Backyard Offices & Studios Built for Year-Round Work
A spare bedroom was never meant to be an office. A backyard studio gives you a door that closes, a commute measured in footsteps, and a room that belongs to your work instead of borrowing space from your home. We have been building them by hand in Lynnwood since 1983, and we deliver finished, insulated, wired workspaces across Snohomish and King County.
A Real Room, Not a Converted Shed
There is a meaningful difference between a storage building someone later ran an extension cord to, and a structure designed from the first drawing to be occupied eight hours a day. Ours are the second kind. Every building is framed with 2×4 Douglas fir, floored in 3/4 inch CDX plywood, and wrapped in Tyvek with a moisture barrier in the roof, floor and walls. There is no OSB or particle board anywhere in the structure, which matters a great deal in a climate that spends half the year damp.
From there you specify the room you actually need. An insulation package and interior heating make it usable in January. An electrical package gives you real outlets and lighting rather than a cord run across the lawn. Interior walls can be finished in tongue and groove, cabinet grade plywood or CDX, and plenty of clients drywall and paint theirs afterwards to match the house.
Choosing a Size
Most home offices land between 100 and 160 square feet. A 10×10 holds a desk, a chair and a bookcase comfortably. A 10×12 or 12×12 leaves room for a second chair, which is what you want if clients or patients will ever sit across from you. Therapists, coaches and anyone recording video tend to go to 12×14 or larger, partly for the acoustics and partly so the camera has somewhere to look.
Studios follow slightly different logic. Painters and ceramicists ask for daylight, so we add picture windows and skylights and often orient the building to catch north light. Musicians and podcasters care more about separation from the house and go heavier on insulation. We built a 16×12 Forester called The Lighthouse for a holistic healing practice in Bothell, including securing a permit another contractor had already given up on.
Popular office and studio specifications
- Insulation package for year-round comfort
- Electrical package with dedicated circuits
- Interior heating package
- Picture, single-hung or slider windows for daylight
- Single or double fiberglass doors
- Skylights and roof vents
- Tongue and groove or cabinet grade interior walls
- Composite deck, stairs or ramp at the entry
- Wall height above the 7 ft 4 1/2 in standard
What an Office Build Costs
Base prices below include delivery, installation on a prepped level lot, a single shed door, 30-year architectural shingles and Douglas fir T1-11 siding. Insulation, electrical, heating, windows and interior finishes are quoted on top, and most finished offices land meaningfully above the base figure. We would rather tell you that here than surprise you later.
10×10 Forester
$6,490
100 sq ft. The standard one-person office. Desk, chair, storage and room to stand up and think.
12×12 Forester
$8,712
144 sq ft. Fits a second chair, a filing cabinet and a proper video-call background.
12×16 Forester
$11,616
192 sq ft. Studio territory. Room for a treatment table, an easel or a two-person team.
Financing is available through Enhancify if you would rather spread the cost. See financing options.
What Office Clients Say
I recently had the pleasure of working with Tony and his team to build an outdoor mini barn office space, and I truly couldn’t be happier with the outcome. The office is not only sturdy and functional, but it’s also absolutely beautiful, blending perfectly with the outdoor space while providing a calm, inspiring work environment.
Aswathy K.
I was nervous about how my desire to have the interior of the shed drywalled would work with their schedule, but I needn’t have been. Their subcontractors are also excellent, from the person who prepared the level ground to the electricians who returned to move our heater after our second thoughts. I love my new office shed!
Alicia A.
Tony handled the process from beginning to end — electrical (and permitting), heating, painting, installation, etc. I couldn’t be happier! I recommend to anyone looking for any outdoor space.
Tara E.
Backyard Office Questions
Do I need a permit for a backyard office in Snohomish or King County?
Usually yes, and this is worth understanding early. The permit exemptions people quote apply to unconditioned structures not used for human habitation, so a storage shed qualifies but an insulated, heated office generally does not, even at the same size. Seattle limits its exemption to 120 square feet and to unoccupied uses only. Unincorporated Snohomish County additionally prohibits heating systems in permit-exempt accessory structures. Electrical work always needs its own permit, and setbacks apply at any size. We have taken projects through permitting many times, including one in Bothell that another contractor had walked away from. Our permit guide for Snohomish and King County sets out the detail.
Can the office be insulated and heated for Washington winters?
Yes. An insulation package and an interior heating package are both available, and together they are what turn a shed into a room you will actually use in December. Every building already includes a moisture barrier in the roof, floor and walls, which is the foundation insulation depends on. Most people working out of their building year-round choose both packages.
How is electricity run to the building?
We offer an electrical package for the building itself, and we work regularly with electricians who handle the trenching and the connection back to your house. Clients typically contract that portion directly with the electrician we recommend. Plan for a dedicated circuit if you will run a heater, a computer setup and lighting at the same time.
How long does installation take?
A straightforward building goes up in a single day on a prepped, level lot. Larger or more complex builds with decks, extended eaves or multiple door and window openings usually take two days. Site preparation happens before we arrive, and we can refer you to landscapers who build the gravel pad.
What kind of foundation does it need?
A prepped, level lot. Buildings sit on pressure-treated 4×4 skids over 4 inch concrete leveling blocks, and up to 6 inches of leveling is included in the price. A compacted, drained gravel pad is the most common and most economical choice in our area. A concrete slab works too and is worth considering if you are pouring for other reasons anyway.
Can I see the design before I commit?
Yes. Our free 3D Shed Builder lets you set the size, style, siding, doors and windows and see the result before you speak to anyone. Bring the design to us and we will quote it.
Start Designing Your Office
Build it yourself in 3D, or tell us what you need and we will put together a quote.
