Potting Shed Camper/She-Shed Caravan

5 years ago

In December, I had a potting shed-camper/she-shed built. Due to city restrictions (permits & property taxes), I had it built on an old heavy duty farm trailer. Thus, since it has wheels, it's not technically a shed. Because of the cost and a tight budget, I am finishing out the inside and painting the exterior trim myself. I've insulated between the studs and am using jute coffee sacks to cover the walls. (It won't have electricity.) I also like to recycle, so one of the four small windows is a divided pane window with wavy glass and another is Victorian stained glass. The door is also Victorian (found at a garage sale for $25.).

Here is where I need input: Someone in my neighborhood threw out 10 filthy plinth blocks from an old Victorian house. Plinth blocks are decorative molding usually located at the bottom of door casings. These plinth blocks weren't perfect, but I cleaned them up, re-stained them, and applied several coats of tung oil. I'd like to use them in the shed. The issue is they are normally installed at the bottom of door casings, and I'd like to use them at the TOP corners of each interior window and the door. Do you think this would look crazy? They are all 12" long.

As you see from the photo, I've not painted the trim yet nor installed the skirting. Thank you in advance.

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Comments (4)

ShadyWillowFarm
5 years ago
You say crazy, I say genius. Have at it - that is the neatest thing I’ve seen in a while! Love it!
Lyndee Lee
5 years ago
Blocks at the top corners of windows and doors were common although usually square. Those are really interesting and will look great.

Just curious, do you have to register the trailer every year? In my area, the city gets excited if a vehicle or trailer does not have current tags
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Laura Munoz
Original Author
5 years ago
Thank you both ShadyWFarm and Lyndee Lee. I'll go for it. To answer your question, Lyndee, I do have to register the trailer every year. It is currently tagged & registered although because it sits in the backyard and isn't going on the road any time soon, I could let the registration lapse.

Here's the deal.--Registration & license plate renewal costs about $60/year whereas if the structure were classified as a shed--even one on skids--I could be charged an additional $300/year for about 60 sq ft in property taxes. Our town's property taxes are the highest in our region. This is why there are all sorts of illegal structures built in my neighborhood that no one talks about.

I currently pay about $180./yr for the 16' x 16' concrete pad in my backyard that has nothing on it. This is where the trailer sits. (The pad is the foundation to a garage torn down before I bought my house.)

I explored the possibility of building a garage or a shed on the concrete pad and was told I would pay additional property taxes and would need to pull permits no matter the size of a shed/garage. I also asked the appraisal district in person if they would charge me for putting latticework with vines on the concrete pad, and the appraisal district rep. said "yes." So my mobile shed-camper is the cheapest LEGAL route to go.
Yog .
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
Very cool invention! Especially suitable for those who have a small property and need to periodically free up space. It is also an option for those who periodically move. Separately say about property taxes - this`s just a real limitation of rights, as I think such laws don`t meet the standards of democracy. I hope they'll be cancelled someday. About your shed, I suggest you look into https://www.godwinsremovals.co.uk/storage/best-plastic-garden-storage-boxes Very cool storage boxes that I bought myself a year ago. As for plinth blocks, I don't think this would look crazy, vintage is always valuable anyway. And if the blocks have persisted for so long, they`ll definitely last you for ages.