Personal Projects

A flexible space in your backyard.

Take pressure off the space in your house by creating something new right in your back yard.

MY ROLE:

  • Design
  • Build
The challenge

Design and build a space that can be flexible enough to serve various purposes.

A space you want to spend time in, that is cheap and quick to build.

Make it your own

Change out the windows and doors, or choose a different siding and you can quickly go from a Japanese-inspired building to a modern one.

Connected to the outdoors

Given the relative size of the building, having windows and doors that connect it to the outdoors makes it feel much bigger inside.

Under 120 square feet

Most municipalities don’t require permits to build a freestanding structure under 120 square feet.

Repeatable template

Every stud, screw and joint is carefully thought out and designed so building it is quick and easy.

design process

From the foundation to the roof, we’ve thought through how each component interfaces with each other and intentionally designed so carpenters can focus on building.
The design model with its siding hidden, showing every stud, plate and roof joist
The design model fully clad, with horizontal slat siding, a mono-pitch roof and tall double doors
The same model dimensioned, with measurements called out across the floor and every face

build process

Because every joint is resolved on paper before anything is cut, the build is mostly assembly. Standard lumber, standard fasteners, and a sequence that runs foundation, frame, envelope, then openings — with the siding and windows left until last, so the same shell can end up looking very different.

The finished building in the garden, clad in cedar with black-framed glass doors and a row of clerestory windows above
The frame standing on its concrete slab, studs and headers still open to the sky
Looking up at a sheathed wall, its window openings cut out and the roof overhang framed above
The frame standing on its concrete slab, studs and headers still open to the sky
A corner of the finished building, where the cedar slats are mitred to turn the corner beside a window
The building seen across the lawn from the house, with the cat sitting on the table in the foreground

See other work

  • 01

    The Perfect Ramen Bowl

    Ceramic Design

  • 02

    East Meets West

    Furniture Design

  • 03

    Rebuilding the platform to find product-market fit

    Reimagine

Let's talk

Interested in working together? Have a question? Drop me a note.