A space to enjoy

PORTLAND — Meei has one piece of advice for prospective Modern-Shed buyers:

“Do it. Do it now.”

Build a Modern-Shed as soon as possible, Meei urges, not only because the cost of construction materials will likely only rise over time, but more importantly, you’ll have that much more time to enjoy your beautiful shed.

“We’re not out there enough,” she says of her 10′ by 12′ Modern-Shed studio. “It’s a great place to to sit out and look out at our backyard.”

Meei and her husband decided to buy a Modern-Shed to replace an old garden tool shed on their property; they wanted a new entertaining space that would encourage them to spend more time in their “sizeable” backyard.

“We were not looking for another tool shed,” she recalls. “We wanted a space we could enjoy. We wanted to fill that space and enjoy our backyard in the winter because we had nothing to sit out there in.”

They researched companies online and at garden shows for more than two years, but Modern-Shed was the first to reply and could deliver to Portland.

The couple was pleased to learn that they could customize their Modern-Shed to include sliding glass doors that they’d already purchased for another project that didn’t work out. Their design professional, Jeff Bergerson, was also a big help.

“We bought the door before we got the Modern-Shed, so it was a nice surprise to see that Modern-Shed could incorporate the doors,” Meei says. “Jeff was really great. He took care of our plans while he was moving into his own home. It was encouraging to see that.”

Meei’s shed does not need a permit. The space includes chairs, a coffee table and glass doors and windows to look out on their backyard.

A string of lights adds ambiance to the outdoor-living space, as do steampunk lights.

On Saturday mornings, Meei loves spending time out there.

“I go out there, turn on the space heater, come back and make a cup of coffee, then go back out there with my coffee and a big book,” she says. “We don’t have electronic devices out there, no TVs. We wanted it to be a place we could have a drink with friends and enjoy our time together.”