In 2024, we had the opportunity to purchase an adjacent property to ours that had a small 10-by-12-foot structure on it. For nearly a year, it sat unbothered, other than the stairs we built to provide easier access. But after contemplating what to do with the space while continuing to work from our bed most days, and after seeing photos like the one below, we knew exactly what we needed—an office!
A Brief Background on the Old Shack
The previous owner originally built the structure back in 2017 when she and an ex-partner bought the property with dreams of tiny, off-grid living in the Mojave Desert. It was originally intended to be a tiny house, with a small loft for sleeping, and the main floor for everything else. From what we could tell, the shack is what my uncle Randy would call “sticks in sand”—there didn’t seem to be any concrete involved in the “foundation.” The last detail I’ll share is how the siding came from an old barn in Colorado. The previous owner, like us, is from Colorado, and it was neat to learn that the old wood siding was a small piece of home, right here in Arizona!
Below are a few pictures of the shack, exactly how we bought it—extra materials and all.
The Transformation Begins
In late November of 2024, close to a year after purchasing the shack and the property it sits on, we finally began the transformation. It started with addressing the roof. One of the sheets of metal roofing had blown off over the years and there were no soffits or fascia to seal in the rafters. So, up until this point, the shack had been open to every and any animal that climbs or flies. (Don’t worry, we did multiple cleaning sessions with masks and gloves before we ever stepped foot in there without them.) Repairing and sealing in the roof was a game changer for keeping the critters out!
Insulating and Finishing the Interior
Once the shack was properly sealed, we could finally move onto the interior, where the transformation really starts to take place! We were able to score some three-and-a-half-inch commercial grade polyiso insulation from our local Repurposed Materials store. Following insulation, which was fairly quick, we began installing dry wall. The dry walling process was by far the most time consuming process of this transformation. But, the end product when we finished the walls with Sherwin-Williams Infinity paint in “Westhighland White” was so worth it.
Flooring and Finishing Touches
Getting paint on the walls was such an incredibly satisfying phase, especially following the tedious process of installing dry wall. Painting will forever be my favorite process of any project, especially when using a one-coat paint. The start-to-finish timeline is super quick, the transformation always blows my mind, and the final product is just so satisfying. After painting the walls and ceilings, it was time to install the flooring, baseboards, trim, and windowsills.
Having never installed any flooring in my life, other than the peel-and-stick “tile” in our camper van, I have to give engineered hardwood flooring a 10/10 rating. That rating is all-around and speaks to the ease of installation, the aesthetics, and the quality of the product. Once we got into the groove of our pattern and work-flow, we were able to install the flooring quite quickly.
For the windowsills, Luke repurposed some of the extra barn wood siding that had been left inside the shack by its previous owners. It took a lot of sanding, but only a single coat of polyurethane to keep it looking natural. The baseboards and wood trim are a mix of cedar and pine 2x4s that also went through many rounds of sanding and received a healthy coat of poly. The coziness the natural wood brought to the space in combination with the warm wood floors was everything I had pictured in my mind!
Creating a Functional Office
Finally, it was time to design and furnish our new office space! We also chose to designate some space for a laundry machine, so we could finally do laundry on our own property. For us, including a washing machine was a small sacrifice of space for a huge payoff. For both environmental and financial sustainability reasons, we wanted to thrift as much of the furnishings and decor that we could. In the end, the only new items purchased for the shack were the laundry machine, the area rug, the paper blinds, and the rubber mat under the washing machine. Everything else—from the desk, chairs, art, baskets, shelves, mirrors, and more—were bought second hand, helping keep the planet and our wallets healthy.
As you can see in the photos above and reel below, the space has already evolved in the short time we have been using it. It has served me so well already as my office from where I run this blog and the rest of Applied Worldwide’s business operations; as my meditation and yoga sanctuary where I nurture my mind and body; as a place for storing off-season clothing and other items; and as a place to wash our laundry right here on our off-grid property!
