Design Blog
Thoughts & Musings
The existing house will be basically torn down and this is all new construction. The round windows are in a huge sunroom that will be used for large gatherings.
All that you see in this shot of the 3D model is new. The clients tracked me down from my other project that was an A-Frame renovation and liked what they saw. The sunroom on the right will have glass garage doors that open up to create a covered outdoor space for large gatherings for his non-profit organization. More to come!
Working on this house on San Juan Island- 2 bedrooms with huge wrap around porch on 3 sides.
Closer shot of the entry. The 2 story Cupola will let in light into the interior Great Room below.
On the left is the Master Bedroom patio tha tis very private.
On the other side is wood storage and Utility closets, so tha they do nt take u space inside the house. A side door goes out from the laundry room.
Took the roof off to be able to look down into the space. A guest bedroom /bath is on the 2nd floor.
Then looking from inside the house back to teh entry to see what the beams look like from the inside. Lots of exposed beams, so we are pricing it out with Timberframe companies.
The client likes the idea of exposed beams going across the Great Room at the Clearstory. Having a 3D model is really handy to be able to ail down all of these issues!
Complete with Holiday Wreath! The front entry got changed by the owners- it was supposed to be with slanting walls and more dramatic looking then straight fake stone walls…started this project in 2019! Finally done in 2025!
The Guest House to the right, got finished before.
A big covered deck is on the side with outdoor fireplace. There was no really good solution for the wood burning fireplace chimney stack- did not want to take up room inside to fur it in.
Model shot of how it was originally designed. They wanted to put a tv over the outdoor fireplace, so that stone fireplace wall got extended up. The green color was selected by the owners.
Guest House to the right over a 2 car garage, was built first. Main house to the left is just getting finished. The intent was to preserve the view from the guest house over the main house, that is the view of the water West.
Main House on the left, has a wall of windows facing the water view. Pop-out on the right of the Main House is a window bench off the entry.
Front door has an extra large casing creating a bold effect to mount the exterior sconces, imagined and installed by the owners.
Inside, a large kitchen island serves a buffet for dinner. Owners Christi & Richard in the background.
The interior is an eclectic blend of the owners art collection and found objects. The Vintage Chinese lanterns lend a riot of color and light.
Interior of the window bench with plywood interior walls and floors. Richard is a musician and plays the piano in the Living Room off the entry. The crystal chandelier lends a bit of class.
Professional photos are nice to have! Thanks to Josh Williamson of True Bearing Built Construction!
This kitchen and bath remodel in Anacortes is a showcase of individuality, blending bold design choices with thoughtful craftsmanship
The owners has admired the workmanship of a local artist that burnished stainless steel in creative designs. One of the most distinctive features is the custom stainless-steel backsplash, designed by local artist Graham Schodda. Etched with a salmon motif, this piece is not only functional but, also fits right in here in the Pacific Northwest.
Another standout element is the under-shelf accent lighting in the kitchen and living room, designed to shift colors to match the mood.
This whole wall was rebuilt- what a diference!
Mood lighting at night!!!
The Master Bath is an Oasis of calm with a deep free-standing jetted tub.
Building on an island is never easy, especially if there is no ferry service. Kaplan Construction had to barge in everything to a dock below this property and truck it up a steep uphill from the water. The site is magnificent! This is the 1st phase of a larger project to build a Main House further down on the bluff in the next 10 years. The cabin is a “Look-out” Tower that will look out over the future Main house.
The cabin is a perfect square with cantilevered wrap around deck.
Front entry is from the side- the cantilevered deck wraps around the entire 2nd floor to act as a look out tower.
View from below the back.
The front faces the water with lots of glass doors to open it up.
Another shot of the front.
Kitchen, powder, living area with a hint of the stairs going to the bedroom upstairs.
And lastly the bedroom view!!!!!
The New Addition is everything to the left of the 2 story Tower. The landscaping is just going in and they can’t do any planting until the fall after it starts raining. Next Spring, it is going to look much better. The whole entry walkway s being pulled out and extended to give it more prominence. It was all gravel parking before. Steve Schram is doing the Landscaping- he is a Master.
So this part is the new addition.
The whole reason for the addition was a Master Suite facing the water view across to Dinner Island. The owners are friends and love to collect local island artists works.
There is a neighbor close the their side yard, so windows up high keep the privacy.
New art is from Theresa Smith.
Master Bath is off the driveway, so windows up high made sense.
Stunning kitchen remodel with True Bearing Built Construction! The stainless backsplash with Salmon swimming is by artist Graham Schodda, graham@gschodda.com, https://www.gschodda.com/fish really makes the kitchen in this Pacific Northwest home overlooking the water.
The artist used one sheet of stainless steel for the entire splash so that there are no seams. The water texture is fantastic!
The kitchen island is made of a contrasting wood to pop out against teh blue tinted cabinets that make up the rest of the kitchen.
There is a coffee station on the left with its own refrigerator for drinks.
The living room also got a facelift. The tv is on an arm to lower, the fireplace is a new gas horizontal modern with driftwood and glass.
The Master Bath has more storage now, porcelain tiles on the floor, storage tower to get water picks and toothbrushes off the counters.
New tub and accent wall of dark paint and tile.
This was a veery challenging site that was on a bluff and sloping in another direction from the bluff. It is 3 stories from one side and 1 story on the back side. Don’t worry about water getting into the house from the opposite sloping entry shed roof- there is a diverting cricket on top to divert the water sideways away from the wall of the 3rd floor! Black vinyl windows and garage door blend in more then white, no?
Here iis the back side, which has a covered patio off the kitchen. The 2 angles of the roof are more evident on this side. The entry slopes in the opposite direction.
A staircase connects the 3 levels and it open to the living room and entry when you walk in.
The kitchen has 2 colors of cabinets, the island being a dark wood color with a contrasting granite top.
A county kitchen copper sink is a nice feature with view out to the water.
The backsplash is glass tiles and it runs up the wa;; with floating shelves bu the kitchen window. It also goes into the windows, with no window casings. The green pulls in the wooded trees from the surrounding site.
Here is a shot looking down from the stair into the Living room.
The Powder room sports a live edge slab of wood as a floating counter, with carved granite bowl sink.
Living room looking towards the central staircase.
Master Bath has granite counters called “Fusion” from Stone Pros Marble & Granite, Inc. in Burlington www.stone-pros.com
Glass bowl sinks. LED lite mirrored medicine cabinets.
The 3rd floor has 2 bedroom and a family room. View from top of stairs looking back down into Living Room.
Side view of the entry. The main house is clad in Hardie boards, but the entry uses “Pika-Pika” wood tha t has been partially burned to create a permanent texture. “Nakamoto Forestry”.
Owner Tania and I in the entry stair. of her new home We did materials selection at local places and the result is warm, clean, modern and one of the best houses that I have ever done. That you Tania and Jose for letting me help you with your Dream House!
It is so exciting to see a project getting built! This was one of the most complicated rooflines that I have ever done, as it had to step down with the site to be under the height limit. It hugs the site very well, don’t you think?
My 3D model shows that they cut back on the exaggerated knee braces, but did open up the gables to not be framed in with trusses, so all in all, looks great!
This the front of the house, the one that you would see upon arriving in a golf cart.
Here is the real entry- I do like the beams stained black. Very handsome!
So glad that they went with a more grey palette- they were originally thinking more brown, as my 3D model was showing.
The decking is really pretty! And no maintenance! It’s Tanzite a manufactured stone out of Canada. They distribute here in the states.
Here was the site before construction- really pretty woods, with distant views out to the water.. This is an island with no ferry service, so you have to take private ferries to get here and the residents all drive golf carts from the dock to their houses.
