The Shed Reveal
I’m excited to share our shed reveal with you today! We started this project eight weeks ago, and over the course of two months, this exterior structure took shape quickly. Emmett and I played around with the idea of moving our existing shed to our side yard. It lived in the fenced section of our backyard and took up precious green space. It made so much more sense to have shed storage in a portion of our yard we didn’t really utilize. After brainstorming our needs and really thinking it through, we decided to build a new shed altogether. Our existing shed was over 20 years old and wouldn’t be easy to move, so I created a quick design plan and Emmett started prepping for the foundation- a concrete slab the new shed would rest upon. Here we are a couple months later, and I have to say- it looks pretty charming for a storage shed! Click through for a peek into our exterior paint process, the reveal tour, and source links!
*This post is sponsored by Purdy. All content, ideas, and words are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that allow us to create unique content while featuring products we actually use & enjoy!
Before I dive in, many of you requested a shed supply building list and more on that process. For the sake of keeping the reveal post to a reasonable length, I’m going to share the structural details and supply list next week… so check back for that! I just didn’t want to leave you hanging. Today it’s all about the exciting cosmetic stuff (paint, landscaping, and fixtures)! Ready to see how it shaped up? This is how things looked prepped and ready for paint…
We’re big on researching, planning, and grabbing the right tools for the job, and this shed was no exception. Our goal was to make sure the shed will withstand the test of time, in terms of durability and aesthetic. In terms of selecting an exterior paint, we opted for Sherwin-Williams Rain Refresh. It’s a new product that is super durable with self-cleaning technology. I’m not sure how our home exterior will change in the years to come, but we’ll definitely be updating it at some point. I figured SW Nuance (a cool, creamy white hue) was a safe bet… and it matches our bedroom balcony painted brick. Rain Refresh is formulated so dirt washes away upon contact with rain or water for a clean look with minimal maintenance. This new coating also offers excellent UV and weather protection, so it checked all of our boxes for the shed exterior.
After choosing the paint, it was time to select the correct tools for application. I landed on Purdy’s Chinex® Elite™ Brush due to the rough textural siding of the shed.
This paintbrush has pre-flagged bristles (split bristles that allows them to pick up more paint) for better coverage, quick application, and durability against rough surfaces. This one works great with heavy-bodied, low-VOC paints- like the exterior Rain Refresh paint we landed on.
Emmett and I are good at different things and luckily enjoy opposing tasks, when it comes to painting. I always trim projects out, while he rolls. For the roller, I went with Purdy’s Lambskin Roller. It’s made of 100% lambswool, and is designed to pick up, hold, and release a great amount of paint or stain, which was key for this project.
These roller covers are also abrasion-resistant for a longer life, so we were able to use the same roller for two coats of paint on the rough textured shed siding. It has a 1/2″ nap, so it’s perfect for painting decks, siding, and rough surfaces like textural exterior projects and masonry.
Emmett also used our Revolution™ 9″ Frame to make the job easier. We tackled this project on a HOT Utah day and wanted to finish it quickly and easily. This roller frame is our favorite because it’s super lightweight and can be connected to any standard threaded pole. Both of us painted simultaneously and we finished two coats on the entire shed in four hours. I feel like that’s pretty impressive… and totally tolerable (even in the summer season). This is what it looked like after one coat…
The second coat went very quickly, but I’m glad we decided to do it (we were on the fence because it looked pretty good after one). We had extra paint and figured additional coverage couldn’t be a bad thing. We ended up using 2 gallons for the entire project.
A couple days after we painted, Emmett landscaped and I worked on planting our window flower boxes. Emmett is really awesome at landscaping and enjoys these type of projects, so I turned him loose to tackle that portion of the shed.
Ready to see how it turned out?! For a storage shed, the exterior is so charming. We have plenty of room for our tools, lawn care equipment, snow blower, even room to store some of our patio furniture this winter. It’s perfect!
It was a game changer removing our existing shed, too. We have SO much space in the fenced portion of our backyard now. I feel like this is a much better use of space and seems to make better sense for our property layout.
It feels like it belongs in our yard and is apart of the space. I worried that it would feel like an afterthought or like it was floating in the middle of our side yard. I didn’t want it to look unintentional, and I think the landscaping really helped with that. All of our plants came from the garden center at Lowe’s.
I’ve had many requests to link the window planter boxes, and I actually ended up painting those with Krylon Rust Protector Galvanizing Primer, followed by a coat of their Rust Protector Paint.
I wanted them to look tonal, so the frame is gloss and the box itself is flat. The shape of the window planters feel really classic to me… they just needed a quick color adjustment to align with my overall vision.
Another concern I had was the shed exterior aesthetic looking “farmhouse” due to the simple shape, basic materials, and black & white palette. Our home is a colonial and I wanted to make sure it still felt cohesive with our exterior. Adding french doors in place of a typical shed “barn looking” door was an intentional move on my part… as well as the luxe brass hardware.
The french doors are in the same family as the ones found in our formal living room, which lead to the backyard. The hardware matches exactly and I think having those cohesive elements was a good design move. That Emtek Melrose entry hardware, in the stunning french antique finish, will forever be my favorite. It’s classic, modern, and seems to fit any aesthetic.
Another dilemma Emmett and I had to work through was the decision to run electrical to the shed. Eventually, we decided it wasn’t a worthwhile investment for our property. This is a storage shed. Our plan for this structure has always been less glamorous than the she-sheds or studio sheds you see floating around Pinterest. It’s a storage shed for our tools and lawn equipment. It is what it is, and running electrical would’ve been a big expense that also added a ton of time to our project.
So how did we end up with functioning sconces, you might wonder? These black gooseneck sconces are actually solar powered! The solar panels live on the backside of the roof next to the vents and aren’t visible from our yard. They actually worked out perfect and fit the budget! They turn on automatically as soon as it begins to get dark outside and put off a nice, warm glow. They’re not too bright, not too dim, the color is right, and they really elevate the exterior look of the shed, providing function. I’m very happy with them!
There you have it… the shed reveal! What do you think? Do you like the way it turned out? Did the project seem to move quickly from an outsider’s perspective? It’s crazy to think two months ago there was nothing here… just a grassy lawn. Emmett and I are both really thrilled with the way things ended up. It is a nice, functional addition to our property. Check back next week for a detailed post on the building process and the supply list I promised. For more on finding the right Purdy paint tools for your next project, click here. I’ll also note- our existing shed went to a great home and every single piece of it was reused… I’ll count that as a major win. Thanks for reading!