from town one night, Jeff swung in at his local Sturdi Shed dealer. “Those buildings were pretty impressive,” he says.

He settled on a Sturdi Shed 10×12 ft Utility Shed with a single entry door. Although it’s an office, he wanted it to feel like a man cave. 

After his building was delivered, Jeff and his buddy got to work. They installed rustic cedar on the walls and roof. The floor is solid oak tongue and groove flooring. Jeff used some of the flooring material to make a long counter top for his tax paperwork.

He installed LED lights overhead, and a heat/cool unit to keep things comfy year around. A refrigerator, a screen door for natural ventilation, and a redwood deck are still on his to-do list.

Jeff estimates he spent less than $2000, including the air conditioning unit, to finish out and furnish his office/man cave.

Jeff is very pleased with his Sturdi Shed office. “I used to do construction years ago,” he says. “They actually know what they’re doing and they really build a nice building. I highly recommend the building.”

He hopes to purchase another Sturdi Shed building in the future. “This won’t be my last Sturdi Shed,” he says. “I guarantee it.”

Tim and Michelle Brown, along with their daughter Brooke love horses. When you have horses, you need a tack room of some kind. For a while, Tim’s shop did double duty as both a tack room and a home mechanic’s garage, but it wasn’t ideal.

Michelle and Brooke wanted a space they could dedicate to feed, saddles, and all things animal. Michelle shopped a few different options, but couldn’t find the specific roof style and color that she wanted until she visited our Cresson Sturdi-Shed dealer.

Although they were originally looking for a 10×12 ft shed, they realized they could upgrade to a Sturdi-Shed 10×16 Utility for very little additional money. They settled on the Hunter Green metal roof, Cream Delight base, and Blackened Pine trim colors. 

Inside the shed, they spread an area rug on the floor and added saddle racks and shelving. The result is a pleasing, spacious space with easy access to all the riding gear.

The ladies of the family have achieved their mission.

“It’s easy for us, because we have our own separate little spaces now,” says Brooke. “And that’s what we love about it.”