It’s finally here, I built a shed, you guys!! And today is the day I finally share this DIY Shed with you guys.
I’m calling it Olivers Piggy Palace!
I shared a sneak peek of the shed with you guys on my Instagram earlier this week.
I promised I would share the reveal with you all here on the blog soon.
Today is the day.
First, I want to first apologize for how long it took me to publish this post.
Months ago, I talked about it months ago and shared some inspiration for the shed.
I had every intention of posting about it sooner but you know how it is.
Like a lot of people, I really struggle with sharing projects of mine before I feel like they’re ready or perfect.
The truth is nothing is ever going to be perfect and if you wait no one will ever see it. So I’ve finally decided o just share it with you guys.
There are still changes I’d like to make to the DIY shed. but for now, here it is.
Some Backstory
If this is your first time visiting the blog, first let me say WELCOME and thank you so much for stopping by!
Second, let me give you a bit of background.
I live on a 40-acre farm and Oliver is our adopted mini potbelly pig. We adopted Oliver a year ago from a family that no longer wanted him.
When we brought him home we quickly realized he had become so overweight he was actually completely blind.
Believe it or not, this is a more common problem in mini pigs. Mini pigs are even more prone to obesity than other pigs due to their smaller stature.
When they become obese a number of things can happen including blindness. Some piggy parents choose to have their pig undergo surgery to correct this.
We didn’t want to do that. I believe that exercise was the solution. Along with a diet recommended by the American Mini Pig Association.
I can’t know for sure but I don’t think Oliver got much exercise in his previous home.
He lived in a suburban household and was an indoor pig his entire one year of life.
We were also told by his former owners that he loved marshmallows.
Giving mini pigs sugary treats such as marshmallows are a huge NO NO. Even fruit treats should be given in moderation for an average weight mini pig.
Why Build A DIY Shed?
For me, the decision to build a shed was purely because of Oliver.
If we were to encourage Oliver to get more exercise by spending the majority of his time outside he needed a place to live and go to for shelter.
Like I mentioned before Oliver had been an indoor pig and I wasn’t all too comfortable putting him in a less extravagant lean-to.
Which to be fair pigs do not require a house like this.
They do need a three-sided shelter that can protect them from the elements and bedding such as straw or shavings.
Their bodies provide very good insulation and because of that, they can withstand cold temperatures.
However, I’m stubborn and if I was going to transition him to being outside more, he needed a Piggy Palace.
If you’ve been interested in building your own DIY Shed though, it’s probably for yourself and not your pets. 😉
She-sheds have really become a trend lately and honestly after I finished Ollies, I kind of wanted to keep it for myself.
Building your own DIY Shed or She-shed or is a great alternative to buying one!
When you look into buying a prebuilt shed, it’s daunting how expensive they can be. Thousands of dollars for a small room with a roof is not in my price range.
Then there’s the matter of transportation if it’s not built on-site. Or if you ever move and want to take it with you.
So deciding to build one yourself is the best way to custom make the exact one of your dreams and save a lot of money.
I’ll likely be building another one for myself in the future.
For all the good points there are to making your own DIY shed, it is also a huge project and a ton of work.
If you’d rather pay for someone else to make it and skip manual labor buying is the best option.
I love projects though, and I wanted to say I made a shed.
Building A DIY Shed
I’ve always been a crafter and amateur DIYer. Projects have been my happy place since I was a kid.
But never had I ever attempted to build something like this before.
My DIY projects and crafts consisted of sewing or painting furniture not building a building.
So first thing’s first planning, planning, planning!
You need to decide what you’ll be using your shed for.
Ask yourself what do you need it to have and how big does it need to be?
I wanted the shed to be able to hold additional storage for random things and store extra straw for Ollie.
I also wanted it to be big enough to hold at least two pigs in case we decided to get another one.
Lastly, I wanted there to be windows. Oliver wouldn’t be able to look out the windows so this feature was really just for aesthetics.
I wanted the shed to be aesthetically pleasing.
Let’s be honest if you’re going to go through the trouble of making your own DIY shed it should also be cute.
Am I right?
All of these features are important to hammer out in the planning phase.
DIY Shed Features:
- Footprint size
- Loft for storage
- Windows
They’re important because these features all determine how you’re going to build your shed.
Frames of sheds made with lofts and windows are built differently than sheds without them.
Obviously, the footprint size is required in order to even start building the frame.
I built Olivers shed with unorthodox dimensions at 6 feet by 6 feet. This was only because I was using scrap wood that was laying around the farm and 6 by 6 worked out perfectly.
I even used pallets to make parts of the shed walls!!
Tools Needed For A DIY Shed
Before you get started building your shed you’re going to need a set of must-have tools.
- Level – This is your best friend during this project. Level everything and always have it close by.
- Tape Measure – This tool doesn’t really need explaining.
- A Miter saw – This tool is going to be so helpful when constructing the frame. Including the floor walls, loft, and rafters.
- A circular saw or table saw – This will be important throughout the entire project. Specifically when putting up the siding for the walls and roof. You can also use this to replace the miter saw if you don’t have one. but the miter saw will make the process faster.
- Framing Nailer – This is literally what will put all your materials together to make the actual shed.
The Importance Of A Framing Nailer
I can’t stress enough how important a framing nailer is!
Sstupidly I tried to build the shed with a brad nailer at first.
Went out and bought a brand new cordless Ryobi Brad Nailer trying to save money.
It ended up wasting time and costing me more money in the end. I had to go back and buy a framing nailer like I should have all along.
Don’t get me wrong I love my cordless Ryobi Brad Nailer. I love Ryobi in general, up until this project all of my power tools were Ryobi.
They’re great tools that get the job done and they’re really affordable!
But tools are made for specific purposes and sometimes you can hack it. But sometimes you can’t and a brad nailer simply does not have the power to build a shed.
Learn from my mistakes. If you don’t have a framing nailer get one for this project. Whether or not you borrow, buy, or rent one just get one.
I made the decision to buy because I knew, in the end, it would be cheaper to buy and then I would own my own.
Now, I have to boast about the nailer I used for this because it’s not my favorite tool. In fact, it may be one of my most prized possessions.
I used the new Battery-powered Dewalt 21 Degree Brushless Framing Nailer Kit.
I’m all about battery-powered tools you guys.
Other than my miter saw (which I also stupidly got after I already built the shed) on Craigslist for only $50. All my power tools are cordless.
I don’t like the idea of lugging around a loud air compressor and then having to deal with the long cord constantly attached to my hip. So battery-powered tools are the only way to go in my opinion.
Since I’ve never worked with tools that require an air compressor and hose I can’t give my opinion on them.
However, people often worry that battery-powered tools won’t have enough power to properly do what they need.
In the case of the Battery-powered Dewalt 21 Degree Brushless Framing Nailer this could not be farther from the truth!!
This big guy packs a punch and must be handled with care because you can really hurt yourself if you’re not careful.
Anyway, I used this Dewalt framing nailer for the entire shed and it worked beautifully!!
I’ll be doing a full review of this tool very soon because like any option there are always pros and cons.
About The DIY Shed aka Olivers’ Piggy Palace
The look I was going for with the DIY shed was a clean farmhouse look. White paint, one or two windows, and ideally a porch or entryway of some sort.
Originally the siding for the shed came in a tan color.
Once I painted it white it completely transformed it. Suddenly it was no longer an ugly blah tan shed it was now a farmhouse shed.
Oh, the power of paint!
As you can see there is a big window in the front. What you don’t see is there is also a second window in on the sheds’ right side.
I also built a loft in the shed for storage. That way I can store extra straw bedding for Oliver up top.
I didn’t make a porch. However, I’m thinking I might either add on a porch later or build a gazebo.
But I haven’t decided yet.
I did add a little paver pathway.
The brick pavers are in a herringbone design. I absolutely love herringbone.
I’m so obsessed with it!
After doing just that little patch in the front I think I’m going to have to extend it to the entire width of the shed to make a little porch.
In addition, the shed also has a dutch door. Like herringbone, I’m obsessed with dutch doors too. I actually made this dutch door myself!
It’s great for Oliver because I can keep the top closed helping to retain the heat in the winter or stay cool in the summer.
While the bottom part of the dutch door is open so he can freely get in and out.
Closing DIY Shed Thoughts
It all seems very overwhelming when thinking about building your own DIY shed.
It is, there’s a lot to plan out. My biggest advice, like any big undertaking, think about it in steps rather than the big picture. And then just start hammering away.
As far as cost is concerned, there are a lot of ways you can cut down on the costs of tools and materials.
You can borrow tools from friends and neighbors. I bought a lot of the materials I didn’t already have laying around on the farm at Restore from Habitat for Humanity.
I bought Olivers windows, paint, roof sheathing, and a bunch of other stuff there and it saved me a lot!
Thank you so so so much for stopping by my blog today.
I hope you guys enjoyed this DIY shed reveal!
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