Lil Shingle House: A Cohesive Family Affair Resurrecting Seattle’s ‘Slanty Shanty’

In the Mt Baker neighbourhood of Seattle, along the serene shores of Lake Washington, a 1950s house that had spent decades suffering in neglect—dubbed the “Slanty Shanty” by its previous custodians—has undergone a stunning and profoundly personal transformation.

Enter the Lil Shingle House, a 2,617-square-foot architectural gem that serves as a masterclass in thoughtful, modest renovation and a powerful testament to the value of multi-generational collaboration. This project wasn’t about maximising space or stamping a stark, modern signature onto the landscape; it was about respectfully resurrecting and enhancing what was already there, resulting in a home that’s utterly warm, welcoming, and brilliantly functional.

The genesis of the Lil Shingle House is as compelling as its design. A newly retired mother, aiming to create a modest home with dedicated, comfortable space for visiting family, enlisted the expertise of her middle daughter, a principal at the local studio Best Practice Architecture.

This was truly a family affair, with the client’s two other adult daughters—both working in creative fields—also chipping in on the design process. The collective vision was clear: a home with a strong, tangible connection to the outdoors, a perfect base for a dynamic, growing family.

Initially, the architects didn’t plan for a full-scale overhaul. However, the poor condition of the two-storey building, which had served as a rental property for decades with separate apartments and garages on its upper and basement levels, necessitated a much deeper intervention.

Ultimately, while the house needed to be rebuilt, the team successfully adhered to the original design scheme, preserving the existing concrete foundation and meticulously reconstructing the wood framing. It’s this commitment to the original spirit of the structure that makes the Lil Shingle House so endearing.

The aesthetic transformation is immediately striking and gives the home its distinctive name. The façades, once covered in uninspired brick and basic siding, are now entirely re-clad with beautifully textured, scalloped cedar shingles.

This application creates a delightful, friendly expression that perfectly suits the modest scale of the dwelling. Adding a necessary pop of unexpected colour, the entry doors are painted a rich, almost playful shade of baby blue, providing a dash of visual interest to the overall composition.

The true genius of the renovation lies in the subtle yet impactful changes to the flow. The most significant move was relocating the staircase. It used to bisect the home, effectively fracturing the main living space.

By rotating it 90 degrees and shifting it to the southern end, the public zone on the ground level was dramatically opened up, enhancing “flow and connectivity” and reinforcing the vision of a welcoming communal space.

The ground level is now home to the public area and the primary bedroom suite. Stepping inside, the new mud room—a 52-square-foot addition—acts as a practical buffer, a non-negotiable spot for coats and muddy boots before entering the main sanctuary.

The living room, sitting beneath a wonderfully vaulted ceiling punctuated by a series of skylights, feels airy and light-filled. Anchoring the space is a magnificent fireplace with a surround crafted from glazed brick in a calming seafoam green—a perfect focal point that speaks to the home’s commitment to texture and modest charm.

The brilliance continues downstairs. The sloped site was expertly leveraged, allowing the basement level to be converted into what can serve as its own independent apartment, ensuring the home truly functions as a “multigenerational home base.”

What Best Practice Architecture and the client’s family have achieved with the Lil Shingle House is a pitch-perfect example of renovation: honouring the past while creating a warm, contemporary, and incredibly practical base for future generations. It’s a truly commendable piece of work that proves good design doesn’t have to shout to be heard.

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