2024 Wood Diamond Award Other Dovetail Design Second Place

Dovetail Design creates custom cabinet solutions for kitchens, baths, mudrooms, laundry rooms, bars, & entertainment units.

Describe your project, what makes it unusual, and/or any outstanding characteristics.

This project was quite unique. The homeowners, a local general contractor needed a way to access a loft area in their new cabin. With very limited space to work with, it was quickly apparent that a normal stair case was not going to be feasible. We had to think outside the box a little bit. The solution was to create what is known as a ships ladder. Ships ladders are cross between a stair and a ladder. They are preferred to ladders since they are more like stairs and are commonly found in mechanical spaces or on rooftops. They originated from the need to access different levels of ships safely & effectively. This design utilizes an alternating tread, providing more stability and comfort when climbing, while also allowing for a steeper incline that results in a space savings. 

Another request by the homeowner, was to utilize the space under the ladder for additional storage for the adjacent kitchen. In order to accomplish this the design had to be modeled in 3D in CAD software, so that it could be viewed from all angles assuring that no part of the design would interfere with one another. This also complicated the build of the ladder, as the built-in cabinets would alter the structure supporting the treads.

The final design element was provided by the homeowner with pictures of a rustic style railing. The rail is a simple 2 x 4 design with 5/8" steel rebar spindles that incorporated some rust, protected by a clear finish. The wood is Knotty Alder with pine car-siding used for the risers.

List any items that were outsourced.

Everything was fabricated in house, with the homeowner supplying the car-siding and steel rebar.

Project Type: Residential

Project Category: Other