I turned my 8x12 garden shed into a craft studio because there was no room for a dedicated craft or hobby area inside my home! It took under $250 and a few weeks to complete the transformation!

Step 1: Prep Work

I wanted a dedicated place to do my crafting and hobby work, but we didn't have the space inside the house. I decided that I would turn the shed in the back yard into my craft studio!

First we had to prep the shed. It's in great shape, so the prep work was minimal. We cleaned it out, hosed it down, removed excess screws, and shelving and sealed some gaps with foam before we started.

Step 2: Painting

Next came the painting. I thought about using drywall to make it feel like an actual room, but decided in the end that I wanted the rustic shed feel to remain, and I could also use the space between studs to add extra shelving for even more storage!

We used a basic white high gloss enamel paint, and I added some purple paint on the ceiling to give it a fun pop of color, and add some personalized character to my space!

Step 3: Lighting and Floors

Next we hung a shop light, and installed peel and stick vinyl flooring. I learned a lesson here... you need to paint the plywood to get a good stick from the tiles. Thankfully I learned this lesson before getting very far into the flooring!

Peel and stick vinyl was very easy to work with, and inexpensive! I could have just left the floor painted plywood, but I wanted the room to have a more finished feeling to it, the vinyl floor tiles looked nicer.

Step 4: Counters and Work Space

We built in some counter space next with plywood, 2x4s and an old display case we found locally. The display case added some shelving under the counters, and leaving the second counter open allows me to push storage carts or boxes under the counter and out of the way. If I had been able to get two of the display cases I would have made both sides of the counter on those.

After the counters were sanded, cleaned and prepped, they were painted white with the same enamel paint I used on the walls.

So far the paint on the counters, and the walls is holding up great! They wipe down easily and they look amazing.

Step 5: Pegboard Storage

To give me more storage options, we hung pegboard on two of the walls. One above a counter across an entire wall, and the other above my sewing desk. Both pegboards give me lots of storage options and they fit in the budget at less than $20 for a 4 foot by 8 foot board.

The pegboards are just screwed to the studs right on the wall. Because we opted not to dry wall the shed, the pegboard works great and it didn't have to be mounted on anything but the wall since there is plenty of space for the hooks behind the board already.

Step 6: Moving in and Finishing Touches!

We added a bookshelf for more vertical storage, and filled the shelves with craft supplies. I can personalize the space to make it mine without worrying about making it too girly for my husband, since he doesn't have to see it!

Step 7: Some Extra Details

I get asked most often about power to the shed. Right now (temporarily) we power everything with several heavy duty outdoor extension cords. We made extra efforts to cover and protect the cords so they are not a danger while they are there. In the (very near) future, we are planning to get permits and run the power underground out to the shed.

Another very frequently asked question is how do I control the climate. I am very lucky to live in a very mild climate. The temperatures are not extreme, and the humidity is very low. In the winter, a small space heater with temperature controls keeps the room very comfortable. For the summer, we installed a small window air conditioning unit (by cutting a hole in the shed under the existing window so as not block the small amount of natural lighting). The temperature in the shed is often nicer than the house because the room is small it is easy to regulate.

Since we already had the shed, the total cost of the materials to paint, floor, and update was under $250!