Houzz Tour: Double the Space for a Newly Modern Seattle Home
Breathing-room woes go out the window with an extensive remodel that adds a bedroom, a roof deck and an in-law apartment
Four and a half years. That’s how long Mary Hurlock-Murphy, husband Grant Risdon, their three kids, two dogs and a cat lived in an 800-square-foot, three-bedroom, 100-year-old farmhouse in Seattle before undertaking a remodel.
The couple — she works at digital agency Razorfish; he works in biotech — loved their desirable neighborhood of Queen Anne homes, and moving into a nearby house wasn't an option, because demand had priced them out of the area. So they decided to stay put and make the most of their small house and lot. Architect Chris Pardo of Elemental Architecture offered a light at the end of the tunnel. By casting the project as a remodel, despite the renovations being so extensive that the home would be nearly a new build, they were able to avoid new property setbacks that would have yielded a ridiculously slim 5-foot-wide house.
Instead, Pardo built out and up as much as possible, doubling the square footage to 1,600. He turned two levels into four by adding a rooftop deck and, in a partial-daylight basement, an in-law studio apartment, which the homeowners now rent out to offset their mortgage. Pardo also fulfilled a lifelong dream of Hurlock-Murphy's to have a home library. With such limited space, Pardo cleverly split the library into three custom-built sections throughout the house.
Despite it being a “compact house,” Pardo says, the couple is happy with their four bedrooms; this is the first time in years that they haven't slept on a Murphy bed.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Mary Hurlock-Murphy, her husband Grant Risdon, their three kids, two dogs and a cat
Location: Seattle
Size: 1,600 square feet; 4 bedrooms
Budget: $165 per square foot
The couple — she works at digital agency Razorfish; he works in biotech — loved their desirable neighborhood of Queen Anne homes, and moving into a nearby house wasn't an option, because demand had priced them out of the area. So they decided to stay put and make the most of their small house and lot. Architect Chris Pardo of Elemental Architecture offered a light at the end of the tunnel. By casting the project as a remodel, despite the renovations being so extensive that the home would be nearly a new build, they were able to avoid new property setbacks that would have yielded a ridiculously slim 5-foot-wide house.
Instead, Pardo built out and up as much as possible, doubling the square footage to 1,600. He turned two levels into four by adding a rooftop deck and, in a partial-daylight basement, an in-law studio apartment, which the homeowners now rent out to offset their mortgage. Pardo also fulfilled a lifelong dream of Hurlock-Murphy's to have a home library. With such limited space, Pardo cleverly split the library into three custom-built sections throughout the house.
Despite it being a “compact house,” Pardo says, the couple is happy with their four bedrooms; this is the first time in years that they haven't slept on a Murphy bed.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Mary Hurlock-Murphy, her husband Grant Risdon, their three kids, two dogs and a cat
Location: Seattle
Size: 1,600 square feet; 4 bedrooms
Budget: $165 per square foot
Since the house is very close to its neighbors, Pardo built up and opted for a reverse floor plan that put the living spaces on the third level to maximize views and light. It also affords privacy from passersby.
Cost saving was a big issue, so Pardo had to get smart with his design decisions. To give the exterior the commercial glass-storefront look he envisioned, he designed a cruder version of 2-by-4 posts wrapped in aluminum cladding. The commercial system would have run around $96,000; Pardo's tweaked design cost $18,000. “It was one of the biggest cost-saving items for us without diminishing the design,” he says.
To honor Pardo’s work, the homeowners chose for their door color the same hue as Elemental Architecture’s logo: Pantone 144.
Cost saving was a big issue, so Pardo had to get smart with his design decisions. To give the exterior the commercial glass-storefront look he envisioned, he designed a cruder version of 2-by-4 posts wrapped in aluminum cladding. The commercial system would have run around $96,000; Pardo's tweaked design cost $18,000. “It was one of the biggest cost-saving items for us without diminishing the design,” he says.
To honor Pardo’s work, the homeowners chose for their door color the same hue as Elemental Architecture’s logo: Pantone 144.
The master bedroom is through the door next to the refrigerator. “If you’re hungry in the morning, it works out,” says Pardo. Minerit panels, also found on the exterior, make up the floor of the living spaces. Carrara marble was used for the countertops, kitchen island and the connected dining table. The Burke chairs were bought via Craigslist; they're modeled after the original designs from the starship Enterprise, with “late-’60s, early-’70s Brady Bunch gold cushions,” the homeowner says. The cabinets are walnut.
Chandelier: Design Within Reach; artwork: Todd Karam
Chandelier: Design Within Reach; artwork: Todd Karam
The all-glass wall and open floor plan allow for leafy views of the neighborhood and nearby University of Washington.
Boxed tubular steel treads on a steel beam create a spine-like staircase. More Minerit panels make up the floor.
A simple bed and graphic yellow bedspread — both from Ikea — brighten this kids’ room, as does a midcentury swivel chair with a burgundy Naugahyde pattern.
Art: Todd Karam
Art: Todd Karam
Bamboo flooring, a blue Ikea bed and an opaque confetti-patterned vintage chair create a fresh look in another kids' room.
Pardo wanted something pretty minimalist for the bathroom, with a wall-hung cabinet and glass tile to reflect light from a skylight.
The claw-foot tub was original to the previous 100-year-old house. The homeowners had the once-rose-colored tub restored locally.
An outdoor staircase leads to a rooftop deck. The structure gobbles up most of the lot, so the deck is a means of having outdoor living space, with views of the University of Washington.
Daybed: Restoration Hardware; blue table: Ikea; Eames-style chairs: Craigslist
Daybed: Restoration Hardware; blue table: Ikea; Eames-style chairs: Craigslist
Sofa: G. Romano