Budget Breakdown: He Remixed His Janky Shed Into a Design Studio for $6K
Almo Troup repurposes nearly all of the materials from a tumbledown shack to create a dreamy, minimalist workspace.
Almo Troup repurposes nearly all of the materials from a tumbledown shack to create a dreamy, minimalist workspace in his backyard.
Almo Troup, principal of the Australian firm Trouthouse, was looking for a little more space for his architecture and furniture design practice. He found it in his own backyard.
Almo says the shed that came with his Preston, Victoria, home was "completely unusable," yet he saw potential in that little backyard hut beneath an ancient apricot tree. Built by the previous owners 30 years ago, the structure had holes in the roof and cracks in its cement panels, but it also had good bones.
With a little sweat equity and $6,000, Almo transformed it from an eyesore to an ideal workshop—a minimalist and highly functional 290-square-foot space he affectionately dubbed the Apricot Studio.
The west-facing window of this Australian ADU gets plenty of morning light.
Photo by Rick M. Douglas
LED lighting is encased in translucent polycarbonate panels set into the studio’s ceiling. Sunshine streams in through from the roof during the day.
Photo by Rick M. Douglas
Instead of a full-on renovation, Almo approached the project as more of a rethink, repurposing and rearranging almost all of the existing materials to create something new from something old. "It was a bit tricky, because the plan was to have an idea for what I wanted to do—but not before I had an idea of what materials were available," says Almo. "It made it more economical, but also an interesting design exercise."
The shed’s old roofing became new cladding. "Besides a few holes, it was still in good condition," says Almo.
Photo by Rick M. Douglas
See the full story on Dwell.com: Budget Breakdown: He Remixed His Janky Shed Into a Design Studio for $6K
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