Backyard sheds go from shabby to chic

The backyard shed is enjoying a renaissance ... and a big-time makeover.

The humble metal and plywood structures that served as a place to stash your lawnmower and extension ladder have evolved into enticing little hangouts with architectural touches and trendy accoutrements that reflect our growing interest in indoor-outdoor living.

The changes have left landscape architects and home designers working hard to keep pace with increasingly ambitious requests from homeowners. Porches and fire pits? Pretty common.

Leonard Buildings, a Mount Airy company, sells prefabricated sheds from roadside lots but is changing fast to accommodate shifting tastes.

You can order fun contemporary sheds from companies such as Studio Shed. Shed pros say the book “My Cool Shed” has spawned a social media culture all its own.

Beth Pierce of Rock Hill calls the little house in her back yard a “folly.”

Look up the word and you’ll discover two meanings. It’s an act that shows lack of good sense, of course. It’s also a costly ornamental building with no practical purpose, built to suit fanciful tastes.

She laughs when she says her “folly” qualifies on both counts.

When Pierce was 3, her parents built a backyard playhouse for her and her sister. That was 60 years ago. Her father was Postmaster and Congressman Tom Gettys, who died in 2003. Her mother Mary is still alive – and loves this playhouse story.

When the girls grew up and moved away, Mary Gettys converted it to a garden shed. When Mary and Tom Gettys moved out of the house, Mary gave it to neighbors for their little girls. Then those folks used it for storage, too.

When Beth Pierce came back to Rock Hill a few years ago, she moved into her parents’ house – and retrieved the little building. She moved it back into her yard – and added on.

The original structure was just 6 feet by 6 feet. Pierce tripled the size of it, then added bunk beds and a rug. “My son and nephew have spent nights there when my home is full of people,” she said. Kids from the neighborhood still play in the little house – and spend the night, too.

The playhouse is taupe, with black shutters and white trim. Pierce painted the floor blue and white. There’s no water or power. The stove, sink and refrigerator are pretend, made from household castoffs.

Complete with deck

On Lake Norman, Bill Goff of Blackfoot Landscaping is putting the finishing touches on a lakeside “shed” that will offer two showers – one indoors and one outdoors – along with indoor and outdoor kitchens, built-in beer taps, wine storage and several large-screen TVs.

The building covers 800 square feet, half enclosed and half under an open cabana. There’s a gas fireplace indoors – and a gas fire pit on the flat roof, where stone pavers are supported by 3.5 inches of poured concrete. The rooftop deck will be a glorious place to watch the sun set beyond the lake.

The owner said he has regular house guests for much of the year and wanted a place to entertain them and accommodate them.

Goff said it’s the most complex project he has tackled. “People who have money are willing to spend their money in the backyard,” he said. The owner, standing nearby, smiled and nodded.

In fact, the new shed/guest house is an extension of work that Goff completed earlier, closer to the rear of the house. That project included an outdoor fireplace and 20-person infinity edge spa.

Jennifer Pippin of Pippin Home Designs created the waterfront building. Pippin, who has created many grand lakefront homes, says it’s her most ambitious auxiliary building. Like other experts, she said it reflects our growing passion for connecting the indoors and outdoors.

What’s it cost?

Cost varies widely. One of Leonard’s most popular sheds – a 10-by-12-foot model with shingle roof, double door, window and exterior painted to match the house – sells for $2,677, delivered. There’s a discount if you pay in full upfront. Leonard says nearly half of its customers pay in installments, or rent to own. The company says monthly payments would be the same or less than the monthly cost of renting a self-storage unit.

You can design your own shed at www.studio-shed.com, and see a running estimate total as you tinker with size, finish and door options. The base price for a 6-by-8-foot shed, the smallest on the calculator, is $5,400 plus shipping.

The base price for one 10-by-10-foot shed with flat roof is $7,150. A 36-inch door with glass upgrade adds $590, and shipping to Lake Norman is $2,263. The total estimate, with do-it-yourself installation, is $10,003.

Becoming a thing

Home designer Kevin Holdridge of KDH Residential Designs in Huntersville helped a client create a combination garden shed and bar from an old metal shipping container. He kicks himself, he says, because he neglected to take before and after pictures. “I didn’t know it was a ‘thing,’” he said, “but it has become a thing.”

Scott Reister of TG&R Landscape Group in Charlotte, who helped Beth Pierce restore her mother’s gardens – and relocate that “folly” – says his clients are rethinking the ways they live in their backyards. Some want to store tools, but others want showers. One client uses a shed as an office.

The language is evolving, Reister said, and the lines are blurring. Is it an arbor, a pergola, a cabana, a shed or guesthouse? Or, maybe, a folly?

This story was originally published May 14, 2015 at 3:16 PM with the headline "Backyard sheds go from shabby to chic."