When looking for a budget-friendly home, more and more people are jumping on board the tiny house movement. From a desire for simplicity to saving money, choosing a smaller space has become a viable option for those house-hunters. While tiny house companies sell premade homes and DIY plans, people are turning to an unlikely source to build affordable homes: sheds from Home Depot.
Since storage sheds are easy to assemble and low in cost, prospective homeowners can use more of their budget to customize their space. Tuff Shed, a partner of Home Depot, has one particular model that’s popular with the tiny home set. With two stories and a variety of color options, the possibilities are endless.
A Storage Shed Turned Budget-Friendly Home
Georgia couple Beth and Barry Smith are no strangers to the tiny home life. After building one of their own on their 3-acre property, the project proved far more difficult than they imagined. It was a trip to Home Depot that inspired the pair to try a different tactic: building a second budget-friendly home out of a Tuff Shed.
“It was a big purchase compared to our first building,” Beth told Tuff Shed. “But everything was handled so well by the team at Home Depot and Tuff Shed.” The model they chose, the TR-1600, is a two-story design that would become the bare bones of their latest build. As opposed to their previous project, this storage shed would be built for them and require much less labor than starting from scratch. “We’re not builders and that first project was a real pain in the neck,” Beth adds. “We knew we wanted the next one to be built for us.”
The Smiths worked with local contractors to outfit their space. Leaving the insulation, plumbing, drywall, and electrical wiring to the professionals, the pair put the finishing touches on the rest of the home. Each room is artfully decorated, with pops of color in between neutral gray and white tones. Creative storage solutions in the small space make the home extremely liveable even without the extra room. (1)
TR-1600 Specs and Pricing
The standard 8-foot walled shed has two stories, each to full height. 36″ stairs connect the floors, with optional windows, shutters, window boxes, and a front porch. Customers can choose from 30 colors for the exterior paint. Additionally, roof materials include a few different options to customize the look and feel. The best part? The affordability of the shed, which comes in anywhere between $12,000-$22,000.
With all of the work done to make the Tuff Shed liveable and cozy, the Smiths spent about $60,000. Compared with the average home price in Georgia of $201,000, the savings for the family is phenomenal. The ability to save so much money has allowed the Smiths to focus on the things that matter most to them. “Having a small home with very little overhead has allowed us to pursue a simpler life,” Beth told Simplemost, “and to walk away from ‘corporate,’ which was one of our goals.” (2, 3)
Because they spent so little, the Smith family can now enjoy their simple life without huge debt looming overhead. At its core, it’s what the tiny house movement is all about. Living in a smaller, budget-friendly home allows people to pursue their dreams and live simpler, less stressful lives.
