Space to Frame a Day

VASHON ISLAND — As a talent agent working outside of Seattle, Jamie understands what it means to be busy.

“My life is telephone and email,” said Jamie, who lives on Vashon Island with his wife and two young children. “I’ve run my own business for a long time out of my house. Once kids entered the picture, things got hairy.”

For the past five years, Jamie has worked from home, balancing his time at his home office with the needs of his children.

“I think I’ve replaced my MacBook three times,” he said. “I can’t tell you how many times I was juggling that thing, with the phone at my ear and chasing my kids around the house.”

His wife, a researcher at the University of Washington and the Pacific Institute, also works at home three days a week.

Jamie contemplated the idea of purchasing a Modern-Shed for years, in search of a place he could find some privacy to do his work.

“I’ve always been interested in pre-fab,” he said. “It’s always appealed to me. But I don’t know anything about architecture. I wanted something you could just plug and play.”

Jamie compared Modern-Shed with that of its competitors, and thought it was no contest which company he would ultimately go with.

“It seemed to me a lot of the other companies were start-ups and they weren’t local,” he said. “I wanted to be able to see the shed before I bought it. And I knew (Modern-Shed) had done it before.”

Jamie purchased a 12’ by 16’ Northwest Shed, with cedar siding and clerestory windows that bring bursts of light into his new home office.

Large sliding glass doors, a green accent wall and a cedar overhang also add character and personality to his Modern-Shed.

Soon after his shed went up, Jamie’s wife moved in to work with him.

“She and I have very different work styles,” said Jamie, who enjoys playing music while he works (his wife likes quiet for her research). “We may just have to get another shed.”

The best part about his Modern-Shed, is that it’s given him “four walls and personal space,” he said.

“It’s a place to frame my day,” he said. “It’s a place to start and end. My children respect that now. We have very clear rules. There’s no talking in the shed, and only quiet activities, which means they’re willing to be in the shed for about 40 seconds a day.”

— Arla Shephard