HilltopMidMod

Follow the renovation of a 1960 mid century modern home in the Pacific Northwest

It’s been awhile (part 2)

In our last blog post we shared how difficult it was to be managing the process from afar. We were behind schedule, over budget and having a tough time figuring out exactly where we were on the many aspects of the project.

We were fortunate that a work related issue required us to head back to the US and we were able to get exemptions to leave Australia during lockdown. We got our vaccinations and the plan to come back was set. We’d use this opportunity to see up close the progress and get a better sense of where we needed to lean in. We could also start picking some of the lighting, fixtures and hardware as we moved forward towards the finish work.

Upon landing we headed straight to the house and to be blunt we were disappointed not only with the lack of progress but there were some quality issues that jumped out immediately. We scheduled some time with the architect and contractor to get our expectations aligned as well as update the plan for the coming months. We were now beyond our original completion date and had already burned through the original cost estimate. To be fair- we added some things along the way that pushed both the timeline and the budgets but there were also lots of mis-steps that cost us some time, money and quality hits.

There were some bright spots as well, however, in that the overall plan was looking very good and the general design decisions were working quite well. The extended deck and roof, the large main slider, the addition with the sky bridge, the lower level garage layout and expanding of the downstairs bathroom by taking over the closet from the bedroom all seemed to be good moves. The new windows were an awesome improvement as well. The removal of the duct work in the ceilings on the lower floor increased the head room dramatically and also improved the lower bath access to light from the window. There were many positives about where we were heading.

Let’s look at the outside first

The view from the back looking up into the house where you can see the sky bridge connection the addition on the left which houses the primary bedroom and office/garage below it.
The roofline and deck addition take shape. Full steel deck with box steel railings and bar grate decking complement the industrial nature of the original house.
We will be using a corrugated metal panel as our siding. The first pic is illustrative only as Robert did a quick photoshop overlay the material on the front.
The addition of the sliders to the downstairs bedrooms really added a lot of light and the decking material being bar grate will allow some light to pass through as well.
Detail of the deck support at the roofline.

The inside was coming along as well.

Looking into the main space from the top of the stairs.
Kitchen floor heating is in and with the wall removed is opened way up.
From the kitchen area out into the dining room.
Looking back into the kitchen space.
The opening in the CMU is new and leads to the sky bridge that connects the addition.
Looking back into the kitchen from the dining room.
Looking into the main space from the dining area.
The wood grain on the ceiling panels is really rich.
The biggest change is wall to wall four panel sliding glass door which opens from the middle. The views over to Newcastle Golf Course and Mt. Rainier behind it are full exposed now with the CMU wall removed that was in the center previously.
Just a reminder of what it used to look like with the wall in the middle and the outline roofline intruding on the views.
The hallway to the guest powder room and primary bedroom suite.
Pre-Sheetrock looking into the primary bedroom with the ensuite beyond the opening.
The window/beam combination was done to imitate the original house upper floor.
Looking back into the bedroom from the ensuite.
Oversized door into the ensuite from the bedroom. The windows imitate the dining room windows.
The wet wall. Tub will be floating on far left, then the cabinet floats on this wall with dual sinks and a little cubby between some drawers.
The dual shower sits in the corner.

That’s it for now. We’ll post the kitchen updates, the fireplace update and some detail work in the next post which should be up within the holiday season. Comments and questions always welcom

Laurie Dietz

One response to “It’s been awhile (part 2)”

  1. Love your posts/updates, Laurie, and can completely relate to your frustrations. We experienced the same exact feelings, but oftentimes weekend after weekend when getting our Whidbey home built.

    Any type of building on an island is extremely frustrating unless you are included in the top 1% of home builders when you can afford the very best and most competent builders. Contractors and subs up here all seem to be void of basic integrity issues. 😩 And everyone feels the same way. Covid has only made matters worse.

    We’d consistently arrive Friday after work only to find almost no progress being made. Some weeks it was obvious the builders and subcontractors hadn’t been there at all.

    So, I feel your pain, girl!

    I know it will all come together and end up a fantastic looking and comfortable home for you both. But those nasty dues must be paid.

    Is your long term plan to spend time on both continents or will AU be your primary residence/work location?

    I’m engaged in a rebuild of a 1999 Dodge 2500 camper van, which was originally converted by Sportsmobile. Pic attached.

    We needed an all new engine, shocks, front end bearings and exhaust along with other basics. But the original interior is in very good shape needing only some basic restoration.

    It should be back from the mechanics next week and we hope to hit the road soon after for about a month visiting friends in Sante Fe and spending as much time as we can in the Sonoran desert and southern New Mexican/AZ/Mexico border country after some additional restoration here at the compound.

    We’ll see you on FB with our invitation to you to visit us in our much smaller island an open invite.

    Take care, be well. Best to Roberto!

    mpg

    Marc Paul George marcpaulgeorge@gmail.com 360-544-2829

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