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DIY Shepherd’s hut build for workshop storage

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diormane

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Joined
Aug 3, 2025
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After moving to a house with no space for a workshop or storage, we built a shepherd's hut on our nearby land using home-milled Douglas Fir and a repurposed baling trailer. Its now a solid, insulated space with salvaged windows, metal roofing and a mix of recycled newspaper and wool insulation . It took longer than expected, but it's warm, sturdy, and nearly done, just need to add workbenches inside before we tackle a bigger barn project next year.
 
That sounds awesome! I love the use of salvaged and local materials. We did something similar last fall. it took time, but it is worth it. Adding benches will really pull it together and the barn project sounds quite exciting too
 
The Man_The Legend said:
That sounds awesome! I love the use of salvaged and local materials. We did something similar last fall. it took time, but it is worth it. Adding benches will really pull it together and the barn project sounds quite exciting too
Click to expand...
Thanks! Its great to hear you did something similar, what kind of materials did you end up using for yours? I'm hoping to keep things as local and reclaimed as possible . Any tips on what worked well or what you'd do differently if you built it again?
 
I'm new to building and curious, how did the recycled newspaper and wool insulation hold up during colder months? thanks!
 
diormane said:
After moving to a house with no space for a workshop or storage, we built a shepherd's hut on our nearby land using home-milled Douglas Fir and a repurposed baling trailer. Its now a solid, insulated space with salvaged windows, metal roofing and a mix of recycled newspaper and wool insulation . It took longer than expected, but it's warm, sturdy, and nearly done, just need to add workbenches inside before we tackle a bigger barn project next year.
Click to expand...
Using recycled newspaper and wool for insulation is an awesome, eco friendly move. How did that work out for you? I've been considering it for a small shed project, but was a bit concerned about the long term R value
 
Nice combination, wool retains its R-value effectively over time, even if it gets a bit damp. Newspaper can compact, so using dense-pack or treated cellulose is a better option. Just make sure you keep an eye on moisture management and install proper vapor barriers.
 
This thing is built like a tank, I'm really digging how they mixed old and new materials. Keeping moisture out is super important, and that dense-pack cellulose works so much better than loose fill in the long run.
 
Would love to see the final output! That's a big "small" project.
 

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