Move over man cave. A gal’s gotta have a place of her own too, you know.
Meet the She Shed. If you are a fan of Pinterest, you might already be familiar with this living space. If not, it’s a snap to imagine. Take a shed, gussy it up, and slap on your “No Boys Allowed” sign on the door.
But that’s slightly unfair, as Anne Kinderwater Carroll would admit. She and her family—husband Andy and two daughters, Helena and Evie—are in the process of building their own She Shed. And it’s a gender-neutral endeavor.
“I’m the visionary. My husband Andy makes it happen. So it’s more of a Study Hut than She Shed,” Anne explained.
Indeed, Anne became interested in owning a She Shed/Study Hut when enrolling in her doctoral program and recognizing that she’d need a quiet space to do her coursework. A basement reno was going to be pricey, as well as time-consuming.
“A She Shed just seemed like a more manageable project,” Anne said.
The pieces began to fall into place when Anne found a free shed on Craigslist that was being given away by Lancaster’s Occupational Development Center. A lover of local, she snapped it up, had it hauled to her property and set to work.
With a fresh coat of paint and some outdoor furniture, a She Shed can be a super easy DIY project. If, however, you want to make it an all-weather space, as Anne and her family wanted, the project’s level of difficulty begins to ramp up.
Here’s where Andy (or your designated contractor) steps in. To keep the chill or heat out, walls need to be insulated and drafty windows need to be replaced. The family found the windows at Lancaster Habitat ReStore.
Even in daylight, the space can be dark, so running electricity into the shed is a smart move. The Carrolls added one electrical outlet. (With a “no electronics rule” in place, Anne didn’t see the need for more than one.)
Then there are the design and functional elements . The Carrolls are collecting things here and there, but staying local A decorative mantle. A few bookcases. A funky printed pad that will cover the rough wooden floor.
In all, Anne anticipates that the project will ring in at about 60 hours and exceed their initial $1,000 budget. But she’s okay with that. For one, no one has been inconvenienced or displaced by this project. It’s the kind of thing that can be done when they have free time.
Secondly, let’s talk about girl power with our She Shed. Helena is putting her architectural interest into motion, spending time with her dad working on the space and learning about design to construction.
And, even in its rough stage, Evie and Helena will grab a board game and some floor space for some quality sister-time in the She Shed.
Your She Shed might be just one “pin” in your Pinterest account. It may not have a plan yet. It may grow to be something you never imagined. But, as Anne said, “sometimes, you need to jump in and see what happens.”
The Carrolls’ She Shed, along with their home renovations, will be among those featured on Lancaster Lebanon Habitat for Humanity’s Renovators’ Home Tour, Sunday, October 1st. For ticket and event information, please visit www.renovatorshometour.com.
