Studio Shed bills its design as “a turnkey studio for your backyard,” with standard features such as corrugated steel roof, clerestory windows, glass door, lighting and denim-insulated walls finished in your choice of painted drywall or birch paneling. The 10-by-12-foot Lifestyle model pictured here, installed in Northern California, starts at $10,750, plus shipping (starts at $750) and installation (starts at $1,200 for a certified pro). (Studio Shed)
Studio Shed options such additional windows, French doors, stained or painted rafters, or custom window placement are extra. The company offers assistance with the permitting process, also at an additional fee. (Studio Shed)
A Studio Shed installed in Colorado. Co-founder Mike Koenig said his company, which is based in Boulder, can ship and install in all 50 states. “California is our biggest market,” he said. Installation usually takes just three or four days. More information: (720) 398-6098, www.studio-shed.com(Studio Shed)
For DIY-ers who like a head start, the Canadian company Summerwood manufacturers kits with precut lumber, doors and windows that customers assemble themselves. The Verana studio, a 10-by-12-foot structure pictured here at a home in Walnut Creek, Calif., is designed to be a flexible, finished space — work studio, guest quarters or media room, perhaps. Price: $10,368 as shown here. More information: (866) 519-4634, www.summerwood.com(Summerwood)
Of more than 60 prefab modules that Los Angeles-based KitHaus has installed, 75% are used as some sort of work space, designer and owner Tom Sandonato estimated. The company has six designs, ranging from 100 to 289 square feet. Price: $25,000 to $75,000. Decks, canopies, louvers, air conditioning and s photovoltaic system for off-grid solar power cost extra. So does installation. (KitHaus)
Each KitHaus is composed of recycled aluminum and insulated panels (strand board with foam core), shipped flat-packed. The structures generally do not need a building permit or special foundation, Sandonato said. More information: (310) 889-7137, www.kithaus.com(KitHaus)
The G-Pod premiered at the Chelsea Flower Show in Britain last year. Farmers Cottage Lamps in Birmingham, England, produces it, and for the U.S. market, the G-Pod will be distributed through Mars Lab in Redondo Beach beginning in late May. All four models are made from laminated pine with UV-protected, polycarbonate tinted windows. The Lounger and the Seater, each 7.5 feet in diameter, can rotate so the entrance can be shifted to capture sun, shade or wind. (Mars Lab)
The Diner and Summer House models are 10 feet in diameter and stationary. They can be wired for electricity and equipped with solar panels. Furniture can be flattened into a full circle and covered with the cushions to make a bed. Prices for all four models: $14,995 to $34,995, assembly not included. More information: (424) 214-0005, www.thegpod.com(Mars Lab)
A small British company is trying to expand its OfficePod concept to the U.S. The pitch to business owners: Rather than pay for traditional corporate office space, lease individual OfficePods to be installed at your employees’ homes. Spokesman Stephen Tanner cited reduced carbon emissions as one benefit. (OfficePod)
OfficePod is building six pods to be used as animation editing rooms in New York, Tanner said, but it still needs investors and manufacturing partners in the U.S. to expand. He’s hoping a company such as Microsoft or Google “would pick up this idea and be an early adopter.” Price: “Difficult to be precise at this stage, but circa $450 per month is probably in the right ballpark,” Tanner said. More information: www.officepod.co.uk(OfficePod)
Modern-Sheds do come in different styles, so if you’re a little bit country, you can go with the Northwest unit built with knotted wood siding and petite porch. If you’re a little bit rock ‘n’ roll, choose a Classic studio, a Modernist box whose exterior composite panels can be prepainted in a number of colors. (Modern-Shed)
Modern-Sheds come in a range of sizes and configurations, some as small as 6 by 8 feet. A spokeswoman said the company is working on one structure that’s 2,000 square feet. Single swing door, French doors or glass sliders? Interior walls of plywood, tongue-and-groove cedar or melamine? The price will vary depending on customers’ preferences. (Modern-Shed)
One option is his-and-her Modern-Shed offices. An 8-by-10-foot studio starts at $8,499 (no floor) and is about $13,200 “nicely appointed,” the company says. A 12-by-24-foot studio usually runs about $35,000. Delivery and installation are extra. More information: (800) 261-7282, www.modern-shed.com
