Fun DIY Shed
Design pair gives their backyard shed an angled pop-top for light and air
Alex Hayden
Sleek horizontal siding panels and a slightly angled roof give this shed a strong visual presence.
In need of space for basic yard storage at their Seattle home, Ahna Holder and Ryan Smith, who together run Grey Design Studio, decided to design and build a simple 10- by 12-foot garden shed. “All it needed to do was hold tools,” explains Smith, “so we thought we would have a little fun with it.”
The fun is in the use of Hardipanel, a cement-based exterior siding material, to cover the standard, uninsulated, 2-by-4 wood frame in an elegant grid pattern, and in the gently sloping galvanized metal roof, which creates the impression of a lid being lifted.
The narrow wedge of space under the slanting roof is open to keep out rain but allow in light and air. The shed “floats” on pier footings, allowing air to circulate beneath it so the room remains dry.
