The original structure was used to process dairy products, but had since fallen into disrepair.
Originally constructed as a modest agricultural outbuilding, the Milk Shed was reimagined through a process of adaptive reuse that sought to preserve the quiet honesty of the existing structure while introducing a contemporary architectural language rooted in proportion, material authenticity, and climate-responsive design. Rather than erasing the building's history, the intervention allows the original masonry walls to remain the visual foundation of the project, clearly distinguishing the new work from the old.
A restrained palette of reclaimed barn wood, lime plaster, corrugated metal, and reclaimed oak wine flavoring sticks reflects the agricultural heritage of the surrounding landscape. The upper gable alone is clad in reclaimed siding, preserving the visual weight of the original masonry while expressing the addition as a lighter intervention. The siding was milled to a consistent four-inch reveal, establishing a finer grain that complements the building's sixteen-foot overall proportion and prevents the compact structure from feeling visually heavy. Beneath the roof, reclaimed oak wine flavoring sticks—sourced from the local wine industry—line the soffits, introducing warmth and craftsmanship at the pedestrian scale while grounding the building in the material culture of California's Central Coast.
A sleeping loft maximizes interior space.
Custom finishes include reclaimed barn-wood siding and eaves made from salvaged oak wine-flavoring sticks.
The project's environmental performance is equally rooted in simplicity. Designed without mechanical cooling, the building relies entirely on passive strategies made possible by the region's temperate coastal climate. Carefully positioned operable windows promote stack ventilation, allowing warm air to naturally exhaust through the loft while drawing cooler air through the lower living spaces. Deep roof overhangs reduce summer solar gain, the steep roof profile creates additional volume for thermal stratification, and abundant natural daylight minimizes the need for artificial lighting. Rather than treating sustainability as an applied technology, the building integrates environmental performance directly into its architectural form.
The project embraces the realities of construction rather than concealing them. Subtle variations in the corrugated metal roof—introduced by material shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic—were intentionally retained, allowing the building to reflect the circumstances of its making. Like generations of agricultural buildings that evolved over time through repair and adaptation, the Milk Shed wears its history honestly.
The result is an architecture defined less by stylistic expression than by thoughtful restraint. Every intervention—from the proportional rhythm of the siding to the material transitions and passive environmental systems—serves a single objective: to create a building that feels as though it has always belonged to the landscape while quietly revealing the story of its transformation.
Finished exterior plaster.
Eave detail of oak wine flavoring sticks.
Exposed interior CMU wall.
Damaged plaster was removed with muratic acid reveal the masonry.
Muratic acid, before and after.
Plaster scratch coat.
Installing paper and lath.
