Shed Boy Becomes Shed Man

PORT TOWNSEND — “See that plug?” Daryl Bunsen chirps cheerfully pointing to a bare electrical outlet, “That’s 120 volts of mains electricity!”

Gesturing to the second room of his shed, now tiny home, Bunsen adds, “Got three of 'em now, that's GFCI so I can plug in my microwave.” 

With a windfall from a distant relative Bunsen has been able to enclose the walls of the once 16’ by 8’ garden shed. The move, while daunting, has opened Bunsen’s eyes to an upgraded lifestyle. 

“At first I was like ‘Dry-Wall? How is that even possible?’” 

Bunsen has made a living on the Olympic Peninsula as a landscaper for 20 years and has work-traded his talents for his modest abode just off of F Street for nearly as long. 

“The McGoverns are nice folks,” Bunsen says flatly, looking over the yard. After a long pause he adds, “I mean, I think I met them once.” 

In an email received from Massachusetts hedge fund Bligh Capital Management, a representative from the McGovern family stated: “We are so happy to support Mr. Bunsen in what we hope will improve his life significantly before he goes full-on ‘Lawnmower Man’,” referring to the 1992 science fiction film of the same name. 

The family's 9 bedroom Victorian casts a significant shadow over the residence's once rickety tool shed that Bunsen calls home.

“A few years back they let me run an extension cord from the house, but without insulation, that space heater didn't do too much,” he muses. 

With help from his Uncle Ernie and the city’s revised subdivision codes, Bunsen was able to start improvements, though he has run into some challenges with space.

“I had to build a lean-to for my composting toilet, so I don't know, maybe the bucket is still my best option.” 

With his shed now on the grid, Bunsen hopes he can spend less time getting dirt under his nails and more time pursuing his main passion: Crypto consulting.

“I mean, I personally don't need the internet—I've got my old maps, my cribbage board and Horatio Hornblower books—but it's really hard to build my clients’ wealth using the Wifi at Aldrich’s.” 

Now, as a man of secure stature, Bunsen has also been able to focus on his personal life a little more and has tried his hand at dating. 

“Yeah, I was getting kind of serious with this one gal,” Bunsen reflects, “But at dinner the other night she was telling me things like I need to ‘get a business license’ and that I should ‘file my taxes’.” 

“I think we're going to have to break it off,” he concludes.