1950s boat shed is redefined as a much-loved beach refuge.

Somers Boat Shed

A dilapidated asbestos-clad boat shed has been transformed into a treasured extension of the Somers Beach House, enjoyed by several generations of the family. The existing structure, built in the 1950s, has been replaced and remodelled to provide modern day amenity along the Somers beachfront, preserving the original footprint and floor levels of the existing building.

• Project: Residential
• Location: Somers, Victoria
• Status: Completed
• Size: 55 sqm
• Site: 1295 sqm

• Builder: Fido Projects
• Landscape Designer: Fiona Brockhoff

• Photography: Derek Swalwell

The materiality and detailing resolved on this structure carries through and informs the design language of the main Somers Beach House.

Clad entirely in blackbutt timber left to weather off, the boat shed hovers above the dunes at the beach interface, opening directly to the foreshore of Somers beach.

A series of pivoting screens to the west control light infiltration to a covered external area, while a large pivoting timber batten-clad door opens the boat shed up to the north and to the garden, announcing when the building is in use.

Internally, all spaces are again lined in blackbutt timber resulting in an inviting and warm internal setting, ideal for observing beach activity and to get some respite from the summer sun.