Cool Spaces – Sheds in the Backyard

There was no shed in the backyard of the Royal Oak house that Todd and Kim Parker bought in spring 2012. Since storage space was a problem, they decided on a shed but with appearance a high priority.

“What I was thinking was to get the cars into the garage,” said Todd Parker. He’s a creative design manager at the General Motors Tech Center in Warren. “It seems like there are so many yard tools, kids’ toys, bikes and things like that. I think that some people don’t even park in the garage anymore.”

The Parkers’ yard has landscaped shrubbery and a hot tub built into a raised deck. They wanted their shed to complete the upscale look, They chose an 8-by-10 structure sold and installed by Denver-based Tuff Shed.

It has a single-slope roof with dimensional shingles and a transom window above the door. The model is known as a “pro studio.”

George Bogaert, the sales consultant at the Royal Oak Tuff Shed office, said the shed of the type the Parkers bought uses 2-by-4 construction for the walls, and the components are prefabricated and assembled on-site. The cost is generally around $5,500.

“We just start out with four walls, a floor and a door, then we go from there,” Bogaert said. “Most customers participate in the design.”

Hear from Tuff Shed

Tuff Shed vice president of marketing Phil Worth said the trend toward more attractive sheds and cool backyard spaces gained momentum on the West Coast, then began working its way east.