In this photo you have what is a pretty ordinary looking little shed. That is not the case however. It survived the Woolsey fire in tact, in the Malibu area of southern California, that ignited on November 8, 2018 and burned 96,949 acres of land. Everything as close as a few feet away was turned into ash. The reason that it survived was the materials and techniques that were used to build it. Clicking on the photo gives you a slide show about how it was built and what materials were used.

It was originally designed to house the solar converters and backup batteries that provided power to what was intended and used as an "off the grid" weekend retreat. Two large Yurts sat on an expansive deck and were powered by solar panels installed on top of a large Pergola between them. All of that and the one of a kind custom built contents as well as everything nearby burned to the ground. Except for the shed which was built to protect the equipment from both earthquakes and the occasional fires that have historically swept through that area. There's more to the story, but it proves my point: "There IS More To Carpentry Than Just wood". Read on for another short example of that idea.

In this photo series you see the original configuration of the house as it was built. A modern design reminiscent of Eichler that used shiplap siding made of Hardi Panel. The problem if you look closely, was that when it rains, without a gutter and downspout to divert the water from above the doors, over time the water ran down the face of the building and onto the top of the doors, then made it's way into the interior, damaging the door, trim and flooring. Click the photo for a slideshow of the steps to solve the problem.

The solution was obvious once the problem was isolated. Divert the water away from the front of the building in a way that did not interfere or conflict with the original design. For that, I wanted to maintain the original look, but use materials that match the exterior without resorting to a new gutter system to spoil the simplicity of the design. I decided to copy and use an element that was already existing on the front of the building to create an awning that extends out from the front and diverts water to each side where there are gutters. To make it stronger, instead of wood, I used square metal tubing and clad it with Hardi Panel to match the rest of the building. Have a look at the photos to see the steps and materials as well as the outcome.