A Walk to the Park

When we first met with Seth and Allie, we understood that their proximity to Point Defiance was extremely important to them. So important that finding a way to take their current home and remodel it to their dream home was a far better choice than searching out another home to purchase. They have a busy family with little ones running around, a full time nanny, and they each have full-time, demanding jobs.. They needed more space and they needed the stairwell that was smack dab in the middle of the main floor, dividing up all of the living space, to be reconfigured and moved to the front of the house. 

This was more than a little remodel. We added 800 square feet to their home by extending the front of the house where the original porch had been and relocating the stairwell to the front of the house, just right of the entrance. This offered a spectacular entryway with maple wrapped beams overhead, a modern accent wall and a perfect location for their baby grand piano to sit in a place of honor. 

In addition to square footage in the front of the house, we added the rest of the footage to  the back of the house. Without the stairwell in the middle of the main floor the room just opened up so beautifully. The wide entry opens into the expansive kitchen and great room. For weight bearing support we had to leave a large beam overhead so we extended it across the entire space and wrapped it with drywall. It is high enough that it doesn’t pose a division aesthetically. 

The fireplace was switched to a gas insert and the wall was bumped out to create built-in cabinets on the left and right. The face of the hearth was covered in a lovely 12×24 tile up to the mantle which we custom designed in a clear-stained maple. From the mantle up to the ceiling, our design team crafted a modern accent wall with millwork at various diagonal and horizontal directions. laid over a sheet of ….. We sealed all the edges and painted it a stunning blue. This tied in directly with the larger version of the same design on the entryway wall. (We used Sherwin Williams Cyberspace 7076. For the rest of the walls we used Sherwin Williams Origami White 7636.)

For the ensuite, Allie needed an office/workout room. Above the back of the house addition, we added floor space for this and added double barn doors to either close it off while she works, or open it up for the windows and light to add to the bedroom. In the primary bathroom, we used the original footprint but reconfigured the shower to be much larger with a bench across the back, two beautiful blue tile niches and heavy glass surround. They chose a blue theme in the bathroom and our design team suggested surrounding the tub, the vanity countertop backsplash and the shower’s half wall with the deep blue tile we put in the niche. Their freestanding tub just really stands out framed in by that blue. 

At the top of the new stair system, a loft area was added. As the nanny says, this will be her retreat when the kids go down for naps. There are floating shelves with the same clear stained maple as downstairs, a cabinet area with 2cm quartz countertop and a drink fridge beneath. 

The laundry room was moved upstairs rather than the main floor near the garage. Having the convenience of the laundry near all of the bedrooms was a much needed change for their family. 

We kept the original tub in both the kids bath and the guest bath downstairs, but we updated the vanities, lights, countertop and flooring. We did replace the glass surround in the kids bathroom. Just the basic updating on these two rooms make them look brand new.

On the front of the house, we built a new “TrexDeck” stairwell and porch. We added tongue and groove pine to the ceiling with recessed lights. This allows them to sit outside and be neighborly.

On the back of the house, we designed and built covered outdoor living with TrexDeck. It is spacious and will be home to many family bbq’s and celebrations.

All of the beauty on the inside is spacious, functional and perfectly reflects their lifestyle and taste. AND, changing the way that Seth and Allie and their family live in their existing home allows them to walk out the door and less than one block down the road and be inside the Point Defiance Park, playing and exploring. A lovely walk to the park from a gorgeous new home.