Home of the Month
| By Scott Holter |
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As head of the green-conscious architectural firm Blip Design, Jim Burton has seen his share of what-ifs, what-abouts and what-could-bes when it comes to home remodeling in Seattle.
When he heard about the modest, 1,700-square-foot bungalow tucked into Phinney Ridge’s southern slope, however, Burton saw more than just the second-story master area that the owners had envisioned. Even with a tight budget, the west-facing, 1912 house resting on a 5,250-square-foot lot had enough design opportunities to make an architect salivate. “Some think that the term ‘challenging budget’ presents a problem,” says Burton, who founded his firm nine years ago. “I just find it more interesting, because when the owners have a strong vision and listen to my opinions on certain elements, it allows me to be more creative.”
Burton’s ingenuity, coupled with the tight budget of the owners, who wished for more space with minimal work to the main floor, led to a remodeled home with an entirely new appearance. The former two-bedroom, one-bath residence with low basement ceilings and a dingy, unusable attic is now the crown jewel of the block. A second-story living space, complete with master bedroom and bath, expanded the home’s overall square footage from 1,700 to 2,500, while energy-efficient measures, including insulating the foundation and installing rainwater catchments and radiant floor heating, earned it a three-star Built Green certification.
Located on busy Third Avenue, which splits Phinney Ridge from Ballard, the house’s original, compartmentalized floor plan was as claustrophobic as it was a space waster. The property, purchased in 1999, had features the owners prized, however: a private backyard, a cozy patio they had added a few years before and an unbeatable location that offered both an easy work commute and neighborhood amenities within walking distance.
When the couple learned they were expecting a baby, more elbowroom became a must. So, one month after their son arrived in February ’07, the family vacated, taking an apartment downtown so that Burton could get to work.
Burton’s first bit of business was attending to a few major structural upgrades, including replacing much of the house’s existing framing, deemed necessary by the contractor during the early stages of construction, and completing a seismic retro-fit. Although, as the owners’ requested, he minimized work on the main floor, home to the kitchen, dining and living rooms and one bedroom and bath, he didn’t skimp on materials or design elements. Durable bamboo flooring, used throughout the house, brightens up the kitchen, which was recast with concrete countertops, birch cabinets from Ikea and the full complement of high-end appliances. A remodeled alcove, now serving as a breakfast nook, overlooks a backyard deck patio, where laurel and pear trees keep company with a vegetable and herb garden along with a rock path that leads to the front of the house.
Burton cleverly deconstructed the main-floor hallway that once connected the two former bedrooms. He left a solitary wall—which he dubbed “the monolith” from the film, 2001: A Space Odyssey—standing in the middle of the room as a means to differentiate the spaces. The toddler of the house, simply views it as a peek-a-boo wall.
The child’s room on the main floor remained intact while, next to it, the old bathroom was given greater space. To make the plumber and budget equally happy, the home’s three bathrooms were stacked, including a new one added in the made-over basement. Previously a cramped, style-free storage space and laundry room, Burton created underground quarters, complete with a laundry/mud room, new guest room and bath and amenities enough to make any visitors feel at home. He jacked up the house by one foot to create a comfortable eight-foot ceiling and put in a poured concrete floor with welcoming, and energy-efficient, radiant heat. In this new living area, which features recessed lighting (and the home’s only television), a solid, latched door opens to a concrete staircase that leads into the backyard.
When it came to the house’s second-story design, a Burton specialty, the key was keeping it simple. Just to the left of the house’s front door is a new staircase dressed in a perforated-metal guard rail and screen wall, which casts an appealing glow in the evening sun, that leads upstairs to a family lounge area featuring a sofa facing the Sound, cubed bookshelves in the corners and a desk nook that peeks out a southern-view window.
“We call this our hang-out room,” says one of the owners. “We’re up here all the time. It gives [the toddler] a place to play, and we find that we’re eating dinners and having our morning coffee up here more than we ever thought we would.”
The new master bedroom, divided from the main room by a barn slider with clear glass panels, employs an eastern portion of the second story. Corner windows catch the morning light, while ribbed glass windows offer privacy from the neighbors. Unheard of in bungalow-style homes of this era, this one now enjoys a walk-in closet. An adjoining bathroom is highlighted by limestone flooring, a his-and-her vanity, a soaking tub and an open, doorless shower large enough for a family of six.
Although the upstairs is wired for the 21st century, the couple eschews a television, turning their view toward the spectacular evening sunsets. When the weather is right, the family heads for the large cedar balcony off the hang-out room where the Olympics shine over Ballard. From the deck, the outside structure of the house also comes into view, its membrane roof made to butterfly and shed rainwater for collection at the base of several downspouts.
Outside aesthetics were based on economics, but also keep to the home’s contemporary feel. Burton suggested a cedar-wood screen, which reaches from the ground to the second-floor balcony, as a means of shielding the family from the traffic noise coming from busy Third Avenue without obstructing their view. Its rustic cedar blends magnificently with the combination of light-green cement-board siding and the silver metal siding that wraps around the house.
From the rear of the house, bustling Third Avenue is but a memory. As their young son explores the backyard’s vibrant natural landscape, his parents can revel in the quiet, and in the fact that they didn’t have to leave the neighborhood, or tear down their old house, in order to achieve their dream green dwelling.
When he heard about the modest, 1,700-square-foot bungalow tucked into Phinney Ridge’s southern slope, however, Burton saw more than just the second-story master area that the owners had envisioned. Even with a tight budget, the west-facing, 1912 house resting on a 5,250-square-foot lot had enough design opportunities to make an architect salivate. “Some think that the term ‘challenging budget’ presents a problem,” says Burton, who founded his firm nine years ago. “I just find it more interesting, because when the owners have a strong vision and listen to my opinions on certain elements, it allows me to be more creative.”
Burton’s ingenuity, coupled with the tight budget of the owners, who wished for more space with minimal work to the main floor, led to a remodeled home with an entirely new appearance. The former two-bedroom, one-bath residence with low basement ceilings and a dingy, unusable attic is now the crown jewel of the block. A second-story living space, complete with master bedroom and bath, expanded the home’s overall square footage from 1,700 to 2,500, while energy-efficient measures, including insulating the foundation and installing rainwater catchments and radiant floor heating, earned it a three-star Built Green certification.
Located on busy Third Avenue, which splits Phinney Ridge from Ballard, the house’s original, compartmentalized floor plan was as claustrophobic as it was a space waster. The property, purchased in 1999, had features the owners prized, however: a private backyard, a cozy patio they had added a few years before and an unbeatable location that offered both an easy work commute and neighborhood amenities within walking distance.
When the couple learned they were expecting a baby, more elbowroom became a must. So, one month after their son arrived in February ’07, the family vacated, taking an apartment downtown so that Burton could get to work.
Burton’s first bit of business was attending to a few major structural upgrades, including replacing much of the house’s existing framing, deemed necessary by the contractor during the early stages of construction, and completing a seismic retro-fit. Although, as the owners’ requested, he minimized work on the main floor, home to the kitchen, dining and living rooms and one bedroom and bath, he didn’t skimp on materials or design elements. Durable bamboo flooring, used throughout the house, brightens up the kitchen, which was recast with concrete countertops, birch cabinets from Ikea and the full complement of high-end appliances. A remodeled alcove, now serving as a breakfast nook, overlooks a backyard deck patio, where laurel and pear trees keep company with a vegetable and herb garden along with a rock path that leads to the front of the house.
Burton cleverly deconstructed the main-floor hallway that once connected the two former bedrooms. He left a solitary wall—which he dubbed “the monolith” from the film, 2001: A Space Odyssey—standing in the middle of the room as a means to differentiate the spaces. The toddler of the house, simply views it as a peek-a-boo wall.
The child’s room on the main floor remained intact while, next to it, the old bathroom was given greater space. To make the plumber and budget equally happy, the home’s three bathrooms were stacked, including a new one added in the made-over basement. Previously a cramped, style-free storage space and laundry room, Burton created underground quarters, complete with a laundry/mud room, new guest room and bath and amenities enough to make any visitors feel at home. He jacked up the house by one foot to create a comfortable eight-foot ceiling and put in a poured concrete floor with welcoming, and energy-efficient, radiant heat. In this new living area, which features recessed lighting (and the home’s only television), a solid, latched door opens to a concrete staircase that leads into the backyard.
When it came to the house’s second-story design, a Burton specialty, the key was keeping it simple. Just to the left of the house’s front door is a new staircase dressed in a perforated-metal guard rail and screen wall, which casts an appealing glow in the evening sun, that leads upstairs to a family lounge area featuring a sofa facing the Sound, cubed bookshelves in the corners and a desk nook that peeks out a southern-view window.
“We call this our hang-out room,” says one of the owners. “We’re up here all the time. It gives [the toddler] a place to play, and we find that we’re eating dinners and having our morning coffee up here more than we ever thought we would.”
The new master bedroom, divided from the main room by a barn slider with clear glass panels, employs an eastern portion of the second story. Corner windows catch the morning light, while ribbed glass windows offer privacy from the neighbors. Unheard of in bungalow-style homes of this era, this one now enjoys a walk-in closet. An adjoining bathroom is highlighted by limestone flooring, a his-and-her vanity, a soaking tub and an open, doorless shower large enough for a family of six.
Although the upstairs is wired for the 21st century, the couple eschews a television, turning their view toward the spectacular evening sunsets. When the weather is right, the family heads for the large cedar balcony off the hang-out room where the Olympics shine over Ballard. From the deck, the outside structure of the house also comes into view, its membrane roof made to butterfly and shed rainwater for collection at the base of several downspouts.
Outside aesthetics were based on economics, but also keep to the home’s contemporary feel. Burton suggested a cedar-wood screen, which reaches from the ground to the second-floor balcony, as a means of shielding the family from the traffic noise coming from busy Third Avenue without obstructing their view. Its rustic cedar blends magnificently with the combination of light-green cement-board siding and the silver metal siding that wraps around the house.
From the rear of the house, bustling Third Avenue is but a memory. As their young son explores the backyard’s vibrant natural landscape, his parents can revel in the quiet, and in the fact that they didn’t have to leave the neighborhood, or tear down their old house, in order to achieve their dream green dwelling.
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