Skip the Reno: The Hottest Way to Up Your Home’s Square Footage Is in the Backyard

Jan 8, 2021 | Media Coverage, Real Estate Design + Development

Create a backyard sanctuary and increase your home's square footage with Studio Shed.

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Southern Living shares how to upgrade a home’s square footage with Feed Media client Studio Shed.

“The perks of a backyard sanctuary have become especially apparent this year, as more people search for places to work, home school, or just escape while at home. According to Studio Shed, a Colorado-based company that sells customizable prefab units online, sales have increased tenfold this summer compared to last year’s orders. The most popular unit, says Studio Shed co-founder Jeremy Nova, is a 120-square-foot dwelling, which “makes a really good footprint for a single studio, like an office or creative space.”

“There’s a huge flexibility of use with these spaces and that’s something we’ve seen a lot of this year,” says Jeremy. “People are no longer finding sanctuary in their homes—there are just too many distractions—so having a dedicated space to work, pursue hobbies, or do yoga, has become even more important.”

Despite their “shed” label, most backyard units tend to resemble a quaint cottage rather than storage space. At Studio Shed, options for customization include pitched roofs and shingled siding (with board and batten on the way). And, though they might appear like an extension of your home, the building process on a detached shed will more than likely be a whole lot speedier than your average renovation. “We can probably have a studio on the ground in the time it would typically take to find an architect and have the plans drawn up,” says Jeremy.

The other bonus for space seekers? Sheds typically won’t require the investment of a major addition. At Studio Shed, the starting price for a basic unit is around $10,000 (not including upgrades for materials or installation costs, though Nova says “handy homeowners” could tackle this themselves). On Amazon—because what can’t you buy on Amazon?—cabin and cottage kits can come in at even less. It’s not an insignificant chunk of change, but when you’ve been sheltering in place for the better part of a year and your only escape is one thin wall away from the chaos of your weekday household…well, let’s just say #WorthIt,” writes Southern Living contributor, Marisa Spyker.

Learn more about the benefits of installing a Studio Shed in the story from Southern Living here.

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