Building the Canyon 12: A Tiny Shed

I felt like the water stop scene need a little building -- a pump house or tool shed -- so I ordered a shed kit from Calvin Witt.

Calvin's kits are simple and basic, and lend themselves to additions and enhancements. Which works for me, since I hardly ever build a structure kit exactly the way its designer intended.

When I ordered the kit, Calvin apologized because he hadn't gotten around to writing instructions. So I offered to draft something for him.

There are two sheds in the kit, so I built the first one very basic, taking lots of pictures for the instructions. The second one, I gave the full treatment.

Here's the basic one:

Then I built the one I'm actually going to use. I distressed the siding, adding plank ends, cracks, and nail holes. I stained it with walnut stain, then dry brushed with gray. I was going to leave it at that, but after ruminating about what color to paint the windows, I decided to go for a weathered version of the color scheme I associate with western railroads, buff with oxide red trim. I dry brushed the siding with Vallejo buff, and dry brushed the trim parts with burnt sienna.

The shed will sit on a slight slope, so I felt it needed a little porch. That led me to build a new floor using coffee stir sticks for planking.

Here's where it stands tonight:

The support posts seem a little heavy, so I may replace them with smaller material. I need to clear some grass and work the base into the ground. There's going to be a ramp along the right side.

I'm thinking I may use Clever Models shingles on the roof, and I'll almost certainly add some rafter tails.

3/24/25: Today's progress. I changed the support posts and sank them into the ground, and added the roof with Clever Models shingles. I have an assortment of barrels and other junk to add around the area, but pretty pleased for now.

A wider view:

Different angle:

12/29/25: Added a crow sitting on the roof and touched up the paint in a couple of spots.