Two years ago my wife and I purchased a cabin on Lake of the Woods in Northern Minnesota. Last summer I built a deck on the lakeside of the cabin and documented that experience in a Twitter thread.
After the deck project was complete, I began converting the back corner of an old garden shed on the property into an office. At the outset of my project, I sought to make the office shed a world class workspace that would rival my desk at Google's beautiful office in Boulder, Colorado. Sometime between the start of this project and the completion, the world changed and Work From Home (WFH) became a necessity. My WFH experience transformed into a Work From A Garden Shed In Northern Minnesota (WFGSNM) adventure. Here is a photo tour of this journey.
The picture above is from the MLS listing for the cabin. This picture was taken sometime in 2018.
The shed is 12 feet wide and 16 feet long. Neighbors have told us the shed was here in the 1960s, so we know it is at least 60 years old. In all likelihood, this structure started its life as an outhouse.
At the end of the 2019 summer, after I had finished my deck project, I removed 60+ years of junk and debris from the old shed and started framing an 8 foot by 6 foot office in the northwest corner of the structure. I used 2x6 lumber for the framing, because I wanted to heavily insulate for acoustic and thermal purposes.
The summer of 2019 drew to an end, and my family and I headed back to our home in Colorado. I used the fall and winter to draft up renovation plans and dream about the art of the possible. I created a rough blueprint in Google Slides to guide my planning.
The project resumed in May of this year (2020). Scottie, a very talented local electrician, worked with me to run a new 30 amp electrical service to the shed and wire the structure for lights and outlets. During these improvements the shed made for a great space where a three year old could practice bike riding.
I wanted to have abundant power and made sure there were plenty of electrical outlets on each wall.
With the wiring complete, I began to insulate with 2 inch foam board. Spud Heppner, an amazing local carpenter, advised me along the way and helped me with the planning and preparation.
Spud also cut a window opening into the upper section of the north wall so I could let in more sunlight, and occasionally allow fresh air to permeate the workspace.
After the foam was installed, Spud and I added fiberglass insulation and sound channeling. The goal of the sound channeling was to provide a physical barrier between the walls and the studs, furnishing a slight dead space for noise to dissipate.
The two walls that would be most visible during video calls in the completed office would be drywall and I planned cedar tongue and groove for the other two walls. Amidst the pandemic, the cedar was backordered, so we installed the drywall first.
After a few days we had the insulation installed and Spud applied tape and mud to the drywall. I am not good at sanding drywall, but Spud has a knack for it.
The cedar arrived for the walls and ceiling. We also laid down flooring over the old concrete slab.
The last bit of electrical work was to install two LED can lights and add the outlet and switch covers.
I worked with the talented crew at Northern Toboggan Company to have a custom Dutch door built for the office. They went with weathered pine and a beautiful chestnut stain. The door was delivered on June 11 and it is really amazing.
With the door installed, the project started to near completion.
I really love this door. As my friend Tim says, it is a statement piece.
The only thing left to do was install the trim.
An UPLIFT Standing Desk and and a Steelcase Think Stool rounded out the furnishings.
I put in a portable air conditioner with a vent through the east wall to help keep the workspace climate controlled.
My favorite feature of the office is associated with this red light switch.
When I am on a call for work, I toggle on the red switch and an "On Air" light outside the office glows. This little beacon lets my children know that I am occupied and they should [if at all possible] wait for my call to finish up before barging through the Dutch door.
When I am not on a call though, I generally have the Dutch door open anyway.
Monday through Friday I sit in this beautiful workspace, which has a wonderful cedar smell.
No one I video conference with suspects that I am in the back of a 60 year old garden shed, just a stones throw from the sixth largest freshwater lake in the United States.
If you are ever in the neighborhood, please stop by for a cold beverage!