Studio Shed Blog

Retired elementary school teacher Cynthia Jones always thought that their 2000 square-foot home outside of Murfreesboro, Tennessee had plenty of space. But when her husband Jim took three weeks off to help her recover from orthopedic surgery, she wasn’t so sure. “Just three weeks of being holed up together at home made me realize that, when we’re both retired, it…

Maximizing Space with Ease: A Step-by-Step Installation of a 12’x24′ Studio Shed We’ve got a new angle for you on our latest Shed Story. Instead of focusing on our customer’s experience with their Studio Shed, we’re focusing on the experience of a new installation team. Whether you are a customer considering a DIY purchase, or working with your own contractor, this…

For more than ten years Astrid ran her thriving residential landscape design firm, Astrid Gaiser Garden Design, LLC, from her home in Mountain View, California. For years, this arrangement worked well. Her open, airy Eichler house (circa 1954) readily accommodated the spreading piles of resource materials and project records, oversized printers and large landscape plans. One day, she realized, “My…

The project was inspired by an old storage shed adjacent to the house in Stamford, Connecticut that Enda Cusack shares with his partner. Why not convert the shed to living space, he thought? While we’re at it, we could remove a few trees from the backyard and add a swimming pool too. None of that happened. “It turned out it…

Efficient Solutions for Active Lifestyles: The Seamless Journey to a Custom Workshop Install Whitewater rafting and skiing led Durango-based Kathleen C. to Studio Shed. “I had a lot of equipment but nowhere to do maintenance or projects,” said the West Point graduate and retired Army officer who now teaches adventure education at a local college and volunteers as a ski…

  When Rob Gaedtke and his wife Shayna bought their Reno, Nevada property in 2006, they felt the 1,300 square foot house was nice but unexceptional. It was the backyard that clinched the deal. The ¼ acre lot was perfect for a young couple hooked on outdoor living. To Rob, it was an empty canvas full of possibilities. In the…

With their third and last child in college, Tim and Laurie sold their 3,100 square foot Piedmont, CA home and bought a smaller property down the hill in a charming Oakland enclave developed in the 1920s. The 1,700 square foot Prairie Style house appealed to the East Coast couple who saw opportunities in the house and in the double lot…

Beth’s modern, single-story house sits on a long narrow San Francisco lot. Though only 952 square feet, the house features nicely proportioned spaces and a desirable location. For three years, living there, all was good. Then Beth changed jobs and began working from home. “I’m a very organized person,” said Beth, who found it disruptive to work without a dedicated…

When Studio Shed was founded, our mission was to provide smart, flexible, and small spaces that had the potential to transform the way we live and work. As our company grows, so have the variety of uses of our spaces. We’ve pioneered the most efficient ways to prefabricate, ship, and install our signature backyard buildings. The knowledge we’ve gained through…

Growing season is almost here! To start getting inspired for our spring and summer projects, Studio Shed sat down with Garden Eats co-founder Christine Dionese to talk about growing your own food, indoor and outdoor gardening, and tips for those considering a greenhouse – like our new Studio Sprout – as we head into the planting season. Enjoy! Tell us…

How many of you have dreamed of building a secluded retreat for your family to enjoy and get away from the pressures of our busy lives? How about doing it twelve miles from the nearest road and hauling all of your tools and materials to the site…

Most of us can use more space, whether it’s for working, storing or doing hobbies. But adding square footage to an existing home can be time consuming and costly. That’s why many homeowners are turning to backyard sheds. These freestanding structures often don’t require permits and are quick and easy to set up; their basic construction means a short installation…

Everyone at Studio Shed loves being outdoors. We just can’t help ourselves – we live in beautiful Colorado where we’re accustomed to at least 300 days of sunshine each year and where nature beckons us to play outside. We mountain bike, we hike, we run, we ski, we play! And even when we’re relaxing at home you’ll likely find us,…

In 2014 Studio Shed will be bringing you a guest blog series from some of the most influential voices in our industry spanning topics from green building, living small, outdoor spaces, landscape design and more. We’re thrilled to kick off our series with an interview with Microshowcase’s Brian Levy. Brian founded Microshowcase, a micro-housing community in Washington DC. It has garnered…

An avid sailor of the San Francisco Bay, Mike M. knew the pleasure of tapping the power of nature and using the right equipment to tackle necessary tasks. Recently he found similar satisfaction in designing a home office perched on the hillside adjacent to his remote off-the-power-grid home in the rugged terrain east of Silicon Valley. “Things changed for me at work when…

Lack of time and studio space had caused Sarah J. to put her creative endeavors on hold. “I craved creative space,” said the Austin-based therapist and sculptor. “I envisioned a really beautiful architectural spot, a modern, forward-thinking place. We had room in our backyard to build something just for me, but I wasn’t sure how to create it,”

For nine years, abstract painter Rush Beam shuttled his art supplies from one random tight space to another, borrowing closet, storage and guest bedroom spaces from friends, first in Davidson, NC, then in San Francisco. When he moved back to North Carolina for a position in Durham related to his career in youth ministry, his wife Erin agreed that an…

California interior/exterior designer Kathryn McCormack looked at the typical one-story 1950s bungalow in the Mesa neighborhood of Santa Barbara and saw the future. Just five doors from the bluffs overlooking the Pacific, with good bones, it was perfect. She bought it and set about changing… well, everything. Incredibly her whole house re-design was kicked off by the Studio Shed she…

Anyone who works from home knows how important it is and how tough it can be to “get away” now and then. For Eric Landek of Redwood City, California, the solution was to get away without actually going anywhere! No gearing up, no time wasted traveling to and from, before heading back to work refreshed and raring to go. Eric’s

Theirs was a classic case of “now what?” Marco and Kayla Morelli loved their 1,000 square foot, 2-bedroom house in a wonderful downtown neighborhood in Longmont, Colo. From the get-go, the property gave them everything they wanted: charm, location, a long deep backyard, friends nearby and a friendly five minute walk to the many restaurants, coffee shops, library and parks…