Over the past few months, James and I have been trying to come up with a solution for me to be able to focus more on my food blog, Grace and Good Eats. I do most of my work in the heart of the home- our kitchen- which proves difficult when the rest of the family wants to be in there with me. Without physically leaving it’s hard for everyone (myself included) to understand that I am “at work” even though I’m home.
My mom suggested that we look at building a “She Shed” on our property to serve as my office. At first, I couldn’t wrap my head around the idea, as I already have a dedicated office inside and I would still need access to the kitchen for creating recipes. The more James and I discussed it, the more it made sense, and the #FarmetteCabinette was born!
I say “Cabinette” because that is what the structure is referred to by the builder- Lelands Barns. It comes standard with two windows, a door, and a 4-foot covered porch. The exterior is fully painted and finished with shutters and trim. So cute, right?
We drove to our nearest Lelands to see them in person, which I highly recommend if you are considering a shed. It was extremely helpful to be able to stand inside and get a feel for what size we needed. I chose a 10×20 configuration (this includes the 4-foot porch) and I upgraded to add more windows and an air conditioner cut out. The dimensions are measured from the outside- meaning, the interior is really only 10×16. One thing I didn’t think about was the loss of space due to the interior studs. I accounted for the porch, but I didn’t factor in losing another almost 1/2ft inside because of the walls.
We were on the fence between the 10×20 and 12×20, and had I thought to consider the loss for finishing the walls, I might have justified the cost for the extra two feet. I also recommend going to order in person because you are able to customize more than what is allowed online. I was able to center my door, position my windows exactly where I wanted them, and see the paint colors in person.
Like I said before, it didn’t make sense for me to have an office without access to a kitchen. My She Shed will be finished out with cabinets, countertops, an island, and a sink. I will also add a mini-fridge and hot plate. I plan to customize the setup for shooting more videos in the future. While it may not be my “dream kitchen” to scale, it has been fun to plan a kitchen from scratch!
To see the finished (and furnished) Farmhouse She Shed check out the full reveal on Grace and Good Eats.
2 comments on “Planning the Farmette Cabinette”