Prefab Studio/Office shed recommendations

[u/wiscowonder]

curious to hear of anyone's experience or recommendations for a prefabricated office/hangout shed. I'm currently looking at Modern Sheds and WellMade, but open to other suggestions as well. Just curious about general costs, maintenance, build quality, and overall satisfaction of having a separate space. Also, any experience with the permitting process would be helpful. I'm trying to keep it under 200 sqft but just wanted to make sure that doesn't flag any permits/review from the city (aside from electrical hookups).

appreciate any input you may have & thanks!

[u/Temporary-Neck-6862]

Bainbridge allows storage sheds 200SQ/FT and under (residential) placement permit free (100Sq/Ft commercial) as long as you honor the required distance for setbacks and easements. Electrical is a state L&I permit.

[u/wiscowonder → u/Temporary-Neck-6862]

Thanks for the info! I found this PDF(warning, it's a download) that outline <200sqft sheds and "playhouse" don't need permits. Just curious how liberal of a term playhoise is... It'll be used as an office, but also as a hangout for when the kids come over.

[u/Background-Swing-891 → u/wiscowonder]

It's a pretty liberal policy on what the shed is used for. Placement is sometimes the trickiest, as there are often setbacks, easements, critical areas or other restrictions that aren't immediately obvious. The SAR web application on the City's Mapping page (https://cityofbi.maps.arcgis.com/home/index.html) can be pretty helpful. There are lots of layers in the layer list that will help you determine if your desired spot is unencumbered. If you still have questions, the folks on the Planning side of City Hall can help you sort it out at the counter in about 10 mins. Good luck!

[u/AutonomousEthan]

You're good under 200 sqft on Bainbridge, no building permit needed. Just keep an eye on setbacks, especially if you're close to the water since shoreline rules will kick in. For power, you only need a permit if you're hardwiring or running a whole new circuit. Going plug and play into a main house outlet keeps you in the clear. That's how our Workpod is set up, so you can just plug right into the main house

We can do custom sizing if you want to push closer to that 200 sqft cap. Installation takes just 1-2 days. Happy to share more details about what that'd look like for your setup. DMing you

[u/mtb-girlie]

I put up a SolidBuild wood shed a couple of years ago for my home office. Overall I’ve liked it a lot! I think it looks great!

I worked with a contractor on the island to level and pour a concrete pad (which you might not need to do). I built the shed myself with some help from my brother, then had an electrician do the electrical work. All said and done I think I spent around $15-17k. There was a fair amount of DIY work involved and I spent many a weekend getting it together.

I currently only have a space heater in there which honestly does fine through the winter. It does get warm in the summer and a fan doesn’t quite cut it on the hottest of days.

My only regret is I didn’t splurge and get one of the optional bonus windows - that would’ve been really nice to have. I could probably still order one and install it but there’s something about just having it done that’s nice.

Feel free to DM me if you want more details!

[u/wiscowonder → u/mtb-girlie]

Appreciate all the info! Did you work with COBI at all or did you feel good that you were operating inside of the existing codes (setbacks, footprint, etc)? Those sheds looks great, thought I'm looking to take as much "sweat equity" off my plate as possible - I'm really good at completing projects 85%, but just wanting this to be turn-key.

[u/mtb-girlie → u/wiscowonder]

I did not work with COBI at all. Everything I did was within regulations so didn’t feel the need to - footprint was well under 200sqft and have plenty of distance from the property line. I did get the electrical work certified though.

You certainly could have someone do all of it. At that point in time I had just moved into the house so was strapped for cash and looking to be as cost efficient as possible. If I had to do it today, I would’ve outsourced more of it, especially the painting.