Houzz Tours
My Houzz: A Backyard Shed Becomes a Young Couple's Home
The old 'party shed' on Mum and Dad's property is transformed into a home for a young couple to find their feet in
Upon returning from an overseas adventure and taking out a mortgage for their first home, Skye Pitt and her boyfriend Mitch Howard were faced with depleted savings and the dilemma of where to live while their apartment was being built. The couple decided to make some alterations to the old shed on Pitt’s parents’ property to create the perfect rustic home with just enough basic amenities to make the dwelling liveable. ‘The Shed’, once the scene of teenage parties, has been the couple’s living space for the last two years, allowing them to keep their independence, as well as replenish their bank accounts while their new home is under construction.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Skye Pitt, 30 and Mitch Howard, 33
Location: Southeast Melbourne
Size: 1 bedroom and an outdoor shower
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Skye Pitt, 30 and Mitch Howard, 33
Location: Southeast Melbourne
Size: 1 bedroom and an outdoor shower
A fireplace was added to the building made from an old gas bottle, as it can get cold next to the dam over winter. “Adjustments were made when we moved in to stop the smoke from billowing through the room, (interesting when you’re trying to watch TV and keep your clothes from smelling like campfire) and the large window is actually a door from an old hardware store,” says Pitt.
The yellow tongue floor was stained solid black from dirt from party shoes and spilled drinks. Pitt and howard hired a floor sander from Bunnings for a few hours for next to nothing, and sanded it back lightly to make it look like floorboards again. “It also kept a little bit of the party history there. (Don’t worry, I poured Glen 20 all over it once we were done),” says Pitt.
Pitt’s favourite area of the home is their kitchen. She and Howard had previously lived in a pokey Melbourne unit and she said they felt the absence of a social kitchen. Howard built their new one and its nice wide bench, with plenty of prep space and a shelf for cooking ingredients.
“Before the kitchen went in, it really was just a bare room and it didn’t feel like we could potentially live there comfortably for two years,” says Pitt. “Once finished, it lifted the whole house and brought everything together into one big open-plan living space. The black marine ply really sets off its rustic charm!”
“Before the kitchen went in, it really was just a bare room and it didn’t feel like we could potentially live there comfortably for two years,” says Pitt. “Once finished, it lifted the whole house and brought everything together into one big open-plan living space. The black marine ply really sets off its rustic charm!”
More storage was added underneath the benchtop, which is where the couple store their crockery and glassware.
The couple enjoy relaxing in the lounge area. One of Pitt’s favourite pieces in the house is the wall unit that holds a lot of their treasured items. “It had been carted across 10 or so houses by my parents since I was little and was a not-so-lovely reddish brown timber,” says Pitt. “My mum started to paint it white, but stopped after applying the undercoat because it looked so shabby chic!” says Pitt. Pitt’s mum also found almost every piece of furniture for under $20 through bargain hunting and painted it all white for a fresh and cohesive look.
The wood-burning heater is the couple’s main source of warmth during the cold winter months, along with a small fan heater to take the chill off the air in the bedroom. In the heat of summer, the couple have to migrate across to the main house where Pitt’s parents live, as the corrugated iron holds the heat and becomes unbearable.
The home is decorated minimally, which Pitt says is the trick to making small spaces look bigger, and to avoid falling into the trap of over-cluttering. She particularly likes the French cottage look. “Our main goal was to keep costs down so we had to work with what we had,” Pitt says. “It’s amazing what you can create from old bits and bobs when you put your mind to it!” She asked her good friend and interior designer Mardi Mason for her help with getting the look just right.
“I really believe clutter can affect your mental state.” says Pitt. “We have tried to make most things multi-purpose where possible, for example, the kitchen bench is also the dining table, and the wardrobe not only stores clothes, but adds some height to the room.”
The bedroom was an addition to the existing structure of the shed to add a little more comfort to Pitt and Howard’s sleeping arrangements. The number of creepy crawlies that previously lurked around also prompted the insulated and carpeted break-away space.
Pitt loves the outdoor shower, even in winter, as the fresh crisp air against the warm water makes for an invigorating start to the day. “The outside bathroom area floor is made from the old DJ bench from the party days, and the shower itself was taken from our family holiday home renovations,” says Pitt.
The view from the chairs on the front verandah looks straight across to the dam and beautiful sunsets.
Pitt and Howard also enjoy sitting on a log overlooking the dam and added a fire pit to this area, which was also once the scene of teenage campfires.
The couple definitely show that living with the parents not only saves on money, but can be done beautifully too. They have loved their lives here and look forward to more before they eventually save up enough money to move into their forthcoming marina apartment.
“The outdoor showers, a fireplace as the only method of heating, living on tank water, shouting to hear each other when it rains on the tin roof and cooking on camping stoves has created memories we will never forget and cherish forever,” says Pitt.
TELL US
Do you live in a home on your parent’s property, or have kids that live on your property? Tell us about it in the Comments section.
“The outdoor showers, a fireplace as the only method of heating, living on tank water, shouting to hear each other when it rains on the tin roof and cooking on camping stoves has created memories we will never forget and cherish forever,” says Pitt.
TELL US
Do you live in a home on your parent’s property, or have kids that live on your property? Tell us about it in the Comments section.
When Pitt returned to it years later, it was a less-than-ideal place to live. “It was a junkyard at the time. It was literally filled to the roof with boxes, old mattresses, a pool table, old furniture – you name it,” says Pitt. “It was also home to a billion spiders and a family of mice.”