There I was, on my laptop at the kitchen table in Fort Collins trying to sort through the many frantic texts coming in from a tenant 1200 miles away. An exterior wall had completely crumbled at our 100-year-old stone Tudor in Nashville and we were leaving the next morning for a two-week vacation. We weren’t sure if the house was safe to stay in, and were having trouble getting in touch with an engineer to take a look. As I tried to take care of the issue, making phone call after phone call, my toddler was screaming and rolling around on the floor while Taylor Swift blasted from the stereo, helping motivate my exhausted wife to pack for the trip as she tended to our toddler.
Needing a quiet place to hunker down and take care of the landlord’s nightmare that was unfolding, I ducked into my office (a spare bedroom with a make shift desk) and tried to carry on. Unfortunately the toddler’s screams (not quite in harmony with Ms. Swift’s singing) permeated throughout the house, making it nearly impossible to focus.
We eventually got the situation taken care of, but in the process of doing so, I realized I needed an office that was removed from our house. At first I looked into renting office space somewhere, but didn’t love the idea of having to drive somewhere and competing with traffic, especially since I had gotten accustomed to the benefits of working from home. It was nice to be able to work for a couple hours, take a break to play with my son or have lunch with my wife, and then do a little more work. It was also nice to have the option of working strange hours, like late at night or early in the morning, even if in little one-hour increments. Besides, as a small time property investor, I didn’t like the idea of paying rent on a space and having nothing to show for it.
It had to look great, but it also had to perform well. So I decided to build my own.
Next I looked into the many, many backyard studios available online. They caught my attention because they looked great and had surprisingly low prices. As I looked deeper into their specs and construction, however, I realized why they were so affordable. They were really just glorified sheds that were poorly constructed. In a nutshell, they were cheap because, well, they were cheaply made. My background as a mechanical engineer who previously worked in residential energy-efficiency and high-end home construction lead me to want something better. It had to look great, but it also had to perform well. So I decided to build my own.
I used construction methods that are generally reserved for only the most expensive custom homes. I framed it using the “monopoly house” method that maximizes energy efficiency and comfort by eliminating all of the downfalls of standard framing (learn more about it here). I then used double the standard amount of insulation to ensure it would be super comfortable and quiet, while taking very little electricity to heat and cool (click here for insulation details). I installed top notch heating and cooling equipment, including heated floors and a fresh air system. I designed the space to use whole pieces of lumber and material, which minimized construction waste. Lastly, I only used materials that have a low carbon footprint and no harmful off-gassing. Why? Because a lot of typical building materials have been shown to be really bad for us (read more here).
I can’t overstate how incredible it is to use. In fact, it is not only used as my office, but also as a place to bring my son in the early morning (he and I are early risers) to play while my wife sleeps in. It also makes a perfect place for me to play my guitar without bothering anyone and has become my de facto reading nook.
And that’s why I started Marigold Spaces. I figured that if I could use a space like this, plenty of others could too.
Spaces by Marigold 
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