Alder House / SHED Architecture

Architects: SHED Architecture
Area: 2,820 ft²
Year: 2024
Photography: Rafael Soldi
Contractor: Thomas Jacobson Construction
Structural Engineering: Swenson Say Fagét
Solar: Solterra
Energy Modeling: Atvaga Building Modeling
Materials: Open-gap Cedar Cladding, COR-TEN Steel, Ash Millwork
City: Seattle
Country: United States

Alder House is a comprehensive renovation of a three-story post-modern residence originally built in 1990 on a wooded site in Seattle’s Denny Blaine neighborhood. The project transforms the existing structure into a contemporary, energy-efficient home that strengthens its relationship to the surrounding landscape while improving spatial clarity and daily functionality. Passive House strategies and high-performance systems inform the upgrade, supporting long-term sustainability goals without compromising architectural expression. Interior spaces were reorganized to establish the kitchen as the social center of the home, improve circulation between living areas, and enhance privacy within the primary suite. Exterior modifications simplify the building’s form while introducing natural materials that weather gracefully within the forested setting. New openings, rebuilt decks, and carefully framed views reinforce connections to the alder and poplar trees that define the site.

Rather than approaching the renovation as a surface-level update, Alder House treats the existing structure as a framework for rethinking how domestic architecture engages a sensitive, wooded context. Set on a sloping lot near the Arboretum, the house is immersed in alder trees and mature poplars, with its massing and circulation shaped by topography and vegetation. An oblique approach from the east leads visitors through dense greenery to an elevated deck that bridges ground and porch, establishing a gradual transition from forest floor to interior living spaces.

The original 1990 house carried the formal signatures of post-modern design, including curved walls, gridded windows, bright red cladding, and pronounced cornices. The renovation selectively edits these elements to clarify the building’s overall form and align it with contemporary sensibilities. Removing the cornice simplified the exterior silhouette, allowing the house to read more clearly as a series of volumes rather than a collection of stylistic gestures.

Material choices play a central role in reconnecting the house to its setting. Open-gap cedar cladding and COR-TEN steel accents replace the former palette, referencing weathered, natural materials that echo the surrounding landscape. These finishes are intended to patina over time, reinforcing a sense of durability and continuity with the forest rather than standing in contrast to it.

Internally, the renovation focuses on spatial coherence and improved functionality. Custom ash built-ins unify the interiors while maximizing storage and reinforcing a restrained material language. The kitchen was reconfigured to become the social heart of the home by removing a small den near the entry and introducing a modest bump-out to the west, creating a more generous and connected gathering space.

Large bifold and sliding doors now open the main living areas directly onto a rebuilt west-facing deck, strengthening the indoor-outdoor relationship that defines daily life in the house. The deck incorporates a custom COR-TEN planter and bench that provide privacy while extending living space outward, offering framed views into the forested garden below.

The primary suite was redesigned to enhance privacy and reorient views toward the surrounding poplars. Ribbon windows, vertical tile, and integrated storage introduce a contemporary expression while emphasizing height, light, and calm. Throughout Alder House, careful detailing and environmental strategies converge to create a modern retreat that balances performance, comfort, and a deepened connection to place.