When we purchased our country home, this old storage shed came with the property. Unfortunately, it wasn’t tucked away in some forgotten corner of the backyard. It sat near the front entrance, right in front of our home, where everyone could see it. And trust me, it wasn’t exactly making a good first impression.
The shed was useful, but the exterior desperately needed some attention. My hubby didn’t want to tear it down, so I did what I always do when something is useful but ugly—I made it pretty!
With a little work, some modern farmhouse style, and plenty of exterior paint, we transformed that tired old building into a farmhouse shed that complements our country home. It now serves as a working storage shed for our lawn and garden equipment, and I’m continuing to update the landscaping around it to reflect my love of gardening.
If you have an older outbuilding that has seen better days, I hope our farmhouse shed makeover gives you a few ideas for the exterior—and proves that an eyesore doesn’t always need to be torn down. Sometimes it just needs a second chance.
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Materials and Supplies Used
- Pressure-treated plywood
- Replacement exterior trim
- Paint scraper for wood
- Exterior wood primer
- Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore SW 7069 exterior satin paint
- Paint roller and brushes
- Power sander and sandpaper
- Exterior wood stain
- Black door hardware
- Cedar boards for the window boxes
- River rocks
- Old cedar posts for the garden border
- Wire trellis
- Succulents, native cacti, and Peggy Martin rose
Making Repairs Before the Farmhouse Shed Makeover
Here’s where we started. It just needed a little love—that’s all!
Before we could get to the fun part, we needed to address the damaged areas. Thankfully, the entire shed didn’t need to be rebuilt. Only one exterior wall had to be replaced due to weather damage.
We removed the damaged material and replaced that side with pressure-treated plywood to help it withstand our severe Texas weather. We also removed the rotted trim pieces around the shed and replaced them with new wood.
Once the repairs were complete, the new plywood and trim were primed to prepare the surfaces for exterior paint. It wasn’t the glamorous part of this modern farmhouse shed makeover, but repairing the damage first gave us a solid foundation and a much cleaner finished look.
Restoring the Original Hand-Built Farm Door
One feature I knew I wanted to save was the original farm door. It had been hand-built from individual wood planks by the previous owners, and replacing it with a new door would have taken away some of the shed’s history and rustic character.
Years of paint had hidden most of the natural wood, so we removed the door and stripped away the old layers. Once the majority of the paint was gone, I sanded each board to smooth the surface and reveal the beautiful wood grain underneath. It was a messy and time-consuming job, but this old door was worth saving.
After the wood was cleaned and prepared, we restained the door rather than repainting it. The warm wood tones create a beautiful contrast against the dark exterior and give our modern farmhouse shed an authentic, one-of-a-kind feature.
Sometimes the imperfect, handmade pieces are the ones that add the most charm. This old farm door wasn’t purchased from a store or designed to look rustic—it earned its character naturally, and now it can continue to be part of the shed’s story.
Wait until you see the new hardware I picked!
Choosing a Modern Farmhouse Shed Paint Color
Choosing the paint color made the biggest visual difference in this farmhouse shed makeover. Because the shed sits near the front entrance of our property, I wanted it to feel like an intentional part of our country home rather than an old storage building we were trying to hide.
Before painting, I scraped away the old, loose, peeling paint from the exterior. Any areas that had been scraped down to bare wood were coated with an exterior primer. Taking the time to properly prepare those worn areas gave the new paint a better surface to adhere to and helped create a more even finish.
For the exterior, I chose Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore SW 7069 in an exterior satin finish. We had already used this deep charcoal color on our home’s front doors and the farmhouse shutters surrounding the windows. Repeating the same color on the shed helped connect the two structures and created a cohesive look across the property.
If you’re comparing storage shed paint colors, consider how each color will look beside your home, roof, driveway, and surrounding landscape. Iron Ore was dark enough to make a statement, but its softer charcoal tone kept it from feeling harsh or solid black.
The dark exterior also created a beautiful contrast with the warm stained wood, rustic metal roof, and restored farm door. Our old shed was finally beginning to look less like an eyesore and more like it had always belonged here.
Landscaping Around the Shed
Once the repairs and painting were complete and the restored door was back in place, I turned my attention to the landscaping. The fresh paint had transformed the shed, but the surrounding area still needed some love to help it blend naturally with our country property.
Since the shed doesn’t have gutters, I placed river rocks beneath the roofline to soften the impact of runoff, reduce soil erosion, and prevent water from collecting against the structure. I continued the rocks beneath the covered areas, creating a low-maintenance bed where I planted succulents and native cacti.
To hold the stones in place, I repurposed old cedar logs saved from clearing a fence row. We cut them into random lengths and buried them upright to create a rustic garden border. I love how the uneven heights give the bed a casual, collected look that fits the character of the shed.
Adding Rustic Garden Details
The original window boxes also needed an update, so we wrapped them with cedar fence pickets and stained them to coordinate with the door, fascia, and 4×4 porch posts. Simple greenery softens the dark Iron Ore paint without making the exterior feel overly decorated.
On the backside where we replaced the weather-damaged wood, we attached a wire trellis to the shed wall and planted a Peggy Martin climbing rose. As it grows, its soft pink blooms will cover more of the wall, adding a beautiful cottage-garden touch.
The landscaping is still a work in progress, and I’m perfectly happy with that… for now. Gardens take time to develop, and this one will continue to change as the plants grow—and as I bring home another plant that I absolutely had to have, which is pretty often. 😊
Modern Farmhouse Shed Reveal
Isn’t it amazing what a little paint and stain will do?! I’m over-the-top happy with the way it looks now. 😀
What was once an eyesore near the front of our property now feels like it belongs with our country home, and I adore it. The Iron Ore paint, restored wood door, black hardware, stained cedar details, and natural landscaping gave this old structure the modern farmhouse shed makeover I was wanting.
More importantly, we saved a perfectly useful building. It still works hard storing our lawn and garden equipment, but now I no longer cringe when I see it from the driveway. That alone makes all the scraping, sanding, painting, and rock hauling worth it!
I hope this modern farmhouse shed reveal gives you a few shed design ideas for updating an older building on your property. Sometimes a structure doesn’t need to be torn down—it simply needs repairs, fresh paint, and someone stubborn enough to make it pretty.
Would you have saved this old shed or torn it down? Let me know in the comments. Oh, and don’t forget to share and PIN 📌this idea to your favorite DIY home projects board for future inspiration.
The “Murder Shed” Gets a Second Chance
There’s one little detail I almost forgot to share. Before the shed makeover, my daughter-in-law named this building the “murder shed” because she thought it looked scary! It’s now a charming modern farmhouse shed—and far less likely to frighten anyone arriving at our country home. 😂 But I did manage to continue the name “Murder Shed” by creating a wood sign for the door. I just had to!
Until the next project… xo, Do
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What an incredible transformation! Your eye for beauty and detail is superb!
Thank you, Mary! I appreciate the feedback. I hope you have a wonderful rest of your week. 🙂 And thanks for reading and supporting me.
Shed looks Amazing! Great Job
🙂 Thanks!
So happy you didn’t tear it down and start from scratch. That would have been sooo much more work and this restyled shed looks brand spank’n NEW, modern and fabulous! Pinned And have an awesome weekend my friend. XOXO
Thanks, Denise!
Yes, I’m happy that I salvaged it now, but the before was questionable. 😄 Enjoy the rest of your week, and thanks for the pin. 🙂 xo
Everything project you do is so beautiful. I live in Central Texas so I appreciate your garden scapes.
Aww, thank you, Mae Lynn. I do enjoy making things pretty again. I hope you have a beautiful week. 🙂