AIA: A Mighty Whidbey Dwelling
| By Shannon O'Leary |
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This Whidbey Island dwelling is a land-use and weather-proof wonder
The original idea was to build a simple cabin for weekend getaways.
Several years ago, Dana Bollinger and Mike Freal purchased a small lot in the beach community of Scatchet Head on South Whidbey Island. “It was really just a campsite with a shed,” says Dana. During the week, they lived in downtown Kirkland and commuted to jobs in Issaquah, Costco for Mike, and Seattle, the Vance Corporation for Dana. On weekends, with beloved retriever Palmer in tow, they hit the ferry for Whidbey. Ultimately, the pull of the island convinced them to build a full-time residence there. “The decision was ‘We’re ready to get out of Kirkland,’” says Dana, “and we’re young enough to try this and see how we adapt to living on the island. Let’s go for it.”
Before they were shovel-ready, however, their architect, Ben Trogdon, had a few hurdles to clear. For instance, the lot in question was considered unbuildable initially. Not only would design options be limited by community height and setback restrictions, but Mike and Dana’s particular piece of paradise happened to be backed by a steep, erosion-prone slope. “As the geotech engineer determined,” explains Trogdon, “‘It’s not a matter of if the earth is going to come down, it’s just a matter of when.’”
The trio was undaunted. “We had confidence in Ben,” says Dana. Trogdon didn’t disappoint. His elegantly simple structure easily earned owner and geotech approval, and a building variance that gave him a mere 18-foot-deep footprint to work with. The design’s cornerstone is a narrow but mighty cement pedestal that addresses the width restriction, provides a stable base for two cantilevered floors, which enjoy a surprisingly generous window-and-deck-blessed girth, and houses a strategically slotted carport that serves as a spill-way for any soil slides. (Their geotech, a UW professor, was so impressed by the carport component, he now brings students on field trips to see the home.)
The house, which also must withstand gale-force winds from the waterside, is wrapped in a rainscreen and hardy, low-maintenance cementitious siding, warmed with an expanse of cedar, and capped by a sturdy metal shed roof. “It’s a pretty simple statement,” says Trogdon of the design. “It was just a pure reaction to the site conditions. I try to find a genuine quality or characteristics of what the site brings and what my client is trying to achieve and combine those two into something that addresses the real issues.”
The floor plan maximizes the spaces Mike and Dana prize most with a galley kitchen, airy great room and 250 feet of exterior decking positioned on the top floor, while the master bedroom and bath are placed on the floor below. “The quality of natural light, the intimacy of the sizes and the scale of spaces on that top floor, coupled with the views looking out toward the water, are pretty compelling,” says Trogdon. Inside, as with outside, the house reflects its owners’ sensibility. (Not to mention their sweat equity. Dana and Mike were very hands-on, including doing all their own electrical work). Frills (and nautical themes) were forbidden. Instead, natural light and warm woods, including radiant-heated bamboo flooring and a cedar ceiling, animate the interiors.
As for the couple’s adjustment to full-time island life? Other than a more complicated commute (although Dana says that she gets tons of work done on the train), the lifestyle trade-off is no contest. “It truly is relaxing,” says Dana. “The TV is on less. You spend time looking at what’s going on [outside], the eagles and ospreys flying back and forth…even watching the weather come in and out…it’s mesmerizing.” The one dilemma she admits to: “Trying to figure out, ‘Do we want to go kayaking, for a bike ride, or do we want to go, during the season, clamming, crabbing or fishing?’”
The original idea was to build a simple cabin for weekend getaways.
Several years ago, Dana Bollinger and Mike Freal purchased a small lot in the beach community of Scatchet Head on South Whidbey Island. “It was really just a campsite with a shed,” says Dana. During the week, they lived in downtown Kirkland and commuted to jobs in Issaquah, Costco for Mike, and Seattle, the Vance Corporation for Dana. On weekends, with beloved retriever Palmer in tow, they hit the ferry for Whidbey. Ultimately, the pull of the island convinced them to build a full-time residence there. “The decision was ‘We’re ready to get out of Kirkland,’” says Dana, “and we’re young enough to try this and see how we adapt to living on the island. Let’s go for it.”
Before they were shovel-ready, however, their architect, Ben Trogdon, had a few hurdles to clear. For instance, the lot in question was considered unbuildable initially. Not only would design options be limited by community height and setback restrictions, but Mike and Dana’s particular piece of paradise happened to be backed by a steep, erosion-prone slope. “As the geotech engineer determined,” explains Trogdon, “‘It’s not a matter of if the earth is going to come down, it’s just a matter of when.’”
The trio was undaunted. “We had confidence in Ben,” says Dana. Trogdon didn’t disappoint. His elegantly simple structure easily earned owner and geotech approval, and a building variance that gave him a mere 18-foot-deep footprint to work with. The design’s cornerstone is a narrow but mighty cement pedestal that addresses the width restriction, provides a stable base for two cantilevered floors, which enjoy a surprisingly generous window-and-deck-blessed girth, and houses a strategically slotted carport that serves as a spill-way for any soil slides. (Their geotech, a UW professor, was so impressed by the carport component, he now brings students on field trips to see the home.)
The house, which also must withstand gale-force winds from the waterside, is wrapped in a rainscreen and hardy, low-maintenance cementitious siding, warmed with an expanse of cedar, and capped by a sturdy metal shed roof. “It’s a pretty simple statement,” says Trogdon of the design. “It was just a pure reaction to the site conditions. I try to find a genuine quality or characteristics of what the site brings and what my client is trying to achieve and combine those two into something that addresses the real issues.”The floor plan maximizes the spaces Mike and Dana prize most with a galley kitchen, airy great room and 250 feet of exterior decking positioned on the top floor, while the master bedroom and bath are placed on the floor below. “The quality of natural light, the intimacy of the sizes and the scale of spaces on that top floor, coupled with the views looking out toward the water, are pretty compelling,” says Trogdon. Inside, as with outside, the house reflects its owners’ sensibility. (Not to mention their sweat equity. Dana and Mike were very hands-on, including doing all their own electrical work). Frills (and nautical themes) were forbidden. Instead, natural light and warm woods, including radiant-heated bamboo flooring and a cedar ceiling, animate the interiors.
As for the couple’s adjustment to full-time island life? Other than a more complicated commute (although Dana says that she gets tons of work done on the train), the lifestyle trade-off is no contest. “It truly is relaxing,” says Dana. “The TV is on less. You spend time looking at what’s going on [outside], the eagles and ospreys flying back and forth…even watching the weather come in and out…it’s mesmerizing.” The one dilemma she admits to: “Trying to figure out, ‘Do we want to go kayaking, for a bike ride, or do we want to go, during the season, clamming, crabbing or fishing?’”
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