If ever there was a “Chip Wade” boat house…this is it! Chip’s signature design style is all about creating multifunctional and timeless spaces…and with his engineering background, this multifunctionality is usually achieved through some moving portion of the design (movement = multifunction). So, let’s explore the transitional parts of this boat house that makes it the most popular place to hang out on the entire lake.
First up…the entertainment area. Few things are better than sitting in the shade with the fan blowing and watching an exciting sports game on the TV out here. Custom made barn doors cleverly disguise the TV while also protecting it on those wet weather days. But when you’re done with TV, the entire backplate is on a motorized pulley that lifts simply with the push of a switch, converting the storage closet to a fancy wet bar. This wide open counter along with the filtered water tap, icemaker and beverage cooler makes entertaining guests far more convenient!
Next up…the boat slip platforms. Usually the floorplan of a dock is split by one or multiple boat slips. Sometimes they have a boat lift but that still doesn’t provide you with any function of that space other than covered boat storage. Knowing that our family would spend just as much time out on the dock as any other space at Misty Mill…Chip wondered, what if we could design a way to enjoy the expansiveness of an entire 30 ft x 30 ft covered platform? So, working alongside a team from MoistureShield and ShoreStation, Chip engineered a solution to allow for portions of the deck itself to raise and lower. This uninterrupted square footage of decking allows us to place a full dining table and outdoor living furniture arrangement under the shade. We lower the platform to give the kids a fun place to jump off and easily climb back up or to just dip our feet while we eat our lunch. We also added boat bumpers that are easy to bolt on and off, so we still get the benefits of being able to easily maneuver the boat in and out of the boat house.
We also wanted to make sure that the boat house would be durable and as low maintenance. That’s why we invested in quality materials that could stand up to the natural elements.
The LP SmartSide Smooth Trim, SmartSide Cedar Texture Shakes, and Lap Siding are extremely durable, moisture and damage resistant which was paramount for this intallation over the water. And as an extra bonus, these products come pre-primed for optimal paint adhesion. To learn more about why we chose LP, read our post here.
The only decking suitable for this project was MoistureShield Vision capped wood composite decking. These impermeable, solid-core deck boards are protected by their exclusive DiamondDefense coating, creating the strongest composite cap in the industry, designed to resist damage from scratches, stains, and fading. We found no other products that would stand up to the constant submerging of the deck platforms. And to protect those precious little feet running around, these deck boards also have built in CoolDeck technology which can reduce the heat transfer up to 35%. The decking was secured with surface free fasteners from CAMO which not only saves those same precious little feet from hot screws and popped nail heads, but also saved our “grown up” backs and knees while speeding up installation with their CAMO DRIVE stand up tool. To learn more about the MoistureShield products used at Misty Mill, click here.
