Aug. 30—Rachel and Michael Friedberg were in the mountains the night they lost a lot, but not everything.

After getting reports that their home on West Coal Creek Drive was in the direct path of the Marshall Fire, a friend ignored a blockade and walked the 6 miles to their property to confirm the worst.

"It was so pretty," Michael Friedberg said of the renovations. But the memory he speaks of with even more affection is the family's ritual.

At sunset, the couple would walk down the trail out their backdoor to a bench. A ritual through Rachel Friedberg's pregnancy, and then with their baby girl, Darwin.

About 3 miles north, the crew at Studio Shed recalls getting on the building's roof the afternoon the fire took over and smoke and ashes started mixing with wind.

Since 2013, the company has been designing, building and shipping freestanding modular sheds from their ever-growing shop in a Louisville industrial park.

Serving as backyard offices, gyms, art and music studios, and accessory dwelling units (ADUs), the company began when co-founder Jeremy Nova, a professional mountain bike racer, needed to store an abundant collection of bicycles. After enough people suggested that Nova sell the shed he designed and built in his backyard, he partnered with friend and entrepreneur Michael Koenig to launch Studio Shed.

Pairing Nova's passion for efficiency and architecture with Koenig's two decades of business development and commitment to building relationships, and the ascensional trajectory in the building industry has proven to be a blueprint for Studio Shed's steady growth.

Earlier this year the company expanded its facility and manufacturing equipment.

The dog-friendly factory is where the projects, which buyers configure and purchase online, are designed, measured, cut, built and painted, and then the walls, roofs, soffits and hardware is packed flat on pallets for delivery and for on-site assembly. Their products have been shipped to every state but North Dakota.

Koenig says they're committed to supporting people impacted by the December disaster to get home.

"Yeah, these are our neighbors, our friends. We have a whole team that helps our customers through hurdles. We do our entire plan set, get the site survey going, handle the permitting," said Koenig. "We encourage the municipalities to come meet with us. We'd like to be of service."

After the fire, the Friedbergs moved in with his parents, and discovered they were underinsured.

An alumni of the U.S. Ski team, Michael Friedberg said he and Rachel were clear that getting back to their outdoor passions with their daughter was the path their healing needed to take. Being in a holding pattern with insurance to rebuild atop the rubble wasn't.

"We didn't have the same equity because of the length of time we owned our home," said Michael Friedberg. "We saw we had a different path. We wanted to make sure at the end of the month we had money to travel, and really redouble our commitment to have fun."

Since their property is a double lot, the Friedbergs considered building a carriage house or a dwelling over a garage that allowed them to live on property sooner than later, at a price that meant they would still have access to fun funds, but nothing fit their vision or criteria. They reached out to the team at Studio Shed and collaborated on a two-story duplex.

"It's like two Studio Shed ADUs stacked on top of one another," Michael explained. "Having been born and raised in Colorado there is a sense we'll be part of a housing solution for people. We loved living there and we suspect other people will, too."

On the Studio Shed website, guests purchase ready-to-ship sheds under 100 square feet or design their own project all the way up to ADUs over 1,000 square feet that bring the initial cost per square foot under $100.

Cognizant of the fire resilience building codes being adopted, design manager Benjamin Seaman said their product already meets or exceeds codes.

"I know of a fire in California where every other structure burned but our shed." Seaman said. "It looks like the apocalypse, and then there's our shed."

Although unincorporated Boulder County recently passed a disaster housing ordinance allowing residents who lost their homes to install ADUs on the property, Seaman said there are still so many gray areas in the zoning and permitting process.

"We can build a 1,000 square foot ADU and ship it out in 24 hours. But the permitting process is still so antiquated across the country," Koenig said. "I really would like to take a megaphone and say 'Hey, we're here to help!' and we will help you with the planning, and we will help you financially, and to the cities and the county, we want to help you, too."

Michael Friedberg admits they haven't really processed the trauma of what they lost in December, but they remain optimistic. They'll be back on their property and enjoying sunset walks.

"It certainly has been a life-defining event. But we haven't lost sight of the incredible community support we've received. That can't be undersold," reflected Michael Friedberg.

"There is one side that wishes we were there to grab X-Y-Z. And the more we think about it, we have a cat and a little Mexican street dog that go everywhere we go, and our baby. They were with us that night, and that's everything."

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