HilltopMidMod

Hard to believe that the last update was in December of last year. To say the project has been challenging would be an understatement. Our contractor basically lost interest in the project. When we really needed to push to the finish line everything became a chore and drawn out. We’ve had supplier issues that we’ve had to overcome as well. But the good news is that we did make progress. Slow progress, but progress none the less.

In June of 2022 The architect had suggested we put the house on the Seattle Modern Home Design Tour that takes place end September, early October time period in order to help focus the contractor. We debated it but Robert was pretty adamant that at the pace we were on there was no way it would be ready and we shouldn’t add more stress to our lives. So, we declined. And thankfully we did because the house wouldn’t have been ready and the yard was in full on construction as we’d started the landscaping ahead of the house completion. The yard will be it’s own upcoming post.

Back to the house. Let’s start with the siding issues. We had chosen a nice corrugated metal that we thought would be low maintenance and go well with the industrial nature of the design. After being told by the vendor in Montana month after month that we were next on the list we decided to pull the plug. 9 months of hearing “it will be next month” is probably more than we should have tolerated but with Covid everything seems to take a little bit longer. We were able to find another vendor that had the same basic material. Then the issue was finding someone who could install it. The crew showed up but after one day it became apparent that they didn’t have the skill set. The lead installer became a soloist and basically did the entire project himself. What should have been a two week install instead dragged out over 2 months. I think he lost his shirt on the project, like so many of our vendors. We are pretty happy with the overall result with just a few nits here and there.

The other big project that was frustrating us was the upgrading of the electrical panel. We had been going back and forth with the electric utility company and the city planning department in trying to find a solution to updating the service from 110 to 220. It turns out our service is one of the few in the neighborhood that didn’t make it into the upgraded vault that was installed about 20 years ago. We finally got a design through permitting after a year of wrangling. This would allow us to finish the electrical panel in the laundry room to service the main house and addition while also allow us complete the garage service as well. Ironically, after finally getting the design approved Potelco came right out and set up the vaults to hold the transformers. Then later in the week a different Potelco team came out and asked who set the vaults as they didn’t need them both. So the design that took 5 rounds to get approved was still incorrect. The good thing was that they just removed the extra one and completed the power upgrade. Luckily our electrician was able to get everything prepped for the switch over just in time. For the first time since the project had started we had power to all the lights and appliances in the house, addition and garage.

The kitchen also made progress and is basically complete. Again, there were some issues (aren’t there always?). The down draft was installed but not actually set up correctly. The contractor replaced the cabinet doors below the stove upside down when he was working on the fit of the appliances so when the hardware went it they were upside down. Thankfully it’s not that noticeable but yet another one of those details that you are reminded of every time you look at them.

We found some very cool pulls that are solid brass and very blocky. Totally in keeping with the vernacular of the house. The blue tile really did pop nicely and creates a beautiful backdrop for the open shelves with under lighting. The ceilings that we sanded the white paint off of ended up blending nicely with the rest of the house. The beams were painted gray and we did a tan-ish wash over the plywood ceilings everywhere else.

The entry really took shape as well. It was a bit of a bear to build but thankfully once we got a good craftsman in place it not only sped up but the crispness of the details shown through. The design details that Rick, the architect, came up with are totally appropriate to the mid century aesthetic and add some much needed warmth to the space. The combination of the steel beams, the wood railing and the poured concrete steps really make the entrance a statement piece. The iconic George Nelson Bubble Lamp complements the space. So, though it’s compact it makes a nice impression as you enter. Pulling the stairwell more into the space was a good move as well as it makes each tread about 2” deeper than the original staircase. Overall we are very happy with the way this part of the home turned out.

The bathrooms throughout the house have continuity but each with its own personality. From the 1960’s cabinet vanity in the powder room to the elongated 8 foot wide credenza vanity in the primary bedroom bath to the compact downstairs bath each has a mix of wood, clean tile work, in wall water closets for the toilets, and the same general tap wear that works with our “northwest Bauhaus” aesthetic.

Moving the freestanding fireplace from the outside wall to an integrated built in on the inner utility stack turned out to be more complex and costly than we had anticipated. Part of the design goal was to flip the room around and have it face the views. We really wanted to utilise the Samsung Frame art wall/tv to hide the TV a bit and come off more like a hung picture. By the time we were finished I’d say we failed as it looks very much like an inset TV but the overall structure and approach was successful. To keep the fireplace open we had to install electronic dampers at the roof. We utilised the same steel frame design from the main outside slider for visual continuity. The fireplace now acts a central anchor to the room and sets up the room well.

Robert got so frustrated during some of the process he just needed to do something creative. So he took advantage of some of the concrete that was coming and planned to make our address monument. He worked out the basic design then sent out the numbers to be cut from steel by a vendor on Etsy. He then built the cmu four brick base and attached the numbers when they came back. We’ve dubbed the house “Cinder block house” and included that on the monument. He added a solar panel and spot light as well to make sure it was visible at night. He was pretty happy with the way it turned out and gave him something productive to focus on.

That’s enough of an update for now. I’ll post another soon as we’ve basically finished the main aspects of the renovation. Be back soon!