The Wall Street Journal
8 May 2018
Designers and fashion-conscious builders are offering what they call studio sheds, or prefabricated one-room structures, that appeal to the architectural aesthete.
“Shed” is a not a word that telegraphs a high sense of style. But today, designers and fashion-conscious builders are
offering what they call studio sheds, or prefabricated one-room structures, that appeal to the architectural aesthete.
Many of these sheds are small enough that they allow homeowners to bypass local ordinances requiring permits for
additional structures on their lots. Unlike “accessory dwelling units” that have bathrooms and kitchens, these
stand-alone rooms are typically used as home offices, play rooms or hobby spaces for yoga, music or meditation.
Some companies deliver the sheds fully built. The buyer just plugs them in for lighting and ventilation. Other
companies offer the option of having them build it on site, or shipping the components so the customer can assemble
it or hire someone to do it.
Here’s a look at three companies that are helping sheds to shed their lowbrow reputation.
Glass with Class
Jeremy Nova, co-founder of Studio Shed, based in Boulder, Colo., was working as a professional mountain-bike racer
in 2006 when he built a “high-design storage shed” for his household’s 20-or-so bikes, he said. Friends begged for their
own spaces, which convinced him and a partner to launch their own business in 2008. Studio Shed has grown by 30%
to 50% for each of the past five years, he said. It now offers four varieties of prefabricated sheds that customers can
assemble or that the company will build for them. The most popular model: a one-room space typically used for a
home office has a flat roof, big windows and glass doors.
Price: $25,000 to $30,000, installed; unit includes drywall, insulation, LED lighting, hardwood floors.
Hobbit Hangout
The only U.S. owner of the shingled, hobbit-house looking Archipod is Judy Bernier. Trained as an architect, and after
a long career as an interior designer, Ms. Bernier was looking for an attractive studio shed when she stumbled across
this design from Britain. The Archipod’s designer told her he didn’t export and that if she wanted one, she would have
to become the U.S. distributor. In 2015, she opened Podzook in Waldoboro, Maine, and hired local shipbuilders to
create a prototype.
Price: $17,000 to $25,000, delivered fully built; unit has reclaimed-wood floors, radiant heat, a built-in work surface.
Mini-MidCentury
David Smith, owner of Backyard Eichler, Novato, Calif., designs and builds sheds in the classic style of postwar
California real-estate developer Joseph Eichler. Mr. Eichler specialized in affordable modern architecture. Mr. Smith’s
sheds have flat roofs, transom windows, exposed-beam ceilings and lots of light, he said. About one-third of his
customers also have Eichler homes; most of the rest have modern or contemporary houses, he added. Mr. Smith
started the company in 2010. In his region, the company recommends installers and inspects the process; farther
afield, buyers get panels and hire their own builders.
Price: Starts at $19,500 with installation; unit includes a 10- by 12-foot sliding glass door, transom windows, insulation,
electrical wiring.