This “Surprisingly” Stylish Shed Can Be Converted Into a Tiny Home (It’s Less Than $3K!)

These days, you can order pretty much everything online and get it shipped to your door — including entire homes. Yes, you read that right. While you can’t necessarily get a mansion sent to you (though you can still dream!), you can certainly get your hands on all sorts of tiny homes, including this chic Palisade shed that you can convert into a perfectly cozy tiny home. 

The Palisade is manufactured by popular Amazon tiny house seller Handy Home Products, and according to the listing, is a 12×8-foot wooden storage shed with a 9-foot peak and 6-foot 4-inch walls. That means 96 square feet of space that you can customize and personalize to your heart’s content. With its uniquely contemporary aesthetic, the Palisade stands out — also thanks to its eye-catching 60-inch-wide double sliding barn doors.

One of the biggest selling points for ordering a tiny home or kit home online is that the major work like cutting and measuring wood has been done for you already, and you just have to put everything together. That is true with the Palisade — it comes with pre-cut wood pieces, pre-assembled doors, and instructions — but reviewers say there’s a bit of a catch. 

The shed doesn’t come with roof shingles or paint, and you’ll likely need to build a sturdy foundation and source some wood, as some reviewers report receiving warped lumber in their packages. The shed kit includes nails, which may seem typical, but several reviewers noted that they preferred to use screws, especially in areas with fluctuating or extreme climates.

The shed seems to take people a few days to assemble, and most reviewers say that the level of DIY skills needed meant that they had to hire a handyman to help or relied on a loved one with substantial building experience.

Assembly challenges aside, the most commonly praised aspect of the Palisade is its design. The angular, geometric style is emphasized by the row of transom windows lining the front wall, which complement the panels on the barn doors just below. One reviewer wrote, “The design of this shed is fantastic,” and another called it, “stylish.” Someone also said the Palisade is “not barn looking like most other sheds” and that it’s “much cheaper than almost every other shed I looked at for the quality (I looked everywhere!).”

The photos included in the Amazon reviews show that people who have built this shed have taken the extra time to make it look nice, even if they’re just using it for backyard storage. One reviewer added extra windows for additional light, another placed colorful plants and garden decor right outside the double doors, while another tastefully arranged lights on the ground leading up to the shed. Plus, because you’ll need to paint the shed, you have another opportunity for creativity.

Keep in mind that taking such a route is going to require more time, labor, and money than the initial $2,552 cost of the shed. But one good thing about such a small, affordable unit is that it’s relatively easy to modify; one Amazon reviewer said they bought it to use as a shed, but also to see if it could be successfully turned into a “mini cabin” down the line.

Even if you added up all the additional costs for labor, materials, and permits, the total price of the Palisade is unlikely to get close to the $412,300 median sale price for a home in the U.S. in the second quarter of 2024. Not bad for something that didn’t cost that much more than a MacBook Pro.

Buy: Handy Home Products Palisade 12×8 Wooden Storage Shed, $2,552.63