Nesting

It is a dream come true!

DeForest Architects and Joseph McKinstry Construction have designed and built the most beautiful house we could ever have imagined.

Every day, we find ourselves discovering new ways that this nest fits our lifestyle - from where we ccok, to where we eat, to where we sit with the morning paper

One Year Anniversary

A year ago, on the Friday of SeaFair weekend, the old house came down.

And this year, the house is only one month away from completion, so we had a party for all the workers and the DeForest Architect team, to watch the Blue Angels perform over Lake Washington.

Floor plans

I don't think we've ever spoken about the layout of this house. John DeForest has designed a home for us that is both delightful in its simplicity, and special in its details.

The main floor will be open in terms of the kitchen, living room and dining room. And the doors out to the deck will lift-fold to the sides, opening up the deck to the main space. On the north side will be a small den/TV room, and in the front will be a guest bedroom and bath.







The upper floor is really fun - it consists of our bedroom, closet and bath, but also a large terrace/deck that can be accessed from either our bedroom or the hallway. "Paul's study" is a separate space off the bedroom with a beautiful view of Mt. Rainier.



The lower level of the house has another bedroom that I decided to use as a sewing room/studio, and it has the garage (which Paul and I are thrilled about, having never had one).





And that's it! Our nest...

Inside Jobs

This month has seen a lot of "inside jobs" - hardwood floors, tiling, interior doors, and such. And each new step makes it seem more like a house. We are having a blast!

One of our favorite features of the house is the stairway that John DeForest designed. It is located in the tall "box" to the left of the front door, and the entire stairwell is beautifully lit by windows on the upper floor.

There are temporary boards in place now, but the lovely design of the stairs can be seen already. Later, they will install the thicker oak treads which will have the dark stain of the rest of the hardwood floors.

The Drywall Process

Last week, a drywall team came and nailed up all the drywall. Suddenly all the insulation, wires, and framing were covered. This week there is a team who are taping, mudding, and sanding the walls smooth. They have ingenious equipment to do all this, but my favorite are the adjustable stilts they walk on to reach the high spots!

By the time they are done there will be 5 layers of mud applied and smoothed on the walls and ceiling

Feathering the nest

We're having fun again. Several different crews have been working at the nest this month. The first came in and installed the insulation. John DeForest referred to this as "feathering" the nest. It was the first time that some of the formerly "see-through" walls got definition and form. We could actually see "rooms". And it was amazing how quiet it made the house.

This past week we celebrated our two-year anniversary of working with DeForest Architects. Partnering with this architectural firm, headed by John DeForest, has been the best decision in the whole project. John is masterful at so many things - design, communication, process, life - and has been a wonderful architect for us. He's simply the best.

Much has happened at the house the past 6 weeks or so. The roof has been covered with a torchdown material, as has the upper deck, and all the windows are installed, including the lift-fold doors in the dining room - which look fantastic!







Outside, the exterior siding has been going up - both the Hardie paneling and the Hardie planks; the cedar siding will come a little later.






and inside, the plumbing, electrical and low-voltage rough-ins are all done. Paul and I have brought over two chairs and a little table so that we can have a cup of coffee in the mornings or a glass of wine in the evenings when the workers aren't there. A little bit of heaven.

Views from the Nest

Although the framers had to work in some pretty cold and wet conditions in December and early January, there have been some gorgeous days this past week that have made our nest seem like an aerie.

the first two pictures show views from the main floor looking out the living room to the east and looking out the dining room to the deck

these next two pictures were taken from the upstairs deck - the south view of Mt. Rainier and the east view to Bellevue

looking north up along Lake Washington Blvd

Wow

January 2008

The house framing was fantastic to watch - basement...first floor...top floor...decks - and everyday the house takes on more shape and definition, and it gets more and more special



framing the garage, basement bedroom + crawlspace

next came the first floor bedroom, stairway

then the rest of the main floor

right before Christmas, they started framing the second floor

and then they put on the roof