BACKYARD STUDIO: DREAM COME TRUE
Airy and bright garden studio a dream come true for Saanich baby photographer
After three years of detailed research and planning, Robert and Sarah Booth have a backgarden studio where she can operate her newborn-photography business without ever leaving the property. It’s her dream come true, with billowing white curtains, loads of natural light, engineered white oak floors and 600 square feet of flexible workspace — all just steps from her back door.
But more than that, it’s a business expense the Booths can write off, an ancillary building that will increase the value of their property. They both agree it’s a huge privacy asset, too — designated workspace outside their home.
The new studio has plenty of room for staging photo shoots, a compact coffee bar for clients, a full bathroom and masses of hidden storage in an attic over the office alcove, accessed via a fold-down staircase.
“We wanted the whole place to feel really large, airy and bright, so we designed it with big windows and a high ceiling,” said Sarah, who added it was originally going to be even higher, but her builder wisely framed the structure’s outline so the Booths could envision the mass, and they immediately had him lower it a few feet.
She said Paul Cosgrave was an outstanding builder, “really wonderful, and he came up with lots of details and great ideas.”
The storage area above her office, for instance, was originally just intended for props and supplies, but he suggested putting the water heater there and plumbing, so it’s a mechanical room, too, saving space on the main floor.
Dustin Harrison did most of the millwork and some extras, such as barn doors that slide across the entire end of the main room.
“The owner wanted something with a little character that could also be used as a backdrop, so I found some wood that was about 80 years old, salvaged from a demolition job.”
Harrison also built a large armoire with doors in the middle and shelves on either side, which Sarah painted chalk white.
Cosgrave said keeping costs down while adding interesting elements and energy efficiencies was a challenge.
The building is on a concrete slab, but they saved money by having in-floor heat in only the entry and bathroom. But the slab is extremely well insulated, he added. “We wanted it to perform well, so we put four inches of insulation under the slab and insulated all the concrete forms, so there’s no thermal bridging from outside.”
The Booths chose a ductless, energy-efficient, split-system heat pump. The capital cost (about $5,000) is higher than for baseboard heaters, but running costs are much lower. With babies and tots being photographed, Sarah needed it to be warm.
Robert estimates the heat pump will easily pay for itself in four years, aided by good quality, double-glazed thermal glazing from Westeck Windows.
Much of the millwork was done with economical and lightweight MDF, except for the kilndried, edge-grain fir for windowsills. The whole window wall is a millwork feature, with small trim around everything, “like a piece of cabinetry or furniture,” said Cosgrave.
Like the in-floor heat, wainscoting was limited to the entry and bathroom, yet adds tremendously to the studio’s appeal.
“If a bathroom looks crummy, it changes your whole opinion of a place,” said the builder, who also added an opening skylight.
Because the residence was never hooked up to storm drains and the ground is heavy clay, this accessory building required a large water-collection and dispersal trench.
“It’s a 25-foot-long trench that’s four feet wide and four feet deep,” said Cosgrave, adding it runs the length of the structure’s back footing and required engineering input from a geotechnical adviser.
All the gutters from the house, and now the studio, lead to this feature, and the harvested rainwater can be recycled to irrigate lawns and garden.
Cosgrave, a custom homebuilder, said backyard buildings such as these are starting to catch on. He is already planning another for an accountant.
“It’s an advantage for a professional not to have to drive to work. And if you rented this place as a cottage, you might get $1,000 a month, but it’s way more valuable as a professional building.”
Alexis Solomon of MINT Freshly Inspired Design said it was a fun project. “Sarah has a clear vision of what she wants, great taste and a designer eye.”
“She started a Pinterest board with inspirational photos and I helped her hone the ideas.”
A Pinterest board allows people to collect and save pictures on a virtual board, after browsing websites or online magazines. “It’s a great tool for interior designers,” said Solomon, who noted the old way was to rip out pages of magazines and make files. “Now images can be selected and emailed instantly to designers.”
Solomon helped with storage idea, layout and colours.
“Choosing them was a huge consideration, as the windows are large and a photographer doesn’t want too much glare. We found colours with warm undertones, nothing green.”
Robert said the backyard studio is a real asset. “When we were shopping for a house [a decade ago], we also looked at purchasing or leasing a commercial space.
“But we decided it was better for our future, and the company’s, to find a property that was zoned for a home-based business and an accessory building.”
Although building the studio was a substantial investment, leasing space would have meant having no control over future costs, said Robert, an officer with the Coast Guard’s Marine Communications Traffic Services, the busiest centre in Canada. (It’s like being an airtraffic controller, he explained, only it keeps track of every vessel coming into Canadian waters.)
A meticulous planner, he believes the back garden office will be a good investment.
“We really did our homework before going into this venture,” he said. “It took a number of years, but the building is fantastic and it can be used for anything down the road: a law office, a dance studio, a daycare. And one day, Saanich may change the bylaw regarding garden suites.”
Saanich planning director Sharon Hvozdanski said accessory buildings are allowed in the municipality if they meet zoning requirements and lot-coverage restrictions.
“They have been permissible for a long period of time, whether as a garden shed, office or art studio, but they are not allowed to be used as a habitable space.”
That may change, she noted, as Saanich council recently asked staff to look at the potential for garden cottages.
“It’s possible to have a secondary suite inside a house, but not all homes can easily accommodate that, and more and more people have been asking about conversions of garages, or rental of a space that’s detached from a house. That intrigued council and triggered a discussion of how to accommodate this.”