Welcome to Prefab Profiles, an ongoing series of interviews with people transforming how we build houses. From prefab tiny houses and modular cabin kits to entire homes ready to ship, their projects represent some of the best ideas in the industry. Do you know a prefab brand that should be on our radar? Get in touch!
Having been founded in 2019, just before the pandemic, Okopod, a U.K. company that builds prefab sheds, soon found an audience largely in remote workers looking to add office spaces to their yards. Since, the company has built more than 300 units, says its founder, James Home, including an 800-square-foot ceramics studio and a shockingly luxe nine-car garage.
Here, Home shares one of Okopod’s latest projects, a backyard office, and explains what makes it stand out from others you could add to your yard.
Okopod built a backyard office for graphic designer Mattias Brietholz, who lives in London. Mattias says his cat loves to perch in a clerestory at one end of the unit.
Tell us about the backyard office you recently created for designer Mattias Brietholz.
Mattias, a graphic/UX/UI designer from Scandinavia, has been living in his terraced house in Croydon, London, since 2022. Like many of us adapting to remote work, he was looking for a dedicated space to focus on projects and to draw a clear boundary between home and work life. His pod is a multipurpose space. One side is for productivity, with furniture tailored for work and 3D printing. The other half is for relaxing, where he can read and look out towards his garden.
A single-pitched roof opens up towards the garden to create additional interior height and fill the structure with natural light; the unit also has large bifold doors and a skylight. Natural materials like Kebony cladding, birch plywood interiors, and a hardwood floor make for a warm, inviting atmosphere.
Hardwood floors and birch plywood walls create natural warmth inside the 194-square-foot space.
What qualities make Okopod’s backyard units stand apart from others?
- Custom Design: We understand that every person’s needs and gardens are unique. Every detail, from the size and shape to finishing touches, is fully bespoke.
- Okobase Foundations: Our team has designed a “raft” foundation system that allows for rapid installation with minimal ground preparation and zero concrete. This system was designed as a more sustainable and reliable alternative to traditional market options such as concrete or screws.
- Sustainability: From sourcing eco-friendly, low-maintenance materials, to using highly insulated, thermally efficient components, we prioritize the most sustainable choices throughout the design and build process. We also strive to minimize waste with a controlled workshop environment, ensuring a more efficient and eco-conscious production process.
- Lean Manufacturing: Okopod uses “lean-manufacturing” principles inspired by the Toyota Production System, which focuses on eliminating inefficiencies.
What does your base model cost?
Our Classic Pods start from around £14k (approximately $17,684 USD), which includes Thermowood cladding, plywood interiors, vinyl flooring, one aluminum door, one window, Okobase foundations, infrared heater, electrical, lighting, and a 10-year warranty. Popular extras like skylights and green roofs aren’t included. Okopod operates in the premium market, with projects starting from £14k and extending beyond £200k (approximately $252,640 USD) for larger, more complex engagements.
Which aspects can a client customize?
Every aspect of our designs is fully customizable. The process starts with the client selecting one of our core styles—like the Classic Pod or Porch Pod—as a foundation. From there, it becomes a collaborative process, with our design team working closely with the client to shape and refine a pod into a space that’s uniquely theirs.
Mattias’s favorite feature? The custom pull-up bar, of course. “I guess it’s the little personal details that make each pod’s design reflect the character of its owner.” says Home.
What aspects of an install do you manage?
Okopod offers a complete turnkey solution, handling every aspect of the process from start to finish. This includes planning permission (if required), building regulations, construction, plumbing, custom joinery, groundwork, utility hookups, and more—we want to make the process as simple as possible for our clients.
The exterior is clad in Kebony wood.
How long can a client expect the process to take after they put down a deposit?
The entire process typically takes around 12 weeks. This includes one day for preparing the foundation and three days for installation; sometimes it can take one day if a crane is used. Minimizing on-site time not only reduces disruption to daily life for the client, but is also more efficient on our end, as most of the construction is completed off-site in a controlled environment.
Large bi-fold doors and an operable skylight fill the backyard unit with natural light.
A concealed door hides a storage space.
Where are Okopods currently available?
Our workshop is based in Cambridge, England, and we ship throughout the United Kingdom. We have the capability of shipping abroad, which we hope to do soon.
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