Katrina Sullivan of Chic Little House wanted her own small retreat where she could work, think or just relax. Building and decorating her own she shed in her backyard was the perfect solution. For the last few weeks, we’ve been hard at work transforming my new TUFF Shed from The Home Depot into a creative studio hub, where I can tackle a range of projects. I wanted a place for my DIY projects, sewing, design, crafting, photography and blogging. Since my 1950s rancher is on the petite size, I loved the idea of having a dedicated work space just for myself, one of the many reasons why I love the she shed concept. The design plan was to transform the TUFF SHED TR700 into a mini-cottage version of our beloved rancher. We got The Home Depot Home Services team to come and install the structure – thought I’d save myself the headache of such an undertaking. We chose to paint the cottage the same color as our house– Pier by Behr, with Ultra White trim also by Behr. I’m a huge fan of using tone-on-tone colors and decided to paint the front door of the cottage Cracked Pepper by Behr, a pretty deep glossy grey.

I love vines growing up the sides of cottages; it makes them look so quaint. I bought a simple ladder trellis from The Home Depot and turned it into a corner trellis. I cut it in half and attached it to the side of the cottage using a nail gun. The potted honeysuckle can now climb up the sides of the cottage as it grows. In the front of the cottage, we planted several drought-tolerant plants. One of the sage bushes I planted attracts hummingbirds, and since it’s been planted, I’ve seen at least two humming around it! The majority of our yard looks a little sad due to water restrictions due the California drought. I can’t wait to see our grass green back up in the cooler weather. To transform the shed into a working studio, we insulated the walls and ceiling and then added drywall. We also ran electricity to the shed and added a mini split air conditioning and heating unit. I’ll share a complete breakdown of the electrical process and drywall along with tips on my blog Chic Little House.

When you walk into the cottage studio you’re greeted with a trio of Parson Bookcases. The bookcases are styled to be both pretty and practical. central air conditioning best ratingsThey hold my sewing machine, fabric, craft supplies, books and artwork. top central air conditioner brands canadaThe bookcases are the perfect fit in the she shed, and exactly the look I wanted– clean, modern and timeless. how to install central ac unitOne of my favorite additions on the bookcase is this little Ranchero Crosley radio, I love that I can listen to the radio while creating. The walls in the she shed are painted Sutton Place Grey by Glidden; it’s a very pretty soft grey color. Above the bookcases is the mini AC/heating unit we also had installed by The Home Depot’s Installation Services.

The air conditioning was a crucial addition to the cottage since during the summer months in Northern California, temperatures hover in the 100s. I adore the look of built-in window seats, so I added one in the corner of my cottage. The top lifts up to reveal hidden storage! As much as I love open storage, hidden storage is a must. This cozy corner window seat is the perfect spot to enjoy a cup of coffee, curl up and blog in this spot. I’m also happy it provides extra seating when I have guests over. To add a layer of texture and warmth into the she shed, I chose the Driftwood Belved Wood Reed Roman shades. To make the windows appear larger, I mounted the Roman shades on the outside of the window and hung them almost to the ceiling on the side wall windows. On the other side of the studio is my desk. I chose the Parsons style desk from Home Decorators Collection. I’ve seriously wanted this desk for years, and I’m thrilled it’s the perfect fit for the she shed. I love incorporating vintage furniture into ‘new spaces’ and found the cutest vintage Thonet style chair for my studio on a Facebook sale.

But the chair needed a little love before I could use it. Above, you see my chair before, lots of chippy white paint, so not me. Using my Ryobi random orbit sander, I gently sanded away all the loose paint and then wiped the chair clean. Since the chair has seen better days, I opted to spray paint the chair first with primer. I used Kilz spray paint stain blocking primer. I lightly spray painted the chair with primer and then waited one hour. After the hour was up, I lightly sanded the chair using a sanding pad. Next, I spray painted the chair using gloss grey spray paint. It took three coats to get a nice even finish. It’s so rewarding to transform an old piece and give it new life. I’m so happy with how the chair turned out. Next to my desk are the beginnings of a gallery wall with artwork sourced from Etsy. The cottage studio is a dream come true, so when I spotted a unicorn hook at Home Decorators Collection, I knew it would be THE perfect addition to hold my keys.

Whenever I see the unicorn, it puts a huge smile on my face. I hope you all enjoyed the tour of my studio she shed. Please stop by my blog for the behind-the-scenes details on the electrical and drywall process, along with the complete source guide for all the items inside. This project was an absolute dream. I’m so thrilled to have partnered with The Home Depot in transforming a shed into my very own she shed. Thank you Home Depot for helping turn my ideas into reality. I’m so thrilled with how everything came together. I’m thrilled to have a dedicated spot for blogging and all things Design & DIY. Katrina writes more about her she shed project on her blog, including building the shed and her decor inspiration. Katrina Sullivan is a Northern California native, wife to Hasani and mother of two delightful boys. Katrina shares her DIY projects and ongoing home renovations on her blog Chic Little House.I have a confession to make: I bought air conditioning from the Home Depot and had them install it.

I live in a 25 to 30-year-old, U-shaped, single-story home on a slab with approximately 5,000 sq. ft. of living space. There are 12 sliding glass doors and 29 windows. Every wall has a lot of glass and one wall is entirely glass. The existing ductwork is leaky, mildewed, and dirty rigid fiberboard. Although it would appear at first glance to have adequate return air, upon inspection, it's obvious it doesn't. During the cooling season, which here is Southwest Florida lasts 9 to10 months, there is one room that's ice-cold and two rooms that are way too hot. There are two systems. Both required replacing, including the ductwork. The situation is complicated by the lack of headroom in the attic. Not only can't you stand up in it, you can barely crawl through much of it. Add our Florida heat to the mixture, and you've got a challenging installation. I didn't go looking for any special "deals." In this case, the challenge wasn't in finding a deal. The challenge was in finding someone in whom I felt confident would do the job right and not quit when the going got tough.

The Selection ProcessI got six estimates. In a nutshell, here's how they played out: Why the Home Depot?To begin with, when you buy an air conditioning system from the Home Depot, you're still buying it from the contractor. In this case, I was delighted to learn that the contractor is a well-known, established company — Gulf Shore Cooling. It's owned and operated by Gary Wright, whom I've known for 15 years. I should have thought to call him anyway. I wrote about Gulf Shore Cooling salesman, Ed Matias, last month (CB Nov. 2006, page 71). I liked the fact that their shop is located less than two miles from my house. I went over to talk to Gary about the possibility of them doing the job for me. It should point out that the simple fact that I was able to go over and meet directly with the owner was a significant factor in my decision. I got the impression from the other companies I talked to that the owner was inaccessible and preferred to avoid dealing directly with customers. In the interest of full disclosure, I should point out to you that neither Gary Wright nor the Home Depot are clients of mine.

In fact, I've spent the past decade as one of the naysayers about the Home Depot. The only financial incentive I have for writing this column is that, as far as I'm concerned, this review now makes my purchase a perfectly legitimate tax-deductable expense. Gary's enthusiasm toward the Home Depot was contagious. He says, "I couldn't imagine doing business without the Home Depot. I started with one store and we've just agreed to do two more for them." When pressed to elaborate, he said, "In a company like mine, which started out as new construction, to be able to break into the replacement market would have cost an enormous amount of money in advertising. The Home Depot does that for me. The only money I have to spend is on appointment-setters in the store. This brings our lead-generation dollars way down. The rule-of-thumb is that you're supposed to spend 5% on advertising. We're not spending anywhere near that. "Additionally, they've got what they call 'Product Knowledge' sessions, where we get to go in and talk to 150 associates (Home Depot employees).

They get us all kinds of business through referrals. "People who move from up north to down here, and have no relationship with a local contractor, will have a relationship with the Home Depot, providing me with instant credibility." Gary told me that the difference to the consumer between buying a system directly from the contractor and buying it through the Home Depot is that the Home Depot backs up the consumer. "They went through my financial history with a fine-tooth comb. They background checked me and every one of my employees." Mike Jennings, district installation manager for the Home Depot, actually came to my home during the installation. He told me that the installing dealer doesn't get paid until the customer signs a slip of paper stating they are 100% satisfied. He went on to say that he's seen a huge improvement in the quality of Home Depot installations over the past year. This is due to there being more installation managers than before who perform personal inspections like they did in my home.

"The big push at the Home Depot is to put the customer first." I'd already made up my mind to go with the Home Depot when I learned about the payment options. I was looking for a cash discount on a job of tens of thousands of dollars. Gary Wright explained to me that, had I not gone through the Home Depot, all he could have offered me was the manufacturer's financing, which is for six months same as cash and costs him money to offer to me. The Home Depot's financing is 12 months same-as-cash and costs him nothing! So, I didn't get the "cash discount" I was looking for, but I do get a high-dollar air conditioning installation without having to pay for it for an extra 12 months. The InstallationThe salesman showed up with the installers on the first day. He also showed up at least once per day during the entire installation process, which lasted over two weeks. I really liked the constant supervision and interaction with the salesman who sold me the job. Their first official act was to lay out over 250 linear feet of heavy paper to protect my slate floors.

They laid out drop cloths anywhere they were working over carpeted surfaces. About a half-dozen different installers showed up at one point or another, but the vast majority of the time, it was a core group of four guys that were absolutely amazing in their dedication to get this job done, and to do it right. The job took longer than they'd estimated and it was unbearably hot in that attic. Consequently, they'd have to give one of my regulars a day or two off during the course of the installation. As near as I could tell, they were all of Hispanic descent, and all spoke English. Everyone was in uniform. They worked quietly, without any smoking, playing music, loud talking or joking around. They all seemed to take what they were doing very seriously. Every joint, including the can-to-ceiling connection, was sealed with mastic. The installation required dry-walling. These people actually have a real live dry-waller on staff. The AftermathThe morning after the first system was installed, my housekeeper, who works here one day per week, walked in, stopped right at the door, and said, "You got the new air conditioner installed."

We said, "Well, one of them was installed last night. How did you know?" No kidding, she said, "It smells so clean and fresh in here!" That's with less than 24 hours of operation. So far, Gulf Coast Cooling has sent me two live ferns on two separate occasions and a thank-you letter. I also get a precision tune-up in about six months, included in the purchase price. I asked them to do a number of little things, like build a box out of duct board and put it around my condensate pump to soundproof it, and they did. Today, they showed up to balance the air a little better by installing some dampers in the attic. Even without the extra balancing they did this morning, I was already more comfortable, with more even temperatures throughout the house, than I was before. The air seems drier. We're finding that we're comfortable with the thermostats set a good 3F to 4F higher than we were with the old systems. After the balancing they did today I'll probably even be able to set one of them a little higher at night.