The Rise of Backyard Offices in Calgary
Source: Dave Robertson · AVENUE MAGAZINE · | January 13, 2021
How pandemic-mandated working from home is fueling demand for stylish and functional backyard offices.
Builder Jeremy Johnson hopes to overcome the cost barrier by leasing back yard offices for as little as $500 a month. Photograph by Jared Sych.
As COVID-19 lingers, other Calgary designers and builders are creating their own new versions of these “shedquarters.” Builders like Unique Projects and Urban Shed are using techniques and finishes from custom home building, while firms like Re+U and Modern Huts are introducing prefabricated solutions that are both attractive and quick to erect.
Builder Jeremy Johnson hopes to overcome the cost issue by leasing backyard offices pre-constructed from recycled shipping containers. Johnson’s company, Modern Huts, was already using shipping containers as a durable building envelope for homes, cabins and studios they’ve built for clients in Calgary and across Western Canada. When the pandemic started, he pivoted to building backyard offices from small shipping containers.
When Johnson discovered that demand for the $20,000 units was soft, he introduced a leasing option that allows his customers to secure a backyard office for as little as $500 a month, including ongoing maintenance. Leasing not only makes Johnson’s solution more affordable, it also allows companies and the self-employed to write off their lease costs as a business expense.
The flexibility offered by shipping containers is particularly well suited to Johnson’s leasing model because the offices can be built and stored offsite and delivered when customers are ready for them. They’re also easy to remove and repurpose when the lease is over.
This new world of backyard offices has the potential to influence the character of Calgary’s neighbourhoods, says David White, principal and owner of urban planning and design firm, CivicWorks. The company’s clientele includes developers in places such as Vancouver Island, where many professionals are choosing to migrate because they have the option to work remotely, and where demand for high-end homes with well-designed, professional workspaces is growing. After seeing the Re+U model office in southwest Calgary, White deemed it “a simple, considered, thoughtful and potentially really affordable, achievable addition to a property to be able to accommodate … working remotely.”