By CHARLES H. FEATHERSTONE

Staff Writer

MOSES LAKE — Consider, if you will, the humble garden shed.

It’s that lowly structure sitting in your backyard made of metal or wood or possibly even plastic that holds your lawnmower, your garden tools, hoses and sprinklers and half-used cans of paint and heaven only knows how many spiders.

But with a little work, they can be turned into real buildings, too, with fancier sheds being used as home offices or even as places for guests or family to stay.

“We sell all kinds of different sheds,” said Cherity Mengelos, the sole proprietor of the Moses Lake Shed Company at 1800 W. Broadway Ave. “People use them for she sheds, man caves, garages, guest cottages, all kinds of different things.”

Mengelos sells Murfreesboro, Tennessee-based Old Hickory Sheds, and she said that demand for the little buildings has been strong since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The company designs and builds a number of different kinds of sheds, from small and simple eight-foot-square sheds to giant 16-foot-by-40-foot buildings to store vehicles and equipment and even keep animals.

“It’s been unprecedentedly busy for our entire company across the United States,” Mengelos said. “And from what I’m understanding, that true of all companies that sell storage buildings. … We have experienced a ginormous surge in sales.”

Because of COVID-19, Mengelos said people are staying home and working on yard or home projects and have decided they need more storage or workspace. Or, they are taking some of the company’s fancier sheds that have windows and porches and turning them into guest rooms or home offices.

In fact, the very office sitting in the midst of Mengelos’ display lot is a customized Old Hickory that has been insulated, wired for electricity, and had a proper interior wall and floor installed.

“Most popular right now is the home office,” she said. “People are working from home, and realizing they can’t do that at the kitchen table. They need a dedicated space.”

Mengelos said all of the sheds she sells “start out as shells,” and while neither she nor the company does the kind of interior customizing work that would turn a 12x24 Deluxe Playhouse into a plush man cave, the company’s sheds come with a number of customizable options covering everything from the size and number of windows to workbenches, loft storage and shelves.

“We are very good at customizing,” she said. “We have our sales lot but you can order, you can put windows in, change out door types, and we offer advice on insulation and walls.”

“They are all expected to be a shed, but that doesn’t mean a customer’s not going to use it for a different purpose,” Mengelos added.

All of the company’s sheds are engineer-certified and fully portable, Mengelos added.

The smallest 8x8 Old Hickory Sheds start at around $2,000, with the largest 16x40 models topping out at near $15,000. Moses Lake Shed Company also offers rent-to-own terms, though Mengelos noted that right now, Old Hickory has tacked on a surcharge to cover the increased cost of supplies caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

But whatever a building might cost, Mengelos said the most important consideration for customers is the size of the building they need.

“I have customers who come in, they love their building, but they realize they went too small,” she said. “So definitely figure out what size is going to work and fit your space and the kinds of things you’re storing.”

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached at cfeatherstone@columbiabasinherald.com