Automated Builder November 2009 : Page 10

The Modern-Shed interior offers maple plywood interior panels with trim, door and window options, tongue-and-groove wood ceiling and interior partition walls. There is also a 'green' package available with cork or non-toxic linoleum floors and Bonded Logic UltraTouch recycled denim insulation among the choices. Modern-Shed provides panelized retreats: Kit Mini-Units Make Headway in the Marketplace By Robert Mendel, ABAlumnus SEATTLE, WA—One of the interesting phenomena seen in the factory-built housing sector is the emergence of a range of small, free-standing kit mini-units. These small shelters function in many ways including as add-on rooms, studios, cabins, cabanas or outdoor playrooms. There are plenty of practical reasons for this product to become both more available and more viable in the residen- tial environment. As of 2004 more than 20 million Americans worked at least partially from home according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and a 2006 Census study showed that more than five million Americans did so full time. For some, the compact studio provides an instant office at a convenient distance from household distractions. “People are comfortable with the idea of working from home in a way that they weren’t just a few years ago,” says Ryan Grey Smith, founder of Modern-Shed. The Seattle-based firm has sold 200 structures since it was founded in 2005, about half of them in the last year. “Houses built 50 years ago don’t work for us that well today. People need of- fices more than they need formal dining rooms,” Smith says. Smith has a distinguished background, having graduated from the architecture program at the University of Southern California in 1995 and winning the Achievement Award for Best Designer in his class. He then worked for three years 10 with DMJM Keating Architecture designing large projects for Indonesia, Korea and Bangkok. He was then asked by internationally-known glass artist Dale Chihuly to join his architecture department in Seattle with responsibility for museum and location installations. In 2003 Smith took on a back yard studio project which led to the founding of Modern-Shed in 2005. Located in Sedro-Woolley, WAan hour north of Seattle, the fabricating plant runs about 6,000 sq. ft with four full-time employees. Production capacity is 10 units per month but the operation has room to expand into extra space in the production complex. Modern-Shed administrative offices are located in Seattle where Smith and three other staff members are headquartered. Modern-Shed is a kit assembly unit based on pre-insulated panel construc- tion which can be purchased in three categories; storage shed, studio and dwelling. The Basic Shed is intended for storage and outdoor tools. It is a plain panel (non-insulated) structure open around the top. It can be outfitted with optional doors and windows. All exterior parts come pre-painted. Ryan Grey Smith launched Modern-Shed in 2005 after working with DMJM Keating Archi- tectural and with Dale Chihuly on architectural glass installations. The firm is headquartered in Seattle, WA. The structure of the Studio Shed is the same but adds insulation in the roof walls and floor and includes the transom glass along the roofline. The walls have a pre-drilled wire chase and are covered with an optional finished NOVEMBER 2009

Kit Mini-Units Make Headway In The Marketplace

Robert Mendel,

SEATTLE, WA—One of the interesting phenomena seen in the factory-built housing sector is the emergence of a range of small, free-standing kit mini-units. These small shelters function in many ways including as add-on rooms, studios, cabins, cabanas or outdoor playrooms. There are plenty of practical reasons for this product to become both more available and more viable in the residential environment. As of 2004 more than 20 million Americans worked at least partially from home according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and a 2006 Census study showed that more than five million Americans did so full time. For some, the compact studio provides an instant office at a convenient distance from household distractions. “People are comfortable with the idea of working from home in a way that they weren’t just a few years ago,” says Ryan Grey Smith, founder of Modern-Shed. The Seattle-based firm has sold 200 structures since it was founded in 2005, about half of them in the last year. “Houses built 50 years ago don’t work for us that well today. People need offices more than they need formal dining rooms,” Smith says. Smith has a distinguished background, having graduated from the architecture program at the University of Southern California in 1995 and winning the Achievement Award for Best Designer in his class. He then worked for three yearsWith DMJM Keating Architecture designing large projects for Indonesia, Korea and Bangkok. He was then asked by internationally-known glass artist Dale Chihuly to join his architecture department in Seattle with responsibility for museum and location installations. In 2003 Smith took on a back yard studio project which led to the founding of Modern-Shed in 2005. Located in Sedro-Woolley, WA an hour north of Seattle, the fabricating plant runs about 6,000 sq. ft with four full-time employees. Production capacity is 10 units per month but the operation has room to expand into extra space in the production complex. Modern-Shed administrative offices are located in Seattle where Smith and three other staff members are headquartered. Modern-Shed is a kit assembly unit based on pre-insulated panel construction which can be purchased in three categories; storage shed, studio and dwelling. The Basic Shed is intended for storage and outdoor tools. It is a plain panel (non-insulated) structure open around the top. It can be outfitted with optional doors and windows. All exterior parts come pre-painted. The structure of the Studio Shed is the same but adds insulation in the roof walls and floor and includes the transom glass along the roofline. The walls have a pre-drilled wire chase and are covered with an optional finished Maple plywood. There is a choice of flooring: either cork or vinyl composite tile (VCT). The client can order any of the Modern-Shed products with as little or much insulation as they want. The Studio Shed also offers optional decks that can be added to extend the room to the outside. All exterior parts come pre-painted, the interior ceiling is tongueand- groove wood and the interior wall paneling is Maple plywood. The Dwelling-Shed is constructed with standard OSB SIPs. The Guest-Shed has a SIP roof and panelized walls. Larger units are all SIP construction. The SIPs are manufactured by Seattlebased Premier Building Systems while Modern-Shed fabricates the non-SIP house components. A recently completed project in Port Townsend illustrates the flexibility of the system. The site called for a total of four structures; the Dwelling-Shed was the main shelter, the Guest- Shed had a bath and sleeping area that could accommodate two adults and two kids, the third structure was an unfinished storage shed and the fourth was a play shed. Smith notes, “We like to show people different sizes so they can see that the materials work, the space works and it fits their needs. Our goal has always been to give people options that translate into solutions. People are coming to us because they have a need and then they like what they see.” The formula is working. To date the Modern-Shed marketing area has not been limited. They have shipped to New York, Texas, Colorado and Michigan while most sales are on the West Coast. The company simply puts the kits on pallets and ships by truck. Marketing the brand has been done in Dwell magazine, through trade shows, particularly on the West Coast, on line with blogs and with articles in print. “We work with existing conditions in a solution-based approach,” Smith says. “It’s a practical way to solve modern space problems. Lots of people have houses they can’t sell or were built a long time ago. It doesn’t make sense to tear apart a great house when you can add something in the back yard.” Modern-Shed can configure the Dwelling-Sheds in many different ways with pre-painted parts and insulation/SIPs in the roof, wall and floors. Other features include: • maple plywood interior panels with trim • door and window options • tongue-and-groove wood ceiling • interior partition walls • pre-painted siding Clients also have the option to choose one of more features of a ‘green’ package which offers: • Denim wall insulation from recycled material • Cork flooring from 100% renewable harvested as bark, anti-microbial, anti-fungal and thermally insulating material • Linoleum floor tiles, non-toxic biodegradable, etc. • Trex® decking; 50% recycled reclaimed wood materials • SIPs optional, • FSC-certified wood for 70% of materials, • Green roof. For site preparation the client provides the foundation – poured concrete or pier footings, slab on grade or continuous wall footings. The panelized floor system sits on beams that rest on the foundation. Since the floor system is independent the shed can sit over grass, dirt, gravel or a sloped hillside. The Hardipanel® siding panels come pre-painted and drilled for easy installation with stainless steel screws. The roof is a corrugated galvanized metal fastened over a waterproof membrane. The Modern-Shed delivery crew will handle the installation if requested. Studio specifications and pricing range from a 10'x14' at $17,590 to a 12'x18' unit at $29,950. As an alternative the client can ‘design their own shed’ by choosing each option from a list of structural parts and materials. Smith explains, “We want to keep the product simple, meaning affordable for the category it’s in and something people can look at and understand.”

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