Founded in 2006, Alhadeff Group is a boutique general contracting team that builds personalized designs for their clients in Seattle. In a city that rains often, it’s common for outdoor spaces to not be utilized to their fullest potential. In their 10 years in business, Alhadeff Group has created beautiful living spaces that allow homeowners to enjoy the outdoors, rain or shine, in comfort. We talk to founder, Sam Alhadeff, about this North Seattle home renovation.
What were the you looking to achieve and what were the issues with the old space?
There was a 5×7 ft. entry deck that we tore down to build a bigger deck that would be good for barbecuing in the middle of winter. We wanted to build a new space where the homeowners would not have to put shoes and rain gear on to check on the barbecue.
What were your goals going into this project?
Since there wasn’t really a budget, we had freedom to create more of a comfortable, esthetically pleasing outdoor living space that would allow the owners to enjoy the outdoors 12 months of the year instead of 3 months of the year.
How did you design the space to accommodate seasonal transitions?
All of Seattle’s weather comes from the southwest. On the south side of the deck, we put up a mechanical rain screen, also known as a sun screen for sunnier states. We wanted to keep as light and bright of a space as possible, but also protect the deck from the elements of the winter.
When and why did you use Infratech heaters?
It’s a very funny story. My wife and I were at a bar in Ballard called Shelter Lounge. It wasn’t raining, but a chilly evening and we were just walking around. I cuddled up to one area of the bar and all of a sudden, I felt my head getting warm. I looked up and thought “holy moly”. All the Infratech heaters have numbers on it so I took a picture of it. The following Monday morning, I did some research and since then, I’ve installed about 5-6 heaters in different projects.
Do you think outdoor design is becoming a requirement for homeowners and why?
A requirement, no. I think that an outdoor space like this almost turns into a luxury box to check off, but it certainly is nice. The few outdoor spaces that I’ve built with the heaters where the weather is less appropriate for outdoor dinner parties, it’s nice to have a covered heated area to entertain it.