5 Ways to Make Money from Your Garden Shed

Ah, the garden shed. Often useful, too often ignored. If you have a garden shed, there?s a chance that it has become little more than a dumping ground. A lawnmower, a few tools and possibly even a few bags of garden rubbish that have already started to turn into compost.

Naturally, that does not speak for everyone ? I?m sure plenty of our readers take a lot of pride in their shed. It gets a new coat of paint every summer, gets cleaned out regularly and provides a bit of a break from everyday life.

No matter what state it’s in, have you ever considered that you could make money from your garden shed? Sure, there are the obvious options, like turning it into an office. However, I wanted to get a bit more creative than that here and, as such, wanted to bring together a few of the best ideas to potentially make a good little income from everyone?s favourite outdoor room.

Crucially, you probably won?t have to do anything to the shed itself ? other than to clear it out. No external changes mean no unnecessary attention, so if you?re using the shed for business purposes, nobody else needs to know! So, if your shed is just sitting there and you like the idea of bringing in a bit more cash, perhaps consider some of the following suggestions.

Set Up a Mini Warehouse

Even as retail moves from the high street and shopping centres to online, the physical items still need storing somewhere. At the most basic level, you can devote your shed to warehousing for your own business. If you sell physical products from home, make a few quid from eBay or do anything else that sees you holding on to products for a while, you can put the shed to good use and store those items out of the way.

Even if you don?t do the right kind of work yourself, you might know someone that does. If you have friends, neighbours or family members that you think might benefit from a mini distribution centre, you could hint at having some space available. Naturally, most will baulk at the idea of paying for space, but you never know what opportunities might come up in conversation.

Make Your Shed a Creative Space

The quicker you can come to terms with the idea that your shed is a room, not just a part of the garden with walls and a roof, the more possibilities will open up. If you like to write, paint or doing anything else creative, setting your shed up accordingly can make for more than just a change of scenery. It is somewhere to switch your mindset from everyday life, and also to keep materials and products that you might not want in the house, such as paint and the associated fumes. If nothing else, spilling paint on the floor in the shed is preferable to getting it on the carpet!

Set Up a Studio

Even if you?re not the creative type, you might know someone that is, and if they are pushed for space themselves, all the better. Photography is often as much about the illusion as the subject matter. I?m no expert, but I do know that the pros wouldn?t spend so much time and money on lighting and backdrops if they always sought authenticity. There is nothing to stop you from setting up these lights and other associated items in your shed and, much as with the warehousing option, you can rent out that space to anyone that needs it.

Try Tool Rental

If you?ve got a load of tools and they?re in good condition, the chances are that you don?t use them every day. If you?ve organised your tools well and kept them in good nick, you might want to consider tool rental. You might do this on an ad hoc basis to friends and family. However, true to the idea that there?s an app for everything, you can also think about using a service. While I?ve never used the service myself and this is a suggestion rather than an endorsement, services such as My Shed bring together those that want to hire out their tools and those that want to borrow them for a fee.

Extend the Kitchen into the Shed

First up, don?t take that title literally. There is no building required for any of these tips! However, if you like to grow your own food and store it, the shed can come into its own to save clutter in the kitchen. Depending on your shed itself, it might represent the perfect opportunity to grow plants and herbs. The primary consideration is that the shed is capable of shielding your budding crops from frost. A decent source of light is often handy too.

If you then make your own jams or just about anything else, the shed represents the perfect storage space while also potentially serving as a showroom to sell from. It almost makes me want to set up my own micro-brewery? but that?s another article for another time.

Even if these ideas aren?t right for you, hopefully I?ve given you something to think about, and there are certainly other options out there. Indeed, if you?re currently making money with your shed or have plans to do so, I?d love to hear about what you have in mind! Drop it in the comments as I?m always looking for something new to try myself!