06/02/2026
Hi there! I’m Brooke, an independent parent to 3 kids (ages 12,10, 7) and I finished out my 17x24’ shed build last year. We live a mile walk from our lake and trails and basically live outside on the half acre “Mommune” I share with another single mom with her daughter. I’m “on the grid” with city power and water, and a septic system. I put in two bedrooms on the main level, with a bathroom and a kitchen with living area. My two younger kids split the loft for sleeping (we plan to decorate it more this summer).
I used an on-demand water heater that works perfectly, we can run a full bath and still get hot water for laundry and dishes. A mini-split keeps the main level cool and we have a window unit for the loft. The foam insulation works really well, but I do wish I had insulated the floor somehow. If anyone has tips for that I’d really appreciate it!
I did nearly all the work myself with reclaimed/free materials. I hired out the plumbing and electrical, but did the woodworking on my own after work. It took about 7 months start to finish, we moved in after 5. The walls are reclaimed fence pickets I grey washed, the flooring was overage from someone’s remodeling project, the wood paneling in the bedrooms were old oak flooring someone just planned to burn. Pretty much everything was found free or used from marketplace. We love our little home 🏡
By: Brooke Burnett
