Shed house inspiration

For the house’s foundation, Emilie and Seth went with a raised concrete slab on top over wooden piles, which was $39,570. That includes a burnished finish for the ground-floor apartment and the foundation for a detached backyard workshop, some of which was fashioned out of remnants of a dismantled Tulane building. They built the tree house using fence boards and building sills from the original home on the lot.

The Weltys started construction by having the structure framed out but allowed themselves time to sort through unresolved areas and select finishes. After they spent a year and eight months manipulating materials and playing with textures, their vision finally came together.

While the clients were away, David Noordhoff lived at the house for three months with his wife and young child.

Floor Plan of Pyrenees by David Noordhoff / Freeman Group Architects

"A matching bench extends into the open shower where accordion corner windows can open entirely,