Man Cave - Historic Shed

One of our customer favorites is the tropical Snack Shack that we built in Palm Harbor with combination bar and storage shed. The shed design was recently adapted for a narrow site behind a historic Craftsman style home in the Old Seminole Heights Neighborhood in Tampa. The resulting shed was 8'x18' version with framing details that complemented the historic home. The shed was approved by the local historic preservation office.

Details from the main house that drove the shed design

Building the shed at the Historic Shed shop

Installation of the Craftsman Snack Shack shed on site

Bar interior

Ventilation door between the pub and storage areas

Awning doors locked down

Interior of the storage shed area

The finished shed with awnings closed

Pulleys that open the bar doors

The shed sits nicely by the pool

A few months ago, we were contacted by an artist who has a 1950s Mid Century Modern style home in Tampa who wanted a studio that would complement her home. The Historic Shed™ MiMo shed was adapted to meet her needs and to match elements from her home.

The Ballast Point home, built in 1957, has a low sloped roof, brick and T1-11 exterior and fixed windows that follow the roof slope.

In order to maximize the space in the studio and allow for the transoms above the door, the front wall was raised to 9' high, and the rear wall to 8'.

The shed roof line is followed by the side triangular transoms.

The front elevation features a pair of single light French doors, two transom windows, and a 4' roof extension.

Set off nicely with some shell rock

A nice seating area

The homeonwer finshed out the interior, adding insulation, AC and finishes

The homeowner finished out the interior, adding insulation, AC and finishes

Inside the studio

Home Office Shed Interior with Mini-Split AC unit

Historic Shed was contacted by a couple who live in the Hyde Park historic district in Tampa to design a garage and guest room for a very unusual lot. Triangular in shape, their small lot was just over 4,500 sf and contained a lovely one-story Craftsman bungalow with less than 1,000 sf. The atypical lot was further constrained by a large protected oak tree on the site, and one on a neighbor's lot, just over the property line. With Tampa's strong tree protection ordinances, this left little space to build. Building up was the only real option to maximize the remaining lot space.

The site once had a one-story garage on the lot. The original concrete was still in place, but a ramshackle carport had been constructed by a previous owner.

Before: The site once had a one-story one-car garage on the lot, long since gone. The original concrete was still in place, complete with a 1919 date embossed. A ramshackle carport had been constructed by a previous owner.

The Main House: The historic bungalow on the site has a 3:12 roof pitch and 4' bead board eaves with bracket supports.

After tweaking the design to fit the lot and meeting with Tampa's Historic Preservation Office and Forestry Department, the resulting project created a 12'x20' one-car garage with apartment above. A 6'x8' one-story shed allowed additional storage while accommodating the lot's shape and giving a visual step down from the two-story volume to the street. The stairs were placed at the rear of the building for privacy with an exterior design that allowed them to encroach within the required oak tree setback.

Due to height constraints at the Historic Shed shop, the first and second floors were prefabricated separately.

Installation of the Garage Apartment adjacent to the historic Hyde Park bungalow.

Installation of the prefabricated outbuilding.

Trusses installed, roof sheathing on, and the shed addition in place on the right side.

The garage design itself took its cues from the main house which had a low-sloped front-gable roof and very wide eaves. Walls were clad in lap siding and an existing skirt board was inspiration for a belt course on the new building. The new outbuilding was kept simpler in architectural detail, but clearly complementing the main residence.

Windows and shed door installed. With no alley and an odd shaped lot, the garage faces the street and has the same front setback as the main house.

The stairs to the apartment are set to the rear of the building for privacy. The exterior stairs allowed the building to set closer to the protected tree on the site.

The stairs to the second floor apartment are set to the rear of the building for privacy. The exterior wood framed stairs allowed the building to set closer to the protected tree on the site.

Second floor interior view when you walk in the door. The floors are laminate, the ceiling is 1x6 V-groove pine, and the walls are drywall. A mini split ac system cools and heats the space.

The main room in the second floor apartment. The space will double as a home office and guest suite.

The French doors let in extra light. A 5'-6"x5'-6" 3/4 bath is located on the right.

View into the apartment bathroom.

The Garage Apartment Floor Plans

A steel overhead garage door with a carriage house overlay by CHI finishes out the front facade along with period-inspired lighting.

The ribbon driveway completes the exterior of the garage apartment with a period look.

The interior of the garage was finished in plywood fro added strength. The storage shed is located on the right.

Shed bead board batten door by Historic Shed

The 6'x8' side storage shed features a cypress bead board door.

Carriage House facade by Historic Shed in Tampa Florida

Details on the Garage Apartment front facade

Eave and trim details on the garage apartment

The finished product, waiting for sod.

A new deck creates a welcoming entry from the street.

Landscaping completes the look.

And the rear of the carriage house completed.

See more about the Two-story Garage-apartment options. A two-car version is in the works as well.

Historic Shed recently built a 12'x16' board and batten shed along the shore of lovely Lake Griffin in Fruitland Park, FL. The shed will serve as a bunkhouse for guests.

The area on the side of the shed will allow for a future outdoor shower.

Plans for this shed are now available for sale at: https://historicshed.com/store-4/?model_number=HS001

Historic Shed was approached by a homeowner in Palm Harbor to design and build a custom shed to serve as both storage and a covered family bar seating area. The shed we designed and built is 12'x18' with a 4' covered porch area. The shed was divided by an interior wall into a 13' storage area and a 4' bar area to house snack and drink storage and a television. The storage area is accessed by a double set of carriage house style doors on the side. The bar area has a single door access on the side and two awning covered opening with a wide cypress counter-top. The awnings are opened using a pulley system. The project is delightfully accented by a tropical color scheme.