When his children’s household items took place in his garage, Rex needed a garden shed. Plus, he had long wanted to repeat their aging deck.

Fortunately, he had help on hand.

“I wanted some projects to be done,” said Rex’s son Chase Watson.

They tackled the shed first. Chase, a mechanical engineer, designed the 8 by 8 foot structure on his computer.

By May they were ready to get dirty.

“We had a lot of fun building from scratch,” said Rex. “We poured the concrete slab ourselves and then worked on it every day.”

Along the way, they added small details like plexiglass mirrors to let in natural light and a metal roof with a copper sheen.

“The shed is visually appealing. We thought a lot about the appearance, ”said Chase.

Neither of them had ever built anything like this, so the experience was kind of a learning curve for both of them.

“We decided to make the door instead of buying it pre-made,” said Rex. “We have learned a lot from our mistakes, but we are very happy with the end results.”

Chase said he made many trips to the Home Depot.

“One thing I’ve learned is that wood is never straight,” he said. “But I like to solve problems and figure things out. It was nice to have projects that occupy my mind and time. “

After the shed was completed in July, they started the deck the following month.

The original deck was made of fir and was rotten in places. This time Rex used weatherproof composite decking material. They followed the original design, but enlarged and deepened it.

“We figured the deck would be quick and easy, but it turned out to be a lot longer than expected,” Chase said.

For many days it was just too hot to work on the project so they took their time and continued when it was cooler.

“We tailored the steps and added additional steps on the side to link to the garage,” said Rex.

His and Chase’s personalities and skills mingled enabled them to create well-built projects.

“I’m kind of a perfectionist, and he’s more or a realist,” Chase said.

Rex laughed.

“It’s very likely that we’ve overhauled everything and that the shed and deck will outlive the house.”

If the Watsons ever move, the new owners will know exactly when the garden shed was built, as father and son etched the concrete slab in 2020.

Rex is proud of their projects, but he didn’t like the finished results best.

“The best part was hanging out with Chase,” he said.

Chase switched careers and started a new job last month as a wilderness guide for troubled youth in Bend, Oregon.

He’s looking forward to coming home for Christmas and seeing the shed decorated with Christmas lights.

“I haven’t been to Spokane in almost 10 years,” he said. “It was cool to spend a lot of time with my dad and give back a little while adding value to the house I grew up in.”

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