Our House-Flipping Adventure

During the depth of the pandemic when restrictions were harsh and business slow, our neighbor Axel, (bless his heart), died. 

When his brother came to town to deal with his estate, he found the home run down, in disrepair and partially empty of furniture.  (Axel had already started to give away his belongings to friends)  His brother needed to sell the home and go back to his job, but with the number of repairs it was in un-sellable condition.    Vidal and I looked at each other – with my design experience and remodeling sources and with Vidal’s custom wood working skills we knew that we could make this home shine.  We offered to purchase the home ‘as is’ and told his brother that we would take care of disposing any items left behind.  Axel’s brother was relieved, he didn’t have to do any more work, we saw the challenge and opportunity and jumped in with both feet!  Although it took longer than anticipated, the result was well worth it.  I know that Axel would be as happy and proud of the remodel as we are!

We wrapped all the exterior posts with wood as well as all exterior windows.  Front deck offers entertaining space with a privacy fence.

The open concept interior is flooded with light from windows on 3 sides as well as a skylight.  Note the wood them that incorporates a coordinating post to balance the mission style door. 

Live edge bar counter and professional faucet and sink for entertaining.

Solid surface counters, under cabinet lighting, storage accessories.  Ample kitchen storage.

Fireplace Niche to stay warm on those icy days!

Tip – extending the shower tile past the glass enclosure makes the room look bigger.

I love bathrooms that mimic the elegance of high end hotel bathrooms, it makes me feel like the special person I am!

In total 2 bedrooms, one bath (with stack washer dryer in niche), light filled bonus, fireplace, live wood bar counter and trim, professional style kitchen, open concept.  Contact Vidal or myself for a personal tour or join us in our week end open houses!  206.850.7715

Chiao!

The Non-discriminating Shower

What is a non-discriminating shower?  The non discriminating shower is a good thing for everyone.  Everyone can use the shower and can have a showering experience just as good as the next person regardless of their sex, height, age, gender, or mobility. Interpreted to remodeling jargon, it is a shower that has a zero threshold entrance (no curb), has a hand shower that is accessible to people of all heights including those seated in wheel chairs, has a large enough area for a person in a wheel chair to turn around, has shower niches so that the shampoo is not on the floor, usually has a place to sit down and has grab bars for safety.

As I continue to remodel bathrooms, I am aware of the trend of 'non-discriminating' showers and I believe that it is more than a  trend - It is here to stay!    Everyone loves these showers, they love that they are large, they love the hand showers, they love the shower niches, they love the benches (I use it to shave my legs) (more information than you probably want to know)  I always recommend extra blocking in the walls for future grab bars even if the client does not want them at the time of the remodel.  It virtually costs nothing to add in blocking while you have the walls open.  Children, adults, and elderly of all abilities enjoy showering in these showers.  It is really an all for one and one for all remodeling winner!

Cashmere Cottage

I designed this 500 sf cottage that for my client Tara to build on her daughter’s property in Cashmere Washington.  Nestled in the mountains, this DADU (detached accessory dwelling unit) (i.e., extra home on the property,) is small enough to be affordable but large enough to feel like home.  The tall ceiling created by the steep shed roof allow an abundance of light to flood in on three sides of the home, allowing Tara to witness the beauty of the surrounding land throughout the day.

Although compact, this home sports a shower AND a tub as well as a full kitchen and separate bedroom.  Designing small homes has been my passion in the last few years as I look for ways to simplify our lives, transition into one level housing, while keeping the quality of life that we have worked so hard to obtain.  As more and more people want to live off the grid, we are researching and specifying more solar panels, heating systems with reduced costs such as infrared heated ceiling panels, and rain water harvesting.

Adjustments to the design have been made at the suggestion of her fantastic builder Reid of R Squared Construction LLC, that further customize this special place for Tara.

Small Luxuries Large Impact

A small bathroom can have the same luxuries found in large mansions.  Given a small footprint for remodeling a master bathroom condo, one of the challenges we overcame was making the room feel more spacious than the actual square footage.  Removing a wall between the sink and the toilet, floating the vanity cabinet and adding floor to ceiling marble tiles that continued to the end of the bathroom accomplished that goal.  

Floor heat on a programmable thermostat always keeps your feet cozy, while a washlet feature on the wall hung toilet provides the features of a bidet.  (Anyone that has traveled to Japan can attest to the wonderful features of the Toto toilet.)

A wave of your hand turns on the lights on the mirror while the built-in clock keeps you running on time.   There is a closeup mirror set into the mirror so you can keep the counter clutter free.

Want the luxury hand shower but don’t want the clutter of multiple handles and shower bars?  Check out Delta’s In2ition shower/hand shower fixture.  Available in multiple designs to accommodate many styles, this hand shower snaps into the center of the shower head and provides multiple showering options.  

Make sure that your shower remodel includes a ‘niche’ that is large enough to store your shampoo, conditioner and body wash containers.  These ‘niches’ are built into the wall so they do not take up space used for showering.    

Finally, don’t be afraid to use luxury materials such as marble or glass.  A SMALL amount of luxury materials will not cost much, but the impact can be LARGE.