She-Shed Voted Best Log & Timber Accessory Building

The Karchner She-Shed has been voted 2021 Best Log & Timber Accessory Building by Log & Timber Home Living magazine readers.

This article is reprinted with permission from Log & Timber Home Living magazine.

When the farmland on which you plan to build your dream log home comes with several rundown outbuildings, the natural thing to do is refurbish and enjoy them! Such was the case with this adorable timber she-shed.
Located just a stone’s throw from the owner Melinda Karchner’s log cabin, the shed’s original siding and windows were in such bad condition they had to be replaced, but the interior timbers and metal roof were salvaged and restored to their former glory.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“The place was overgrown with vines and there were critters in there,” Melinda says with a laugh. “It was pretty nasty, but I wanted to preserve it.” Where the original timbers couldn’t be saved, Timberhaven Log & Timber Homes provided circle-sawn timbers to replace them. Melinda stained those timbers with ZAR walnut stain and the aged effect the combination created makes the new wood nearly indistinguishable from the old.

 

 

 

 

 

 

She-Shed Becomes Pastoral Retreat

For contrast and freshness, the interior walls were painted a crisp white. The new Weathershield windows (which match the main log house) provide the uninsulated building with some energy-efficiency, and to keep the space warm during Pennsylvania winters, an antique cast-iron stove (that Melinda also salvaged and cleaned up) was converted into a charming electric space heater. The floor is a concrete slab covered in durable vinyl plank flooring that mimics barnwood. Above, the rafters are open to the underside of the standing-seam metal roof — a feature which makes the most soothing sounds during a summer rain shower.

Now the roughly 400-square-foot mini-barn is her pastoral retreat, filled with antiques and treasured heirlooms. “I’ve had so much fun decorating it and making it ‘my place,’ especially at Christmas,” says Melinda. “Every piece in here is personal and meaningful.”

For the magazine article, click here.