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There are two new items affecting backyard spaces. One is legal and the other is design.

 

First, the legal: The Supreme Court of the United States just made a ruling based on a lawsuit in California. The court ruled by and in accordance with the US Constitution that local governments cannot charge exorbitant permitting fees that include extraneous fees that are not evidential to the building construction project in question. While it is still too early to see exactly how this will play out, we view it as a high-level positive sign that over time there might be some improvement in the permitting process and cost. This is a complex topic with much information and should be researched on each individual project.

Second, design: We often ask ourselves, what if, or what is next? We have been researching and innovating in the prefabricated shed space since 2005 and have designed and built several versions of our very successful backyard studios and ADUs. We spend a lot of time talking to customers, engineers, architects, and fabricators to determine what makes sense financially and what direction the overall market is moving. Because our goal is to develop something that our customers really love we spend a lot of time tinkering with design and cost elements up with the perfect balance. We feel like we have achieved that with our two newest designs, the FWB (Front Wall Bearing) and the Peak.

Picture1-12x20 Front Wall Bearing

The FWB looks similar to our traditional Shed design with one key difference - the weight of the roof is transferred completely to the front / tall wall of the building. Removing our signature roof beam which supports our roof system on the traditional makes this design easier for permitting, transporting and construction/installation of larger ADU style sheds. Doing this also allows us to add operable transom windows which some customers have been asking for.

Picture2-8x10 Peak

The Peak is a gable post and beam building. The idea was to create a larger structure but still make it easy to install in tight spaces. By taking two of our classic shed designs facing each other and connecting them, we end up with a contemporary design that also keeps a very Northwest look and feel. This can be designed, fabricated, delivered, and installed without the use of huge, long beams and panels. By utilizing two 10x12 classic designs, we can achieve 240 square feet using 3 14’ beams instead of one 26’ beam. The Peak can be anywhere from 80 to 544 square feet.  The Peak is a very versatile option that allows us to very easily scale up and down the side of the structure.