Shingle-style boathouse exterior with a covered entry, wood-paneled double doors, and stone garden edging beneath a large tree

Windmill Hill Boathouse

SERVICES

Detail of a hand-forged iron door handle mounted on a cedar-plank door

In 2010, one of our previous customers contacted us again to design and build a custom boathouse, garden shed, and greenhouse. These structures are often produced separately and a bit more generically than what we planned to perform. We combined these two functions into a single structure that again joined two footprints with expressive roof forms. This structure was interesting to build and is still one of my favorites to look at because of the materials and detailing used, which make it look like it belongs to the rest of the home while also allowing it to be expressive and incorporate some new technologies.

The boathouse space is approximately 500 sq. ft., while the garden/potting shed and greenhouse spaces occupy about 160 sq. ft. These areas wrap around the southwestern corner to capture light and face the planted garden only steps away. We provided custom finishes on the entire exterior, which again blends and matches shingle-style architecture with modern technology.

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Interior workshop space with a wood-burning stove, easel, and a painting in progress beneath a wall of clerestory windows
Structural detail of exposed wood roof framing meeting a painted steel beam
Shingle-style boathouse exterior with a covered entry, wood-paneled double doors, and stone garden edging beneath a large tree
Wide exterior view of the shingle-style boathouse with a glass sunroom, barn doors, and solar panels on the roof
Side exterior of the boathouse with a glass-walled sunroom addition on a stone foundation
Front exterior with a glass sunroom, white French door, and a dark stained barn-style door under solar panels
Exterior entry detail with a wood door, stone corner post, and stained barn door siding
Close-up of the boathouse's wood double doors with black hardware and multi-pane transom windows
Sunroom addition with an exposed timber frame, stone counter, and windows on three sides
Bathroom with sliding barn doors, a built-in bookshelf, and a long stainless trough sink with a vintage-style faucet
Staircase detail with a modern wood lattice railing and steel support post

Project Highlights

  • Combined boathouse and garden functions into a single structure, connecting two footprints with expressive roof forms
  • Oriented the garden shed and greenhouse to wrap the southwestern corner, capturing light and facing the planted garden
  • Applied custom exterior finishes throughout, blending shingle-style architecture with modern materials and technology
Shingle-style boathouse and garden shed with cedar shake siding and double wood doors, shaded by a large oak tree