4441 44th Ave SW Seattle

A Residential step-by-step renovation.

The development of the basement was carefully designed so that the space works well in all phases, so that stages of the process can be undertaken if and when the capital can be raised. Firstly an on-suit bathroom is added (that also allows access from upstairs) to the existing downstairs bedroom. Then, taking down a partition wall and shutting off one door, an open-plan kitchen is added to create a self-contained studio flat. Then the entrance is altered slightly and a separate bedroom fitted producing a spacious one-bed apartment. Finally there is the option to get rid of the workshop (that would be used by the ground floor flat) turn the bedroom into a walk-through study and have two extra bedrooms and a utility room.

In addition to the proposed development of the basement, expanding upstairs transforms the ground floor bungalow into a spacious 4-bedroom, 2-bathroom house. The extensions main benefit and feature is a large terrace/ garden room. Enclosed by large windows and 'skylights' in the winter, the room provides an airy reception area with views over the Sound. It acts as a passive solar collector for the whole house and the stone floor increases the building's thermal mass and helps regulate temperature fluctuations. During the summer, the windows concertina up against the side of the house and the skylights slide back into the roof, creating a truly outdoor roof terrace and allowing the occupiers to soak up those summer breezes and mesmerising sunsets.