If you’re anything like me, after working all day, the last thing I want to do is get ready all over again to go out for drinks to a smoky bar.  Sure it's 5 o'clock somewhere and having happy hour with my friends in my backyard bar shed truly sounds like heaven at home for people like myself.  What exactly is a backyard bar shed and how in the world did they come about?  I had never even heard of one until a friend on facebook posted a picture today so I started doing some research.

So, the trend actually started in the UK, with Community Gardens.  Yes, you read correctly.  What in the heck do community gardens have to do with backyard bar sheds, you ask?  Well, UK residents depended on community gardens for their fresh produce for years. The way it worked was that people were given allotments of land to grow fresh fruits and vegetables.  Many times, these allotments included a shed, where one could store their gardening tools, gloves, etc.  Over time, people did their gardening and had a beer/cocktail or two in or around the shed.  Eventually, more and more people joined and suddenly there were happy hours in the storage sheds until finally, the evolution of backyard bar sheds began.  And, this is where you begin to wonder, why didn’t I think of that? I know, I said it too!

How does one actually begin to turn their shed into a backyard bar?  It’s not as easy as slapping on a few shelves of liquor on the walls.  First, you have to find your style.  Are you more of a corner pub, classy lounge or brewery type of person?  Need some ideas? Check out ReaderSheds where you will find over 300 pictures of pub sheds, as they call them in the UK.  To save you some time, here's a few of my favorites:

         

Once you’ve established your style, go find the perfect shed to house it.  Or, learn to build one here.  Your shed needs to be fully functioning with electricity close by…nobody likes a bottle of warm beer.  Then, you start accessorizing…buying the essentials such as furniture, tools and décor.  Check out bar décor furniture and accessories and don’t forget to have some really cool lighting like one of these:

     

And last, but certainly not least, stock up!  Invite your neighbors, friends, family and perfect strangers to your new backyard bar...entry fee is a bottle of booze!

With most bars banning smoking, the cost of living going up and the increase in people working from home, backyard bars are a way of the future...so turn your backyard into a neighborhood bar (shed).

Market Update:  As of 3/16/2015 at 11:21pm, down from last week, there are 10109 properties currently available in the MLS (including single family homes, manufactured homes, townhomes and condominiums) of which 1102 are short sales and 419 are REO properties. Up from last week, there are 7135 contingent /pending properties of which 2623 are REO's and 503 are short sales.  There are 2909 residential rentals currently available and up from last week, 630 high rise properties currently available.