The nest in summer

Paul and I are loving each and every day in our nest. The mornings are gorgeous with the sun coming up over the mountains; we start each day sitting in our chairs in the living room with our coffee and the NYTimes and evenings find us up on the deck with a glass of wine, watching sailboat races.

John DeForest, of DeForest Architects, has designed a home for us that capitalizes on the view, is exquisite in its details, and meets our initial request: a home that is comfortable for a crowd, but cozy for two.

We couldn't be happier.


Here are some pictures that were taken recently.

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.