A lot of folks has a garden shed out in the yard and it will ultimately come in handy for a variety of uses.
You get additional storage for hobbies, gardening supplies, etc.
Farmers use them for farm equipment or feed/hay and some are even considering the options to turn the garden shed into a tool shed or greenhouse!
Garden sheds often do not have mains power. If you want to use it as a garden shed in the winter when it’s cold, there are ways to heat them. You can use solar power, insulate it, put in a window, even use a propane heater.
Some even install a wood burning stove or a rocket stove. You can also add hot water pipes that work similar to radiators.
1. Add Insulation
Garden sheds have little or no insulation and are basically a frame.
They are not made to be a livable space and shelter things that don’t need climate control.
Garden sheds function to protect tools and equipment from the weather, but most things can withstand cold temperatures.
In winter months the inside the garden shed becomes very cold. If you intend to spend time in the shed, you will want to warm it up.
Unfortunately, people typically don’t have electric run to the shed and they need to come up with a different plan to make it comfortable.
A lot of the garden sheds are not insulated, so adding insulation to the garden shed will enhance your experience making it a more valuable asset as you would be able to relax and enjoy time inside during winter months.
Even if you have plans to heat it up in another form in the future, you still want insulation to keep heat in.
Be sure to run insulation the walls and ceiling. If it is an open stud construction, it is simple to run and you will immediately feel the difference.
Always Good Idea: It is always good to further insulate your garden shed as a first step because whichever way you make additional heat, you will want insulation.
2. Add a Window
The sun can create warmth in any space, even a garden shed.
You may not have a window, or the window may be small.
If you do add a large window, it will bring in light and heat from the sun, and the glass will magnify the intensity of the sun as you have probably experienced inside your home.
Because glass causes the light and heat from the sun to intensify on the other side.
So, if you know you will be spending time in the shed during the day, consider which wall receives solid sun during the day.
You could set up your worktable on the side of the window, and you will find it significantly warmer when you are inside there working.
3. Use a Solar Heater
Even if you can’t run electricity to your shed, you can harness sunlight as a heating source.
With a solar heater you don’t need any electricity.
You can also make it yourself with a few items you probably have.
You can make your own solar heater with:
- a window
- empty aluminum cans
- a drill
- and duct tape
Start by painting the cans black because black absorbs heat. You need to drill holes in the bottom just like you did before.
Then take your duct tape and tape the cans together. You are going to place these inside of the window.
This works because hot air rises and the air inside the cans will become hot from the sun.
As hot air rises it will come out of the holes and into the shed.
The colder air will enter the cans and rise as it heats up. If the sun is shining it will heat your garden shed.
4. Use a Portable Propane Heater
If your only objective is to heat up your shed while you are working in it, a portable propane heater works great.
This is very simple and the only thing you need is the heater and a canister of propane.
You can set it up anywhere in the shed, then turn it on. It will heat up the shed in no time.
This is where your insulation becomes valuable because if you added insulation to the shed, it will hold in the heat much better.
You will always need to make sure you are only using the propane heater while you are in the shed.
It is a little more expensive than other methods because you have to pay for the heater and of course you will need to fill the propane canister when it runs out.
Propane heaters will use propane instead of electric, so they will use up propane overtime. They are portable and easy to use though and they will heat the shed up and keep you warm.
Good news! They are easy to find and they are not super expensive.
5. Install a Wood Burning Stove
There are many who think having a woodburning stove is a great idea.
You won’t just be able to heat the potting shed, but you can like you are sitting in front of a warm fire.
A wood burning stove can heat a garden shed up to 1,000 square feet.
After you install the wood burning stove, all you need to to do is provide firewood! You can cut as you go out, or you can go the old school route and load up the fire with firewood.
One point to remember is you have to install the stove with a flue pipe that will carry the exhaust of the stove out of the shed. You could simply build a chimney, or if there is an opening in the roof, purchase a stove with a pipe that runs, up through the roof.
This is a way to heat your shed when you don’t have electricity, but it is going to be a bigger project, if you and the family plan or are working there all season.
6. Use a Rocket Stove
The rocket stove is another less familiar option, people are not sure what this even is.
The rocket stove is basically a wooden stove that you can build yourself.
A rocket stove is designed to work because it is insulated with a special feed slot, which you use to place logs or other items that you want to burn. The chimney is also designed to be wide so it will take the heat out.
The fire gets hot because the burn chamber is insulated. You can burn pieces that are small, like small twigs, you don’t have to load up the wood stove with the long pieces.
You can make this with a variety of different items, oil barrels, tin cans and others.
Be Creative: You can find recycled materials and make this a sustainable item in your shed. This stove puts off so much heat; it is a good option to have in your shed.
7. Install Hot Water Pipes
An electric radiator is one such method that heats your garden shed. It works by circulating hot water through pipes.
The radiator dissipates the heat from the hot water and heats the air in the room.
Hot water pipes will work in a similar way. The hot water will heat the air surrounding the pipes, and hot air will rise, thereby helping to warm up the shed.
The water will need to be heated outdoors, otherwise, you will have cold water in your pipes. Cold water will freeze and could potentially burst your pipes during the winter months.
One way to heat the water is to run it through a barrel, heating the barrel with a fire underneath.
While this will provide some heat to your garden shed, you will also want to ensure you create it safely.
8. Make a Pot Belly Stove
An additional type of wood-burning stove is referred to as a pot-belly stove.
The pot-belly stove is a vertical stove that has a thick middle. You can make these stoves from recycled materials, such as an old metal barrel or an old propane tank.
You will also need to install a flue to vent the smoke out of your shed.
There is an opening in the middle of the stove where you put your materials, and the fire continues to burn after you add materials. You can burn coal or wood, in which case you can gather wood from around the shed.
On the top, you can have a flat surface for cooking. You start the fire like you would with a wood burning stove, and you keep adding new material until you are done using the stove.
It is critical that:
- You make a flue and vent the smoke out of the shed
- You put the pot belly stove on a surface that is non-combustible.
You need to take precautions to make sure you are safe when you build any kind of wood burning stove yourself.
Final Thoughts
When considering ways to make a shed cozy and toasty, you might also want to get prepared for the winter, you have quite a few options.
You should always make sure that you start by fully insulating your shed.
No matter what method you choose to heat it, if you don’t have insulation, it will not hold heat.
Once your shed is insulated, go ahead and implement one of the ideas above to create heat without electricity.