A Shed For a DIY’er

Oct 03, 2017 |  Building of the Month

Ben Uyeda knows all about the importance of quality. His blog, HomeMade Modern, covers DIY projects from furniture, to design elements, to décor, while focusing on quality. So when he came to The Home Depot and Tuff Shed in search of a storage building, he was right at home.

“I’ve always wanted a shed that could store my tools and function as a workshop,” says Ben. He was excited about the prospect of a new shed but he worried that he would be restricted by design limitations. When he logged on to Tuff Shed’s online configurator Ben was in awe of the possibilities.

The TR-800 Tuff Shed workshop with both sets of double doors open.
The TR-800 Tuff Shed workshop with both sets of double doors open.

He decided on a 10×12 TR-800, with an 8/12 roof pitch upgrade, two sets of double doors, two skylights, and one 3×2 window. Every part of the shed was chosen to serve a purpose. “People tend to over-pack their sheds,” says Ben, “I wanted two sets of double doors to be able to access each side of the shed, even if it was packed full.” He chose the window and skylights to allow even more natural light into the shed for filming his projects.

The color scheme was no accident either. “When you see old barns and farmhouses, no matter how old they are, their monochromatic paint is always really pleasing,” says Ben. “I thought the single color scheme could really hold up over time while still looking clean.”

The interior of the TR-800 Tuff She workshop.
The interior of the TR-800 Tuff She workshop.

To finish out the interior, Ben and a friend sprayed it with white paint and added shelving between the studs. He also added a custom workbench.

Another notable addition to the shed is the solar panels. It took a full day for Ben and his electrician to install the panels and batteries. But for Ben, the time was well worth it. “It’s more cost effective the further the shed is from the existing power supplies. Especially compared to running power lines from the house.”

The exterior of the TR-800 Tuff Shed workshop.
The exterior of the TR-800 Tuff Shed workshop.

He was glad to have worked with Tuff Shed for his new workshop. “The installers arrived right on time,” says Ben, “They built the whole thing in about 3 or 4 hours.” But the quick work wasn’t what stood out the most to him. He was most impressed with how neat they left both the new building and the area around the shed. “It’s normal that things get a little scraped up during the construction process, but that attention to detail to clean up afterward was nice.”

Watch Ben’s process from start to finish here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnSew-tCuPo&t=313s