SoCal Serene

SAN DIEGO – As a successful architect in Southern California, Nastaran knows what she wants from the spaces she designs: aesthetically impactful style with the highest quality and functionality for the budget. This is why she came to Modern Shed when it was time to expand the square footage of their living space. She deeply appreciated the high standards of quality to which Modern Shed builds our products, and knew that her investment would stand the test of time.

Nastaran first started looking at a home gym from Modern Shed back in 2016 while she was remodeling their home with her fiance, but the project was put on hold to divert the funding to the essentials going on in the home. However, as the pandemic hit, Nastaran found herself needing a home office space quickly. While her previous research regarding Modern Shed combined with her expertise as an architect herself dramatically sped up the process to plan and purchase her new office, Nastaran also valued her Design Pro, Trevor’s expertise and professionalism in helping the entire process run smoothly, especially as pandemic-related delays started to affect the delivery time frame. She also adds that his knowledge and explanation of the design and build process would be invaluable to someone less familiar with the ins and outs of construction.

“I definitely made it a bit more interesting for Trevor and the installer, Chase,” Nastaran reflects. “I came to them with a full electrical work up for puck lighting and the ceiling fan, even a floor outlet. They were great! They wired in all the conduit based on my instructions.”

The investment in their property was well worth the investment in time and resources to help Nastaran bring her long-term vision for their outdoor space closer to reality. Even though her 120 square-foot shed is currently being utilized for an office, she already has plans to bring the home gym or even a guest space back into the area when she returns to work in her usual office. “I really appreciate how functional and flexible the space is. It’s just beautiful. If I had to do it all again, I’m not sure if I would eat up 30” of space for the lavatory. It will be handy for guests someday, but right now it doesn’t really get used,” Nastaran mused.

Overall, though, she is absolutely pleased with the whole process. “The install was just amazing. The shed itself took just four days, and they stayed for 10 days finishing every last detail for us. Being in the industry, I’ve worked on projects that are in construction for two or three years, so that’s just brilliant.”

“I would recommend people think of their project as a long-term investment and really think ahead. For example, we also wired for a mini-split to cool our Modern Shed, which will be installed in the summer. The more thought you put into it, the more you can enjoy it!”

“I just love coming out here to work, or just rearrange my space. It’s quiet and serene. We even joke, it’s probably sturdier than our house!”

To learn more about how to plan your own quiet escape, download our Modern Shed catalog here: https://www.modern-shed.com/catalog

Planning a Modern Shed Studio Space: Getting Financing

The world of home improvement loans offers a variety of options to get you on your way to owning your very own Modern-Shed home office, music/art studio, or home gym! But sorting through these options and securing your loan quickly is one of the most important steps to getting your space built and installed as quickly as possible.

Many Modern-Shed clients can draw on their current home equity, especially in our current financial climate, in order to finance their new space. You can choose between a Home Equity Loan or a Home Equity Line of Credit, or a home re-finance. All of which have many advantages to consider. Also, since your loan or line of credit is secured using your existing home as collateral, you can get a lower interest rate than an unsecured loan.

Another option for those with good to excellent credit would be an unsecured personal loan, especially if you have recently purchased your home and haven’t had time to build up enough equity to cover improvements. There are several financial institutions that offer these types of loans based on what your financial goals are, such as longer terms with lower monthly payments or securing the lowest interest rate. Modern Shed has partnered with Acorn Financing as a provider of this type of financing option. See our website for information and pre-qualification.

Acquiring financing can take some time, especially if you are using your home for collateral and an appraisal needs to be done as the mortgage industry is as busy as ever so we highly recommend getting approved for as much as possible as it is much easier to not use all of the loan, but it is more difficult to ask for more once the loan is secure. 

How much do you need? Modern Shed’s Design Professionals will help you create your budget by providing a quote for the Modern Shed structure as well as help with calculating the ancillary costs of shipping, ground prep, interior, and exterior finishing, and in some places, electrical contracting. Whether you choose to self-install or have a Modern-Shed preferred contractor install and finish we advise our clients to secure a loan 10-20% larger than the estimate for their project to make sure their project doesn’t encounter delays due to financing. (And always choose a loan that has no pre-payment penalties!)

The best part about investing in your new Modern Shed studio will be the quality and craftsmanship that we bring to your property, as our Sheds are built to the highest standards and designed to last as long as your home (if not longer). For more information about how you can invest in your own home office, gym, or art studio, contact Modern Shed today!

A Vison for the Future: Meet Marc

Marc Fuller is deeply curious.

From his background in finance, and later software solutions, the question of ‘why’ has driven him to look deeper at what solutions the people around him are asking for. He joins the Modern-Shed leadership team now with a vision of not just growth, but continued excellence in craftsmanship and service.

“What I love about Modern Shed is there’s so much demand for our product.” Marc has seen and heard the concerns from potential clients who are excited about what we do, but our sales and manufacturing teams are just so busy that we’re not able to get it done for them. “That is step one moving forward: being able to fulfill demand and deliver what they want. And not just any shed, but deliver a service and a quality that Modern Shed is known for.”

“I always wanted to buy a smaller business and run it. One of the things that drew me to Modern Shed was my family now lives in an area and time where there’s a massive housing shortage, and a lot of challenges to expanding the square footage of your existing home, which is also happening across the US. I did some investigating, talked to Ryan (Smith/founder) and Tim (Vack/GM) and listened to their approach to the solution and saw a huge opportunity to grow and expand the company, and provide a quality product to anyone who wants it, all across the country.”

“My long-term view is that, as housing prices continue to increase, more and more people are relying on their home as an investment in their financial stability. We want to make sure that when you’re making investments in improving your most valuable asset, your Modern Shed is truly an extension of your home, not just a place to store bikes and rakes. This could be an office, a gym, or even a second living room.”

The Modern Shed team is excited to work with Marc to implement his vision of scaled operations and expanded offerings, and appreciate his drive and enthusiasm for all that we do! We look forward to bringing you continued excellence in quality and service, with style.