Living space expands simply with Modern-Shed
Modern-Sheds range from 8 feet by 10 feet to the largest unit of 16 feet by 40 feet. Common uses range from art studios to guest houses.
Brad Bjerken, an independent contractor for the Seattle-based company Modern-Shed, stands in his office space, a Modern-Shed building, in his backyard in Columbia Falls.
Modern? Definitely. Shed? Not exactly.
That might be the best way to describe a Modern-Shed unit.
Although the size of one may be about the same as a typical storage shed, that’s where the similarities end.
Modern-Shed units are marketed as additional living space, although the local dealer agrees they could be used as storage rooms. The units are architecturally designed. The walls, floors and roofs come in a panelized system, but all can be custom-built to meet a buyer’s specific needs. A Modern-Shed is prefabricated and arrives ready to be assembled.
Brad Bjerken is an independent contractor for Modern-Shed, a Seattle-based company. Bjerken operates his Columbia Falls business from his home at 600 Whispering Ridge Lane, based — of course — in a Modern-Shed building.
Bjerken says the biggest selling point of a Modern-Shed is the quality. The materials are top-notch and energy-efficient, he said.
Some of the more common uses for the sheds are home offices, art studios, pool houses, storage space, a playroom for kids, a guest house, a cabin or a standard dwelling.
The sheds range from the smallest unit of 8 feet by 10 feet to the largest of 16 feet by 40 feet. A shed’s length can be increased in two-foot increments essentially indefinitely.
A shed comes with pre-drilled holes for electrical wiring, but the wires have to be pulled, Bjerken said. The units are insulated and feature tongue-and-groove pine ceilings.
People can order windows in several sizes and shapes. Some windows open and others are fixed. Likewise, customers may choose the number of doors in their shed.
Floors are easily customized. The shed can sit on top of a basement, crawl space or concrete slab foundation. People can install essentially any floor they might want — carpet, vinyl, wood, tile.
Likewise, walls have multiple options.
The typical walls are maple paneling or a white melamine. Units are sold with no interior panels so buyers can install drywall and then finish the wall any way they want. Options also are available for the melamine that can come in a pattern to resemble wallpaper.
The prices of the sheds range from $9,600 for the smallest, relatively basic unit to $80,000 for a 16-by-40-foot shed with top-of-the-line options and many windows, Bjerken said.
The sheds don’t come with plumbing installed, but a contractor or Bjerken could add plumbing, he said. Nor does standard equipment include cabinets, shelves, closets or similar features, but all can be added.
Customers also can add basically any size of deck, overhanging roofs or other exterior features they want, he said.
Bjerken has hired Mark Loff of Evergreen as a subcontractor. The two men can assemble a typical Modern-Shed in about five days. Once a customer places an order, the materials arrive about five weeks later, Bjerken said. Customers can hire Bjerken and Loff to assemble the unit, do the work themselves or hire another contractor for the assembly process.
So far, Bjerken is the only Modern-Shed outlet in Montana. His territory covers most of the northwestern part of the state.
Modern-Shed can be reached at 250-7298, brad@nwmontanadwellings.com or modern-shed.com
Reporter Shelley Ridenour may be reached at 758-4439 or by e-mail at sridenour@dailyinterlake.com.