It is no secret that I’m a tree hugger.  I spend half my month in a metal tube with wings on various concrete pads across the country.  So, when I’m home, I need some greenery in my life.

I dream of demolishing of our big shed so I can see the backyard specimen of a bois d’arc tree from the master suite.  We now have great storage above the carport, so our shed needs are minimal.  And it’s just plain #ugly.

This has really been Aaron’s “baby”.  He’s had a lot of help from our friends/neighbors, as well.  I can take very little credit for the effort that has been put into this project.

The challenge for us was to find a storage solution that is (a) low profile so we can still see the trees, (b) large enough to hold the more valuable junk we want to keep, (c) in a location that functions well, and (d) designed to look custom.

What we have decided to build is a series of 3 long storage units in lieu of a tall shed.  It is tucked in next to the carport. Hence the name “Storage Locker Unit Shed Thing”.

If you think about a standard shed, you have to dedicate underutilized square footage to walking/standing/traffic areas.  We wanted the same amount of wall space without the need for “blank” space.  The final product will be about 17′ long and about 4′ high (slightly taller in the front with an angled roof line).  

The previous owner was nice enough to leave us this huge, unnecessary pile of bricks that we move around approximately twice a year so we can look at it less, so we “reclaimed” it to make a platform for our new project.  

We built a 2×4 platform and topped it with treated plywood (which was then too heavy to move and we had to call for backup… oops).  I also had a blogger fail and forgot to take a photo of just the plywood… probably because I was worried about getting this thing onto the brick platform.

Husband Aaron then called our friend Aaron (um… no joke) to help him frame walls.  So, quickly, this happened:

Then the front happened with friend Aaron’s help:

At this point it is looking like a super-sweet three door doghouse…errr, chicken coop… errr, ???

We then clad the structure with plywood and Aaron installed the roof rafters in the place he wanted them.  I went to work, again.

Without giving away the whole shebang, here’s a teaser photo:

The best part about this shed is that the funding has come from (a) gift cards from work/previous credit card points/gifts, (b) minimal funds from the House budget and (c) reclaimed materials.  We’re sticking to our financial plan while improving our property.  What a novel idea.

And, I can still see trees.