Project Description

Southam Shed was a small design build project in June of 2019. The client had an existing built deck on the northwest side of his house which was underutilized due to loud vehicle noise from a highly traveled road down the hill. The clients requested to have a utility/storage shed built on the existing deck to allow for declutter of items currently stored in the garage. Another request was to have the shed look as if it matched the house. Overall goals of this project was to build a shed on top of the existing deck to match the style of the existing house.

An initial analysis was taken of the location along side the house in order to successfully address all concerns expressed by the client. Aside from designing a large enough space for adequate storage, three main concerns needing to be addressed included blocking background noise from the road, providing protection from the elements, and managing rainwater. The shed would need to be positioned as close to the front yard and as far back on the deck as possible to provide adequate space for moving items in and out of storage. By positioning the deck closest to the front yard, this provides a greater sound barrier between the highly utilized areas of the house and the road. Additionally, an integration of the overhang over the entrance of the shed was a crucial element due to high amounts of rainfall all year round in the Seattle area. With consideration of water management, it was important to provide a shed roof pitched away from the house to shed rainwater off the roof and down the hill into a man-made pond below. The shed only took three days to build and now provides a dryer and quieter space for the client to utilize. The shed blends well with the house and successfully addresses all concerns provided by the client.