Island Living

Orcas Island ─ Resting atop a hill, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Randy and Deborah’s Modern-Shed is the perfect getaway from hectic city living.

Randy, an accomplished member of Seattle’s theatre world, and his wife, Deborah, who works in business, lead a fast-paced, active life in the Emerald City.

But at least once a month, and more in the summer, they enjoy escaping to their home in the San Juan Islands.

While they love their home, they had been searching for some time for something more.

“We had actually had a shed on our property already, but we used it mostly for storage,” Randy said. “We were looking to do something a little bit bigger, but something we could keep within our budget.”

Deborah researched various prefab companies and stumbled across Modern-Shed.

“We had wanted something small and tiny,” Randy recalled. “We were looking for a sort of outbuilding: an office, a place to be and hang out, or have somebody sleep in.”

The couple worked with Modern-Shed and a local contractor to build their 10’ by 12’ Modern-Shed, customized with a deck and wood shingle sidings to match the siding of their home.

Within a day, the Modern-Shed was erected, and within a week the deck and the rest of the structure was complete, Randy said.

“It was great,” he said. “Orcas isn’t really readily accessible, but they got here in a timely fashion.”

The Modern-Shed sits about 60 feet from the home, on a hill that overlooks both the house and the ocean.

The couple and their friends and family have used the shed for a variety of purposes: work, sleep and play.

“Before, we’d done our work on the dining room table,” Randy said. “It’s sort of a family gathering place now. We work in there; I’ve slept in there. We’re still working out what we want to do with the shed.”

— Arla Shephard