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Accessory Dwelling Design + Build

Summer 2024

By High Altitude Finishes

November 16^th, 2024

Project Scope

Our 2024 Summer was one of our busiest in our company history. As time allows, we will be writing about how our company created this 800 sq ft office/gym. The structure was originally an old horse barn that sat unused for many years. The project entailed deconstructing the whole structure in order to properly insulate, installing a new metal roof, rebuilding the north wall of the building, installing 12 new windows, door and new siding all around. We deconstructed the siding present in the original barn and reused it with very minimal waste. Where the original siding was completely rotted, we used locally sourced custom milled beetle killed siding in order to match the original look. This was a super fun project where re-purposing siding was a challenging endeavor. We removed hundreds of 4" framing nails that were used to give structure to the siding. The project also entailed finishing the interior with locally sourced 8" shiplap. Some of the challenges of this project were working with uneven studs, walls that were not plumb and a barn that was not square due to improper framing.

Roofing

We removed the original asphalt shingle roof as it was compromised and the rafter bays were full of pack rats. We disinfected the bays and added 2" rigid foam for insulation plus 3/4 plywood. We chose a grace & shield plus metal roof combination for ease of installation and durability. We deconstructed the old 1/2" plywood and repurposed it. To add a rustic look, we chose properly flashed cedar fascia.

North Wall Reconstruction

The north side of the building had an improperly built flagstone patio that prevented proper drainage. We had to deconstruct the patio and rebuild the north wall of the building which had rotted after many years of improper water drainage and snow accumulation. We also replaced the original barn door with a window. We decided to preserve old Celotex sheeting as there was nothing wrong with the material. We firmly believe that oftentimes the construction industry evolves in order to increase/create sales of new materials. This adds to the remodeling cost oftentimes unnecessarily.

Siding Deconstruction & Reinstall

The net step in our project was to carefully deconstruct the old barn siding and prepare it for reuse. These boards were beautifully straight and in perfect structural shape after 50 years in place. We were too busy removing 4" nails from these boards to take any pictures of the tedious process.