Old Outhouses Rebuilt As Garden Sheds
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“I used to be in the business of tearing down old, dilapitated barns,” says Mike Prescher of Pine Island, Minn. “At nearly every site I’d notice an old outhouse nearly hidden in the woods and I’d think, ‘There’s got to be a new-world use for these old-world structures.” That’s when the idea hit Prescher to turn them into garden sheds.
Since then he’s restored 76 outhouses and his business keeps growing. “It’s a crappy job, but somebody’s got to do it,” he says with a laugh.
The biggest challenge he faces on many old outhouses is installing a new floor. The bottom of the studs and the floor boards have generally started rotting or are missing altogether. Prescher says he has solved most outhouse restoration challenges “by paying lots of tuition to the school of hard knocks.”
Most outhouses he works on measure about 5 ft. wide by 4 ft. deep. Occasionally he finds a house that measures 6 by 6 ft. or more. Just about every outhouse has 70 1/2-in. studs, so with the addition of a bottom and top plate, they’re exactly 6 ft. tall when complete, not including the roof.
Prescher’s garden sheds are often decked out with porches, shelving for pots, flower boxes and red roofs “that really look sharp in their new location,” he says. Gardeners also like to store long-handled garden tools in the sheds.
Prescher delivers most of his garden sheds and kids’ playhouses on a customized trailer that he pulls with his truck. He generally has to load and unload the structures himself, so he’s developed transport tricks that enable him to move sheds without extra hands, even though they weigh several hundred pounds. He says “Once when I was delivering 2 restored outhouses on my trailer a lady pulled up next to me and hollered out the window, ‘Nice camper!’” Prescher just waved and kept on driving.
The cost for restoring outhouses depends on the circumstances and how much time and materials Prescher has to invest in the project. “Rescuing outhouses from the burn pile is my hobby. I’ve given a number of them away for no charge, but I may charge a fee to cover my expenses.”
One of Prescher’s favorite restorations was a playhouse for his granddaughter, finished with electricity, sparkly inside lights, a dry-erase board for drawing, a comfortable chair, and an assortment of stuffed companions.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Michael J. Prescher, 524 4th St. S.W., Pine Island, Minn. 55963 (ph 507 356-4836).
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Old Outhouses Rebuilt As Garden Sheds BUILDINGS Miscellaneous “I used to be in the business of tearing down old dilapitated barns ” says Mike Prescher of Pine Island Minn “At nearly every site I’d notice an old outhouse nearly hidden in the woods and I’d think ‘There’s got to be a new-world use for these old-world structures ” That’s when the idea hit Prescher to turn them into garden sheds Since then he’s restored 76 outhouses and his business keeps growing “It’s a crappy job but somebody’s got to do it ” he says with a laugh The biggest challenge he faces on many old outhouses is installing a new floor The bottom of the studs and the floor boards have generally started rotting or are missing altogether Prescher says he has solved most outhouse restoration challenges “by paying lots of tuition to the school of hard knocks ” Most outhouses he works on measure about 5 ft wide by 4 ft deep Occasionally he finds a house that measures 6 by 6 ft or more Just about every outhouse has 70 1/2-in studs so with the addition of a bottom and top plate they’re exactly 6 ft tall when complete not including the roof Prescher’s garden sheds are often decked out with porches shelving for pots flower boxes and red roofs “that really look sharp in their new location ” he says Gardeners also like to store long-handled garden tools in the sheds Prescher delivers most of his garden sheds and kids’ playhouses on a customized trailer that he pulls with his truck He generally has to load and unload the structures himself so he’s developed transport tricks that enable him to move sheds without extra hands even though they weigh several hundred pounds He says “Once when I was delivering 2 restored outhouses on my trailer a lady pulled up next to me and hollered out the window ‘Nice camper!’” Prescher just waved and kept on driving The cost for restoring outhouses depends on the circumstances and how much time and materials Prescher has to invest in the project “Rescuing outhouses from the burn pile is my hobby I’ve given a number of them away for no charge but I may charge a fee to cover my expenses ” One of Prescher’s favorite restorations was a playhouse for his granddaughter finished with electricity sparkly inside lights a dry-erase board for drawing a comfortable chair and an assortment of stuffed companions Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Michael J Prescher 524 4th St S W Pine Island Minn 55963 ph 507 356-4836
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