Greater Seattle area — When David and his family of four moved into their Pacific Northwest home, built in 1912, there was a major problem sitting in the backyard.

“The home had an existing garage that was maybe 50 years old,” David recalls. “There were raccoons living in the walls. There was actually no back wall. It had totally fallen apart and the whole thing probably would’ve just fallen in.”

The family had the garage removed, but as they explored their options to build another unit in the backyard and expand their living space, they ran into some issues.

“I was originally going to build a garage with a mother-in-law unit, we had it designed and everything, a garage with an apartment above it,” David says. “However it didn’t meet the requirements of the city we live in. It also was going to be very costly.”

Building the unit they envisioned would’ve cost the family about $350,000 had their city allowed it, but it was back to the drawing board for them.

That’s when they found Modern-Shed.

“I like modern architecture, but I also like older architecture, that’s why our house appealed to me,” David says. “We needed a garage to store our stuff while we rebuilt the house, a place for the kids to keep their bikes. That’s when I saw some articles in Dwell.”

David wasn’t sure Modern-Shed could build a garage, but dealer Mike Probach helped him envision what he was looking for.

“I really like the design of Modern-Shed, with the transom lights,” David says. “I contacted (a competitor) but I liked the design of Modern-Shed a little bit more. It seemed more put together and I liked that.”

David says he relished the options that Modern-Shed provided, from the colors to the door styles.

“I liked the fact that there were set options,” he stresses. “There was a color palette to choose from, there were different price ranges for different options. It wasn’t overwhelming and I got to have what I wanted.”

Last summer, Modern-Shed installers came out to put the 12-by-24-shed together, working diligently with David’s other contractors who were working on the shed’s foundation.

“I was particularly impressed with the installers and the way they were able to be attuned to my schedule,” David adds. “They were very much on time since they had to be there on a specific day. That was great.”

David oriented the Modern-Shed garage so that it has Southern exposure; he also had to have extra drywall on a side that was close to a neighbor’s garage due to fire hazard requirements since the shed’s boundaries are flush with his property line.

“Mike took care of all the drawings for the permitting so that it became super easy,” David says. “Everything with permitting went smoothly, which is great because I have two kids so I don’t have time for that.”

David recommends that people think about their sun exposure, the permits of the city they live in and the type of lighting they’d like to see in their sheds.

“I thought the process was really excellent,” he says. “It was very affordable.”

All in all, the Modern-Shed Garage solution cost David’s family around $50,000 and it’s the perfect space for the family to store not only bikes but, literally, everything they own.

The family lives in another neighborhood right now while their home is being remodeled — the basement is getting finished and more space will be added to the second floor.

“Modern-Shed felt very accommodating,” David says. “You think of something like this as one-size-fits-all, but it’s very custom. If it as one-size-fits-all, it wouldn’t work. It all came together really well.”