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Planning a Modern Shed Studio Space: Getting Financing

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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!

Customization in a Pre-fab World

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Most Modern-Shed clients come to us with a very specific vision in mind. They’ve done their homework, and know that an off-the-shelf design just won’t do. Or maybe it would, but the level of service they’ve gotten from other ‘big-box store’ retailers doesn’t instill confidence in their investment. After all that researching, emailing, and calling around, there’s only one company that stands out for customer service, quality, and quick turn-around: Modern-Shed.

So how do we get it done? Modern-Shed starts with the speed and repeatable quality of prefabrication. Building our sheds in a temperature-controlled environment to the highest build standards with materials that satisfy even the strictest codes (looking at you, California) allows us to bring an exceptional product right to your property without the hassle of turning it into a long-term construction site.

Modern-Shed also recognizes you want your investment to reflect your aesthetic and completely suit your needs. This is why our Design Professionals take the time to connect with you, understand the layout of your property and existing features, and listen to your story. We don’t want to just sell you a shed; we want you to be delighted with a structure that adds value to your everyday life. If your design needs to be 8 inches shorter to fit between rock features or trees, we can make those adjustments. If you need an extra-long roofline to provide shade or weather protection, our Design Pros can make recommendations that fit your budget. We take the time to understand your dream space, and help to make it a reality.

In the end, our clients are continually thrilled with a Modern-Shed that adds to their quality of life every day. From art or music studios, to library and office space, to guest suites and ADUs: Modern-Shed Design Pros will walk you through the design, permit, and build process, keeping your dream, timeline, and budget in mind. To get started on your Modern-Shed, download your catalog today.

The Lumber Situation

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If you’re one of the millions of Americans who attempted some kind of home improvement or DIY project this past year, or if you’ve started to explore purchasing a Modern-Shed for yourself, you’ve probably bemoaned the delays and price increases in everything from lumber to insulation and windows.

Stacked lumber

So what is UP with the lumber prices? Prices rose by more than 250% in the last year, and over 350% from March 2020’s five-year lows. Why?

At the outset of the pandemic, many mills initially slowed or even halted production. Even when they returned to work, most did so with limited staff and operational hours. Additionally, resin producers, who support the production of treated lumber and composites, switched over their operations to produce sanitizers to meet the demand for hygiene and cleaning products, often at a high profit margin making them reluctant to switch back their operations.

Despite the decreased production, demand for lumber has actually increased. Construction has continued to rise fairly steadily over the past few years, and many living in coastal cities have been finding they need more space to juggle work and personal life. Whether they choose to augment their space with Modern-Shed or build a new home farther inland, they are feeling the effects of the current lumber market. Add in all the Covid-DIYers, as well as increased tariffs on Canadian lumber, and we have landed in our current situation.

What’s the fix? Just last week, senior officials from the National Association for Home Builders met with Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on the importance of finding a solution to the lumber crisis. Government leaders are looking for ways to increase domestic lumber production, which some believe has not risen to meet the increased demand even prior to the pandemic. NAHB officials reported that the administration recognizes the importance of not slowing down the housing market (and thus the entire economy, potentially), and is serious about finding a path to stabilizing lumber prices. Many other experts are optimistically predicting a bit of relief as 2021 comes to a close, as futures trading has finally seen a substantial drop. 

Lumber futures chart

In the meantime, Modern-Shed realizes that your need for space and balance doesn’t depend on market fluctuations. Rather, we continue to provide our clients highly competitive pricing, as well as our years of expertise as the pioneer of living-space shed designs. If you’re interested in taking advantage of the upcoming pricing trend, make sure to visit our website to connect with a Design Pro today!

A gray Modern-Shed in quiet woods

Keeping your shed in tip-top shape

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Like a regular check-up for your health or for your vehicle, it’s important to stay on a schedule for maintaining your home — and that includes your Modern-Shed.

Modern-Sheds are built with the highest-quality materials. However, nothing lasts forever, and there are some simple, regular steps you can take to extend the life of your Modern-Shed and ensure that it remains in tip-top shape for years to come.

Below, some tips on maintaining your Modern-Shed for the upcoming months, and what to do on a regular basis year-round.

Monthly:
Most Modern Sheds are small and need little monthly maintenance. However, larger structures, such as an ADU would be like any home:

  • If you have a bathroom in your Modern-Shed, be sure to clean faucets and showerheads regularly to remove deposits from minerals.
  • Test smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers regularly.
  • Inspect and unclog sink drains if needed.
  • Inspect electrical cords for wear.
  • Vacuum heat vents.
  • Check that indoor and outdoor air vents are not blocked.
  • If you have a water heater, flush out hot water from the water heater to remove sediment that has accumulated.

Springtime Maintenance:
Spring is a great time for Spring Cleaning. Here are some other steps you should take to maintain your home and your Modern-Shed:

  • Sand and re-finish any natural wood surfaces exposed to weather, including cedar and most importantly the end grain surface of the large roof beam. It is of utmost importance to keep all exposed wood surfaces protected from the elements.
  • Inspect door seals and tracks for debris to keep from leaking.
  • Inspect your Modern-Shed roof for leaks or damage to the metal due to high winds or debris.
  • Inspect the upper transom frames and re-caulk as necessary to keep from leaking – between each frame, where they meet the roof and where they meet the topcap.
  • Inspect and re-caulk as necessary, the corner joints of the topcap (the piece of wood the transom frame windows sit on)
  • Clean your gutters (do this again in the fall)
  • Clean window and door screens.
  • Refinish your deck. 
  • Power-wash windows and siding.
  • If you have the Modern Shed unique rain screen system, vacuum any bugs and debris from the spaces, especially at the bottom. This is needed to ensure rainwater is running out at the bottom.
  • Inspect sink, shower, and bath caulking for deterioration.
  • Repair or replace caulking and weather stripping around windows, doors, and wall through holes for electric and cable and plumbing.

Summer Maintenance:

  • Remove lint from inside and outside washer hoses and dryer vents.
  • Check around cabinets and around toilets for leaks.
  • Replace interior and exterior faucet and showerhead washers if needed.
  • Seal tile grout.
  • Prune trees and shrubs.

An educator’s home office

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MS1Los Angeles — After years at home raising children, Susie and her husband, Josh, began to think about what it would look like for her to ramp up her career as an educational therapist. 

With a child still in elementary school, however, the couple wanted to figure out how Susie could still be around for their three daughters, but also have the time and space for work appointments that often take place after school, since Susie’s clients are also children.

That’s when Josh brought up prefabrication, a movement he’d been enamored with for two decades.

“I’ve fantasized about prefab sheds and subscribed to Dwell magazine for years,” Josh said. “The whole movement seemed cool; that kind of aesthetic and that kind of approach was appealing and exciting.”
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Pantone Color of the Year: Classic Blue

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Pantone chose its 2020 Color of the Year — Classic Blue.

Blue is a popular color for our Modern-Sheds, and we agree with the choice to feature the color this year because it evokes “calm, confidence, and connection (and) highlights our desire for a dependable and stable foundation on which to build as we cross the threshold into a new era.”
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Let’s build that stable foundation for the year, and this new era, on the strong and stable foundation of Modern-Sheds! Visit us online for more ideas, information and inspiration!

Get electrified: Learn more about adding electricity and plumbing to your shed

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When planning for your Modern-Shed, there are some key things to keep in mind when it comes to adding electricity and plumbing to your shed.

ModernShedlarge

Electricity:

A Modern-Shed with an electrical framing package includes:

  • All wall studs pre-drilled for “roping” (running the electrical wiring throughout the walls), making it easier and faster for your electrician to do their work
  • 1 ceiling chase in the center of the roof panel to allow for the wiring of a ceiling light. We also offer the option of adding more ceiling chases. Our panel system for the ceiling is a fully enclosed and insulated box panel with no access to the interior framing of the roof panel.
  • Wall framing next to a door to allow for a junction box for exterior light

Differences to expect from traditional building:

Due to the panelization process where two panels come together, it is not always possible to put the junction boxes or switches in the exact desired location.

For wall switch and exterior light, due to where panels come together, and the desired location of the door (particularly if in a corner), it may not be possible to put a wall switch or exterior light in the exact desired location, such as right next to the door because of wall framing members required by the building process and panel connection.

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Outlets and switches can’t always be placed in the desired location.

The determining factor for the ceiling chase will be the overall length of the roof, which determines the exact center, left to right. If the center of the building falls in the same place as the location of a ceiling joist, then the electrical chase will need to be on one side or the other of that joist.

Our design professionals work closely with you to help determine locations of these items to obtain as close to desired location as possible. IMG_5268

Plumbing:

If you desire plumbing in your Modern-Shed, there are elements which must be considered due to the Modern-Shed unique floor system.

 

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It is important to work with your plumber and design pro to consider where your water supply and drainpipes will be located

We use a 4X perimeter beam directly below the wall framing that cannot be drilled through. Location of the plumbing elements must be taken into consideration.

 

First, it is important to understand the three elements of plumbing:

1. The supply (incoming water) for hot and cold water from the source feeding the sink, toilet and shower.

2. The drainpipes for the same three fixtures. Keep in mind that water / waste exiting a toilet is considered black water and must be drained into a sewer or septic system.

3. Venting for the items in item 2 above which must be hidden within a wall cavity.

Maker:L,Date:2017-8-24,Ver:5,Lens:Kan03,Act:Kan02,E:Y

Typical plumbing would have the supply coming through the floor and into the wall cavity and the drainpipe for a sink would typically go into the wall and through the floor via the wall cavity which would also carry the venting. The toilet and shower would drain through the floor and connect within and between the floor joists.

In a Modern-Shed, the designer and plumber must consider the location of our perimeter floor beam which sits directly below the bottom plate of the wall and is typically a 4x beam which cannot be drilled through.

In order to design the piping routing and locations, there are three design solutions to the scenarios. Considering the drains first, the drains can go directly through our floor system and connect below the floor. Our floor system is fully enclosed and insulated therefore the drainpipes cannot connect within or between the floor joists.

It is of utmost importance that the location of drain holes for shower and toilet be determined before fabrication so we can pre-frame the floor panels to accept the drains, if by chance the design calls for the holes to be directly above a joist or where two panels come together. If this were to be the case, we custom design the floor and provide a schematic for your plumber to locate the exact spot where the toilet and shower drains need to be.

The supply line for the toilet can come through the floor inward of the floor beam since it resides next to the toilet unlike a shower or sink which reside within the wall cavity.DSC_0749

For the sink and shower supply lines, there are three solutions:

1. The full height of the wall where the plumbing wants to go can be made thicker with either 2×6 or 2×8 studs to accommodate the space required to drill through the bottom plate of the wall and not hit the perimeter beam.

2. The wall can be thicker only part way up from the floor to accommodate the supply line and vents. This would create a handy “shelf” behind the sink and toilet.

3. Normally there will need to be an interior wall with a door for the bathroom and the supply lines and venting can reside in that wall, depending on the door location, particularly if the door is a pocket door. A barn style door could be used if necessary.

It will be important to familiarize yourself with local building codes by working with your local plumber and then working with your Modern-Shed design professional to achieve the best design possible.

Saving energy: A Modern-Shed testimony

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A few years back, CBS Early News did a segment with Bill Nye the Science Guy about how white rooftops could combat global warming — the idea being that darker rooftops retain heat and cause people to use more of their air conditioning.

A Modern-Shed customer recently brought this to our attention, and it got us thinking about all the ways a Modern-Shed could be made to be energy-efficient.

az150925-0552Our general manager, Tim, shares his own experience about how he heats and cools his own Modern-Shed:

I have a direct south and west exposure which brings in tons of natural light. Along with the upper clearstory transom glass, I also have a 6-foot sliding glass door and an awning window.

The Ply Gem window and door have excellent energy values and my shed has walls with R-21 insulation, a roof with rigid foam R-38 and a floor system with R-21. I use a small radiant heater in the winter to keep my office toasty warm. Set on the first of three levels at 68 or 69 degrees is all it needs due to the excellent insulation.

In the summer, I have a stand-alone AC unit that vents through the awning window very easily and I have curtains to block out the late afternoon sun, but then I can’t see out. I remembered from years ago when I sold sunrooms that glass is better shaded from the exterior before the sun/heat gets to the glass. So, I put an exterior roll up shade on the large window.image006

If you can stop or filter the sun’s heat before it gets to the insulated glass, the LowE/Argon glass doesn’t have to work so hard and is much more efficient. I ordered a roll down shade screen from Amazon, and with it, I really don’t even need the air conditioning, which I prefer, and can then use the lower awning portion the window to cool in the morning and evening hours.

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Looking to move? Bring your Modern-Shed!

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Often at Modern-Shed, our design professionals encounter customers who are not quite ready to commit to purchasing a shed, in part because they’re afraid of the permanency of the shed.

Here’s where we remind folks that while our sheds are not DIY kits, per se, they can be taken apart and moved to a new location, should you decide to move.

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Modern-Sheds can be taken apart and moved, should you decide to buy a new house.

“It’s something I think our customers don’t even think about until I bring it up,” said design pro Jeff Bergerson. “The question of moving strikes fear: there’s the expense, the hassle of moving, of pulling kids out of school districts. It’s reassuring to them to know that if they do have to move, they can disassemble their shed, put it in a trailer and put it all back together again.”

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Housing Crunch: A Modern-Shed Solution

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It’s no secret that the nation is in the midst of a housing crisis. Rent and the price of a home are rising, creating a problem not just for the most vulnerable people, like the chronically homeless, but also for the average worker, the middle-income earners who are finding themselves priced out of the market.

Industry leaders from big cities to small towns are talking about what we as a country can do to make housing more affordable for households that make 60 to 140 percent of the area median income.

Here at Modern-Shed, we don’t purport to have all of the answers, but one thing we’ve taken notice of is the onerous obstacles that prevent property owners from building rental housing that could alleviate some of the problem.

“In some places in Washington state, you can’t find anywhere to live where the rent isn’t astronomically high,” says Modern-Shed general manager Tim Vack. “Often, it’s the zoning laws of the county. If we could change the zoning to allow accessory dwelling units (ADUs) on a property, more residents could build a rental unit on their property.”10x18guestroom_1 Continue reading →