I've been remodeling a 12'x12' 'she-shed' for a couple here in a Port Townsend. If you're not familiar with the term, a 'she-shed' is the woman's equivalent to the 'man-cave,' or as the husband who is funding this remodel describes it, "A place where my wife can have her friends over, drink wine, and complain about us [their husbands].".

Here's the before photo:

I don't do a lot of remodeling anymore, so it's a good reminder of the quality of my own work. For example, this building has no exterior sheathing...y'know the sheets of wood that are nailed to the framing to keep your house from falling down in the event of an earthquake. Everything is out of level and the window trim was put on by someone who obviously had never done it before. There's a lot of things, actually, that look like the work of a homeowner who either was trying to save every penny or really didn't know what he was doing.

So you do what you have to do when you remodel. You shore up the sagging floor. You rip out all the terrible faux-panelling and roll up the carpet. You insulate the two rafter bays that were just 'missed.' And soon enough, this little building in their backyard takes on the feeling of a place you'd like to hang out in, throw a log in the (new) fireplace, and raise a glass of Cabernet with a few of your girlfriends...before you launch into a tirade over how every night your husband steals all the blankets. Every night!