Creative Reclaimed Window Ideas for She Shed Exterior

Hey there DIY friend! Are you looking for creative shed window ideas? Well, you’ve come to the right place.

In this article, we’ll explore a couple of creative and practical shed window ideas that will let in natural light and add some reclaimed style to your outdoor space.

I will show you how we used reclaimed old wooden windows for our outdoor shed to create a cottage-style garden she shed that is also a storage shed for all of our gardening tools and supplies.

You will also see how we trimmed the window frame of each window using reclaimed picket fence boards! Plus I have a bonus project showing how I created the cutest DIY gingerbread detail on this cottage style she shed! Let’s get started!

A small, white wooden shed with a tin roof is nestled among trees on a grassy lawn. A green garden swing sits in front of the shed. Sunlight filters through the thick foliage, casting dappled shadows on the ground. In the background, there's a glimpse of a fence and more trees.

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purpose of shed designs

Choosing the right windows for your garden shed is an important aspect to consider before you begin building. It is a good idea to decide how you will use this outdoor building when choosing the type and how many windows you will need.

Choosing the best windows for you garden shed is a personal choice based on how you will use the structure!

We are using our DIY garden shed for several purposes. Hopefully, these ideas will inspire you when considering what kind of windows to use for your garden shed!

A small glass greenhouse stands amidst tall trees in a serene garden. A green bench is placed beside the greenhouse, inviting relaxation. The surrounding foliage creates a peaceful, shaded area. The ground is covered in brown leaves and patches of grass.

diy greenhouse shed

One of the uses of our outdoor shed is to start and grow seedlings for our flower gardens and vegetable gardens. That means we need plenty of light coming in. Many DIY greenhouse sheds have walls and ceilings made from old windows.

We didn’t want the entire roof to be in windows so we opted to have approximately one-third of the roofing material in clear corrugated material that acts as a window opening.

The two side walls of the greenhouse shed are solid windows. The front shed wall, as well as the back shed wall, are built with framed in windows. The wall frame was built to accommodate the actual window size we had on hand. We’ve collected windows for some time and they are mismatched!

As a side note, I painted the exterior of the she shed using exterior paint.

A person crouches on the ground outside, painting a white trim of a window on a small building. They are wearing a black t-shirt and blue shorts. Various tools and paint supplies are scattered around. There are plants and other buildings in the background.

garden storage shed

If you love to garden then you understand the tools and supplies that come along with that passion. Rakes, shovels, planting containers and the list goes on and on!

Both my hubby and I love to garden. He prefers vegetable gardening and I like to work on flower gardening. He keeps the tools and supplies he uses in a larger outdoor carport along with the mower. I will use the garden shed for flower gardening storage space.

You will also see the trash can compost system we started this year. I will share more about that in an upcoming post so stay tuned!

Do you see the extra window behind the comport system? Let me know if I should use that window in some way on this garden shed!

A small white wooden shed with two large windows and one smaller window above. Two black ACE trash bins are in front of the shed. Trees surround the area, and a glimpse of another building is visible to the left. The setting looks like a yard or garden.

backyard retreat

This adorable garden shed will not only house our gardening tools and be a place to start seedlings, it will also be a peaceful place to enjoy a quiet moment in the garden.

This beautiful shed is the perfect spot to enjoy a cup of coffee in the early morning hours, read quietly while also enjoying the outdoors, and even have a space to write a blog post from time to time! I can even imagine having dinner out here on a summer night!

Share your different ways of using this space as a backyard retreat down in the comments section of this post! I would love to hear them!

A bright, rustic greenhouse with large windows and white-framed walls. The interior features hanging plants, baskets, gardening tools, and a wooden workbench. A wooden chair and stool are placed on a gravel floor, with a wooden crate filled with various gardening items.

thanks for being here!

I hope you are enjoying this project! Let me know if you have any questions. Or leave me a comment to tell me about your project and ideas!

thanks, Cindy 😀

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our shed window ideas

Let’s chat about the three types of windows we used in our garden shed. I will also offer ideas you could use in your garden shed.

reclaimed materials as windows

The two side walls of this garden shed are made from old sash-style windows that came from a 1963 home. Our daughter and her family replaced the old windows in their home and offered about 30 windows to us!

Each window is double hung so had a ton of windows! You can see in the image below that the windows were wider than they were tall. I turned them for our purpose making them taller than they were wide. I wanted a long and narrow shape for our greenhouse windows.

Each window had different dimensions but had relatively the same appearance. We decided the best way to install these windows would be to hang them from the window frame using small strap hinges. This would make each one an operable window.

There are two rows of five windows on each side of the garden shed for a total of twenty windows on the two side walls. This allows plenty of natural light as well as fresh air to come in when the windows are open.

A brick house with white trim features a front porch with a white railing and a dark wooden door with glass panels. Above the porch, the number "193" is displayed. Bushes and green foliage surround the front entrance, and a lantern light hangs from the ceiling.

A partially constructed greenhouse stands on a grassy area with a white metal roof and multiple glass windows. A ladder leans on the left side inside, indicating ongoing work. Trees are visible in the background.

antique windows on a backyard shed

The front and back walls of this DIY she shed are built with standard 2×4 construction methods. We were able to frame out the area for each of the old windows I have been collecting for a couple of years.

Each of the three windows on the back and the two windows on the front are different sizes. Hubby did an excellent job framing out the areas for each window! The windows are hung using the same hinges as we did for the side wall windows.

The two windows at the gable ends of this outdoor shed have small antique windows that tilt open just as the other windows do. This will create better ventilation in this outdoor building.

clear corrugated roof panels as windows

As I mentioned earlier, this garden shed is also a greenhouse. We wanted light coming in towards the back of the structure.

Installing old windows on the roof rafters seemed difficult for these DIY builders so we opted to use newly purchased corrugated roof panels instead. They would fit with our tin corrugated roof and seemed the best solution.

A small greenhouse constructed from repurposed glass windows and doors, surrounded by lush green trees. The white-framed structure features a pitched roof and several windows for ventilation. A wheelbarrow and garden tools are visible beside the greenhouse.

other garden shed window ideas

Here are some additional ideas to get your creative mind in gear for your shed windows! Do a local search to find old windows in your area. Keep your mind open as you browse through their selection!

old (or new) transom windows
aluminum windows from a salvage yard
double French doors to act as windows
old round windows for the gable ends
used skylights
solid pane casement windows

A beige shed with a partially open window displaying a small garden shed inside. The shed has a window on the roof peak and is surrounded by grass and trees. Some tools and materials are visible inside. A wooden structure is partially visible in the background.

trim windows on garden shed

The windows in our garden shed looked amazing but I wanted to add a finishing touch to them. I have stacks of picket fence boards from so many previous projects.The fence boards would create the perfect exterior window treatments for these old repurposed windows!

I measured, marked, and cut each board to fit the dimensions of the windows on the front and the back walls. Then I attached the fence boards to the wood siding of this diy shed using screws. I made sure to keep the decorative gothic end on several of the trim boards to create a cottage aesthetic.

A person in a blue shirt and shorts is working on the exterior of a small white building possibly a shed. They appear to be prepping or painting, holding a tool up to the trim near the door. A ladder is positioned nearby, and the door has a weathered look.

Once all of the windows on the front and back walls were trimmed out, I sprayed them down with bleach water to remove the green mildew. The next day, I sealed in the chippy paint using an exterior acrylic clear top coat.

By the way, I’m not done with these picket boards yet! Someone on my YouTube channel suggested I use some of the pickets to build window boxes for the front of this garden shed. I love that idea! I’ve built DIY window boxes before and it’s an easy DIY project!

If you would like to watch the full video of this project, click the button below! You will also see how I painted this building!

Rustic Wood Trim on a She Shed Video

creative use for chair spindles

Since all of the windows swing out to open, I needed to come up with an idea to hold them open for continuous air flow. I have a stash of loose chair spindles that I knew would be the perfect solution!

It was easy to use heavy jute twine to allow the spindles to hang next to each window when not in use. To keep the window open, I simply prop the spindle against the bottom of the window and the window frame. This holds the window open perfectly!

A weathered, white-painted wooden garden shed with two large, old-fashioned windows. One window is propped open. Below the window, there are two black plastic trash cans used for composting. The she shed is surrounded by trees and greenery. An outdoor hose is visible on the wall by the trash cans.

Handy tip: Collect Windows

Collecting the windows for you she shed is half of the fun! Let your family and friends know you want old windows. You will be surprised how many you can get for free! Search Marketplace and your local salvage yards to pick up mismatched windows!

bonus project! diy gingerbread

The front gable end needed some extra adornment. The picket fence window trim looks amazing but I can’t leave well enough alone! Plus it’s another use for those picket fence boards!

I created this faux gingerbread using pickets and mismatched chair spindles from other projects. It was easy to cut the fence boards to fit the gable end. Then I attached the spindles by first predrilling the holes and then using wood screws to secure them to the triangle shape of the fence boards.

Once it was assembled, I attached the whole thing to the very top gable end using screws. The faux gingerbread was sealed with exterior clear top coat to seal in all the vintage goodness.

It’s the perfect touch, don’t you think?

A person in a blue shirt is working on a wooden frame outdoors, using a power drill and other tools. Various tools and supplies, including a second power drill and a tube of adhesive, are scattered on the grass around them.

A person with curly hair, wearing a gray T-shirt and jeans, stands on a ladder while painting the exterior of a white wooden shed with multiple windows. The person is focusing on the trim near the roofline. Trees are visible in the background.

shed door ideas

If you were noticing the shed’s door, then you might be wondering more about it!

We purchased the door for only $10 at a local flea market. A glass pane was missing in the four-section window pane area of the old door. One of the mullions was missing as well.

I threw away one of the glass panes and replaced it with a longer, single piece of new glass that hubby purchased at our local hardware store. The other two glass panes were in good shape. The whole door needed to be re-glued. That was simple with wood glue and long bar clamps.

I trimmed out the exterior door frame using the same method as with the windows. This shed door design is one of my favorite aspects of this garden shed!

A close-up of a weathered wooden door with peeling blue paint. The door features a rustic, metal doorknob and glass panes at the top. The door is framed by light-colored siding. The texture and layers of the worn paint give it a vintage, distressed appearance.

dream DIY shed ideas

And there ya’ have it! I hope you have been inspired to build your own DIY garden shed using these ideas for the windows. If you have any questions, please reach out! I would love to share more ideas with you!

You can see the entire process of this DIY she shed build here on my blog as well as on my YouTube channel. Hope you enjoy reading more about this adorable cottage shed!

Garden Shed Playlist

watch how we built this she shed for our backyard!

tap to watch!

A small, rustic white shed is surrounded by lush greenery and trees. It features large windows and a metallic roof. In front, there's a wooden bench and some gardening tools. The overall setting is peaceful and inviting.

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A charming white cottage-style she shed is set amidst a lush garden. A green swing hangs from a tree in front of the shed. "Cottage style she shed" and "creative window ideas" text is overlayed on the image, with "ReinventedDelaware.com" at the bottom.

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Cindy Rust

Cindy has been decorating her home with thrift store finds for 40 years. She is an avid thrift store shopper who loves to makeover the items she finds into vintage-inspired home decor and furniture. When she isn’t thrift shopping or painting a piece of furniture, you can find her making homemade butter, working in her garden, or painting with watercolors.

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