It’s no longer your grandfather’s shed business these days, as many owners are adapting their business models to meet the needs of an evolving clientele and a corresponding rise in demand for more modern and diverse designs.
In the process, they’re targeting clients that care more about appearances than cost.
For Chad Moore, owner of Moore Liberty Buildings in Liberty Hill, Texas, it was becoming obvious that something needed to change. In his community, high-end developments are now scattered across what used to be mostly farms and cattle ranches.
“When we opened shop some 10 years ago, Liberty Hill was still a small town,” Moore says. “Today, we have the largest Target in Texas and a Costco within a mile and a half of our property and numerous housing developments with tens of thousands of homes around us.”
That’s also given rise to a proliferation of HOAs (homeowners’ associations), so the company must now maintain a complete list of HOA requirements in the area.
“We have it at our fingertips so we can show our customers what we can do to meet their HOA requirements,” Moore says.
Their customers’ tastes are changing, too. Ten years ago, Moore would showcase several 10-by-16 lofted barns on his lot. Today, he maintains a single lofted barn due to a precipitous drop in demand.
As it became increasingly difficult to remain competitive in the traditional space, Moore shifted his attention to a different type of customer—one more concerned about looks and quality than price.
Today, Moore Liberty Buildings specializes in designing and building custom residential accessory structures such as garages, barns, sheds, pergolas, and outdoor kitchens, offering everything from simple storage to fully finished barndominiums with concrete work, electrical, and plumbing, evolving from just selling buildings to full general contracting for these spaces.
Along the way, they provide solutions for various needs, aiming for affordability and quality, and handle all aspects of construction for their wood and steel structures, including financing assistance.
Moore Liberty Buildings benefits from being centrally located among its customers, so it can easily stay in touch with current trends.
“Our area is constantly under construction as opposed to being a rural spot that hasn’t changed in 30 years, so we’re constantly trying to get a sense of what’s happening, and if there is a way to incorporate that into one of our display models,” Moore says.
In 2019, their primary manufacturer—Leland’s Sheds—made a change of its own, moving away from the standard shed porch to begin offering a more adaptable, higher end model with more options.
“It doesn’t take much to go from a basic utility-style shed to something with a little more panache … by adding some overhangs, different window placements, etc. That can take it from simple to sublime quickly without breaking the bank.”
His typical customer is looking for an outdoor functional space rather than a tool shed. One of the most requested items is the 10-by-16 backyard office—an adapted Leland’s base model that is finished out with electricity and HVAC.
“This is a design that my wife (Amanda Moore) put together back in 2019, and we’ve riffed on that for six years now,” Moore says, “with different dormer sizes, different types of door entries, etc.”
Other end uses for Moore’s buildings are as an outside gym or hobby room. The barndominium—a condominium space made from a barn—is also popular.
To assist his customers, Moore Liberty Buildings offers a full contracting service, whereby they’ll grade the property, dig the trenches, pour the concrete, erect the building, and complete all of the finishes.
“More and more frequently, people want to completely finish it out,” he adds. “While standard shed construction is made with siding on two by fours with the windows on the outside, when we know someone plans to finish it out, we’ll add OSB (oriented strand board) panels underneath Tyvek, followed by the windows, siding, etc.”
John Englert, sales manager with Sheds by Design in Mooresville, North Carolina, says the diversity of their product line is evolving for a similar reason—to meet the HOA-driven needs of their high-end customers living on nearby Lake Norman just north of Charlotte. As such, they offer everything from pool cabanas to off-grid cabins to custom garages. They even recently converted a “she shed” into a mancave equipped with a bourbon bar. For another customer, they converted a shed into a kennel, outfitted with pet stalls and artificial turf.
Sheds By Design manufactures its storage buildings in Cleveland, North Carolina, using state-sourced lumber, and serves a region that encompasses North and South Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee. They emphasize local craftsmanship and provide options to visit their build shop by appointment.
Out of necessity, the company has become adept at building to HOA specifications.
“You go back 10 years ago and there were very few of these developments,” he says. “Now, they’re everywhere. Our customers come in, give us the name of their HOA, and we’ll create a design with all the things they want. They’ll then go back and get it approved, then place the order.”
Most HOAs will require that any new outdoor structure match the house, including the paint color and roof type.
“Some don’t allow the steel roof; they want the shingle roof,” he adds. “Others won’t let you put in a lofted barn; it can only be an A-frame or some other design. It really depends on the board.”
Sheds by Design will guide the customer through the various permitting and HOA hurdles along the way, and since the entirety of the manufacturing is performed within an enclosed space, its customers get a better product in the end. They also get it faster.
“We’ll do everything, including painting the buildings, all in a controlled environment,” he adds. “Our speed to market is unmatched, as weather doesn’t get in the way as it would if you were building in someone’s yard.”
Heath Cejka, founder of Freedom Room in Austin, says there’s no need for his young business to evolve, as its core business model has always focused on the creation of high-end functional spaces. Freedom Room, founded nearly two years ago, is an online retailer specializing in pre-manufactured entertainment and outdoor living structures, along with the necessary accoutrements.
The company is “cutting its teeth” in the Texas market, but Cejka expects that to change soon. He’s completely online, and his buildings are manufactured in Canada, so he can ship anywhere.
Freedom Room offers a unique experience, with the goal of transforming everyday rooms into unforgettable retreats. The Austin-based Cejka got the idea a few years ago after visiting his cabin in Wisconsin.
“The cabin has an extra room and converted it into my man cave,” he says. “That gave me an idea—why not offer that as a service back at home? What initially started out to be a supplier of man cave items evolved into actually manufacturing the space itself.”
He then found a quality manufacturer in Canada and a few key suppliers.
“These aren’t traditional brick and mortar buildings,” he says. “They’re ‘notch and groove’ construction and easily put together. They’re also low maintenance and come highly insulated, so you don’t really have to deal with those steps.”
Freedom Room subcontracts the entirety of its services, including the manufacture of the structure and the complete finish-out, including electricity, plumbing, and even furnishings. Most of the time, his customers are looking for an office, fitness room or social room. In one instance, a client needed a space to support a golf simulator. They’re also used as guest houses, off-grid cabins, and saunas.
“We sell specific buildings customized for whatever they want it to be,” he adds. “We’re trying to make it easy for customers to find their building, as well as everything they need inside of it.”
Freedom Room structures are typically standalone buildings measuring from 100 to 400 square feet.
“These rooms are not just your personal getaways; you can also utilize them for get-togethers to make more memories with friends and family,” Cejka says. “We’ll walk our customer through the process to get an idea of what they’re looking for, then we give them options of what we recommend based on the products we have. We’ll ultimately do a lot of the design, then take them through every step of the process, including furnishing the space.
“Ultimately, we want to be their one-stop shop.”
