Schoolroom in a storage shed

[Wheres Toto]

Has anyone converted a detached garage or storage shed into a schoolroom?  We kind of followed some rabbit trails today and we are seriously considering doing this.

 

I've posted before that my house is super-small with no storage, so it's perpetually cluttered, messy, and hard to work with.   We don't want to make any modifications (or even repairs) to the house because we are hoping to do an addition, but probably not for 2 or 3 years.

 

We are looking at basic, steel storage sheds that dh would insulate, add windows, put up walls, and finish the floor.   We can easily run electricity with our current set-up, and have space heater/portable AC as needed.  We are in NJ so summers generally in the low 80's (with some peaks in the 90's) and winters generally in the 30-40 degree range.

 

We'd go with at least 10 ft x 10 ft.   We were considering getting a camper to convert but I think this idea would be less expensive and could be more customized.

 

My biggest wants:

A table that can stay up all the time for projects.  Right now the ONLY table is a round folding table that has to be put up when needed and then takes up about 1/2 the available floor space in the living room.   We don't have a usable kitchen table (we don't even eat at a table  :glare: ).   The kids do a lot of school work on storage clipboards but ds is having trouble doing geometry this way (juggling the tools and papers on his lap), it would give me someplace to set out the projects and supplies for 4-H (which currently takes over the entire house for the couple days before a meeting).  

 

A place to store supplies.  Right now they are in a storage cabinet in the garage, on the top of bookcases in dd's room, on two bookcases in the living room, and anywhere there is space.  It makes it fun trying to find things.

 

Those are the biggies.   We would put the round folding table out there, maybe a futon to use as a couch, the kids have bean bag chairs we'd put out there, the school cabinet from the garage, and probably a bookcase or two.

 

Any suggestions?  Thoughts good or bad?

[Insertcreativenamehere]

10x10 seems a little small -- could you go 12x12? With all that you want to include, I think the space will fill quickly. I think it sounds like a great idea! I'd love to do it myself. 

[MommyLiberty5013]

Love it! Check out Old Hickory Sheds. Built to your specs. Delivered premade on a semi.

 

We just had one done. 40' x 14'. Ours has a garage, double barn door, and a garden shed portion at one end. But you get to choose the features and the placement of all the doors and windows.

 

They are built like homes with studs so wiring and insulation is easy. People are using them as tiny homes. They come with windows. And they can have built in shelving or workbenches for $10 a foot! They do lofts inside them as well (great for storage).

 

50 year siding. Metal roofs. Oh and for $300 they will paint it for you (plus trim), you just have to choose from their colors.

 

We went to their dealer in town. Ordered what we wanted and 3 weeks later it was delivered and placed in the exact place we wanted it.

 

I think 10x10 is tight. Your interior space would be less than that due to wall thickness.

Edited June 24, 2017 by MommyLiberty5013

[Wheres Toto]

Love it! Check out Old Hickory Sheds. Built to your specs. Delivered premade on a semi.

 

We just had one done. 40' x 14'. Ours has a garage, double barn door, and a garden shed portion at one end. But you get to choose the features and the placement of all the doors and windows.

 

They are built like homes with studs so wiring and insulation is easy. People are using them as tiny homes. They come with windows. And they can have built in shelving or workbenches for $10 a foot! They do lofts inside them as well (great for storage).

 

50 year siding. Metal roofs. Oh and for $300 they will paint it for you (plus trim), you just have to choose from their colors.

 

We went to their dealer in town. Ordered what we wanted and 3 weeks later it was delivered and placed in the exact place we wanted it.

 

I think 10x10 is tight. Your interior space would be less than that due to wall thickness.

 

these look nice but I"m sure are way out of our price range.  We are looking to spend less than $1000 on the entire project (we've been pricing stuff and it's doable).

 

10x10 is a minimum.  Right now, the main ones we are looking at are 10x12 and 10x14.  That's bigger than any room in my house.   :lol:   Our bedrooms are 7 x 9, 9 x 9 1/2, and 12 x 9 1/2.   

[Lecka]

My daughter's room is 10 x 10. 

 

I think it would be nice for a school room, but I don't think I would try to make it double for 4-H stuff.  Unless you mostly stored it elsewhere.  My daughter can use her room well but she can't have that much in it.  Once there is much in it it becomes just.... smaller.

 

I think if you can store stuff elsewhere, and have out what you are mainly using, plus a little more, then it would be really nice. 

[Tap]

10x12 would be the minimum I would consider. 10x10 is going to be cramped with a futon, 2 bean bag chairs,  a table and bookcases. If you have an Ikea near by they would be the best source of inspiration for using the space wisely. 

[Guest]

Do you ever have baking or cooking going while schooling?  Do you ever work on your own projects during that time?  Do you do laundry?

 

I tried to have a dedicated schoolroom, but I work on my own projects or bake or do other things during the times that DS doesn't need me so a separated schoolroom would significantly cut down on my own productivity.

 

Is there a reason you can't take the $1000 and make the spaces that you have more useable (better table, shelves on walls, organization)?

 

[Wheres Toto]

10x12 would be the minimum I would consider. 10x10 is going to be cramped with a futon, 2 bean bag chairs,  a table and bookcases. If you have an Ikea near by they would be the best source of inspiration for using the space wisely. 

 

I've been browsing the IKEA website.  We do have two within 30-45 minutes.  A lot of our current bookcases are Billy's.

 

Do you ever have baking or cooking going while schooling?  Do you ever work on your own projects during that time?  Do you do laundry?

 

I tried to have a dedicated schoolroom, but I work on my own projects or bake or do other things during the times that DS doesn't need me so a separated schoolroom would significantly cut down on my own productivity.

 

Is there a reason you can't take the $1000 and make the spaces that you have more useable (better table, shelves on walls, organization)?

 

No baking or cooking during school.  Dh cooks dinner every night so I'm not even prepping.  I do occasionally do laundry  :lol: .  The kids are old enough that I could leave them outside while I run in to switch laundry.  We would also probably come in for lunch.

 

There are already shelves on every usable space.  Either freestanding bookcases (including covering windows), or shelves mounted high on walls.  I've spent the 13 years I've lived here working on organization and there is just so much that can be done.   The organization isn't bad right now, there's just a real limit to the available space.  

 

The house also has a lot of issues with layout so what space there is isn't easy to work with.  For example, my living room.  One wall has the entryway to the front door and the kitchen, and our bedroom door.  There is a fan in the wall to provide ventilation to our room that can't be blocked.  The wall that is between the kitchen and living room has a heating/AC vent that can't be blocked and the bathroom door.  We do have about 6 feet of bookcases behind the couch on this wall, with the middle being open for the vent.  Next wall has two bedroom doors, and about 5 feet of usable space, the kids computer table is here.  Last wall has two windows and a large stone fireplace, with the tv mounted over the fireplace.  We have bookcases with the backs removed over the windows, and the fireplace spends a good portion of the year blocked by something.

 

As it is, the walkway to the bathroom and one of the bedroom doors (they are in the corner) is about 18 inches wide.  That's with only a few pieces of non-bookcase furniture.  None of the doorways are full size.   It's a converted 1940s summer bungalow so it's very small.

 

The furnace is in the corner of the kitchen which limits the space for cabinets since it has to be kept accessible.  Plus the back door, opening into laundry nook, and large windows (which are partially blocked) take up a lot of wall space.   The kitchen is less than 8 feet wide so there's no way to put a table in the middle of the floor.

 

It would take way more than $1000 to make the space more usable.  It would mean buying/building custom furniture and/or tearing down walls.  Probably both.  When we had 5 people living here, we did have more built-in stuff, like loft beds and custom bunkbeds.  Had to be custom because the bedroom ceilings slope and are less than 7 feet at the low end, 7 1/2 at the high ends.  We had to remove windows to make the beds possible.

 

I really can't stand this house.

[Guest]

I hear ya about old awkward houses.

 

I would probably want to get a rectangular table but hinge it to the wall so that it could be folded up (like a murphy bed) because someones the floor provides a more workable space.  But I think it sounds like a good plan!

[Wheres Toto]

I hear ya about old awkward houses.

 

I would probably want to get a rectangular table but hinge it to the wall so that it could be folded up (like a murphy bed) because someones the floor provides a more workable space.  But I think it sounds like a good plan!

 

I would prefer a rectangular or square table as well.  But, I'm trying to convince dh that this plan won't cost that much, and using what we already have (like the round table) is one of my tactics.   :001_rolleyes:

 

ETA:  Plus, we ARE hoping to do an addition in a couple years.  If we do the shed idea, and the addition makes it unnecessary to use it as a schoolroom, we still have a shed that can be used for storage.  Since we won't be gaining much storage space in any of the addition ideas (no attic, no basement, MAYBE a garage), that will still be useful.

 

But, if we put $1000 into built-in furniture or moving walls, the addition could make all that stuff unusable or having to be redone.

 

At least that's dh's viewpoint. 

Edited June 24, 2017 by Where's Toto?

[idnib]

Given the constraints, I think the shed is a grand idea.

 

In the meantime:

 

Can you move the folding table out of doors when the weather is nice? Or can you set a picnic blanket on the ground outside to give DS room to spread out for geometry? Or maybe your DS would have an easier time with a lap desk? This one is $22.00 and I have Prime so I don't know the shipping.

[Tap]

I completely agree with using what you have.  

 

If you do decide later to make a purchase.....what we did was buy table/desk tops at IKEA and bought the folding legs to go with them.  That way when we wanted to put them away, they were easy to move aside and store. We could also move them around to use for things like large family meals.  We bought two larger ones (we had a 16x22 school room so much larger that what you are considering), one for each of my older kids.  Then when dd decided to go with a more traditional desk, she 'sold' her old table style desk to her brother.  Since they were identical, he made them into an L shape and uses them as an over sized work/student desk area. (He is an artist and in seminary so he spreads out various materials at one time.) He LOVES the large flat work surfaces.  Those two desks are two of the most used items in our home. 

[Catwoman]

I think your idea sounds good! Of course, that may be because I'm addicted to those stupid tiny house shows on TV and I'm picturing your school shed looking very cute. :)

 

I could never live in a tiny house, but I could definitely imagine homeschooling in a tiny schoolhouse. :hurray: