This is a story with lots of angles. It begins and ends, as so many stories do, at home. And in this extra-special case: Even the home has lots of angles.
The community angle
John and Cathy live in a close, connected neighbourhood near Woodinville, Washington.
There鈥檚 a gate to get in, but otherwise, not one single suggestion of 鈥渟uburbia:鈥� not in the relaxed weekend cabins, the full-time homes or the community clubhouse; not in the tranquility of a meaningful tree farm caressing the motor-free lake; not in the historic, rustic-cool vibe.
鈥淧eople used to drive here to fish and hunt,鈥� says John. 鈥淚n 1920, they plotted around the lake.鈥�
In 2000, John and Cathy claimed their own lakefront plot, along with a 鈥済ut and remodel鈥� 1928 cabin that had endured four or five random additions over the years. They rented it out for a decade or so initially, well aware that just getting in is a win.
鈥淧robably half the houses that sell here don鈥檛 hit the real estate market,鈥� John says.
This is the kind of place where everyone gathers at the clubhouse for the community鈥檚 Great Gatsby-themed 90th anniversary party. Where neighbours step up 鈥渋f you need some olive oil or eggs or tools,鈥� John says. Where, before demolition of John and Cathy鈥檚 1928 cabin, neighbours playfully covered it in graffiti 鈥� and one neighbour tucked still-secret treasures into a new hollow steel beam, as a kind of community time capsule. Where every spring, folks chip in on Tree Farm Day to hack brush and replant.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a big volunteerism community,鈥� Cathy says. 鈥淵ou may not intimately know them, but you are with them.鈥�
鈥淎ll that played in,鈥� says Mike Butrim, the architect of John and Cathy鈥檚 considerately contemporary modern farmhouse. 鈥淚t was the cabin idea: keeping the scale, and not being too formal or perfect.鈥�
The connection angle
Of course, 鈥渃ommunity鈥� represents much more than a geographic neighbourhood; it鈥檚 people and relationships and trust 鈥� and here, those connections came together rather perfectly:
鈥� Best friends from college live right next door, Cathy says, separated only by a 鈥渘eighbour-friendly hedge,鈥� specifically cut for easy doggy back-and-forth.
鈥� Contractor Mike Bohannon of Tip Top Homes: a friend of a neighbour.
鈥� Interior designer Ruthie Cook: 鈥渙ur dear friend,鈥� Cathy says.
鈥� Architect Butrim, also connected: He works for David Vandervort Architects. 鈥淲e knew David鈥檚 sister-in-law,鈥� Cathy says.
鈥淓verything about this house is friends or acquaintances,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 got so much love in it.鈥�
The angled-home angle
There鈥檚 a lot in it to love, too 鈥� starting with one foundationally creative plot twist.
鈥淢ike turned the house,鈥� Cathy says.
Excellent call.
鈥淭he view straight out is the least interesting; the better view is at the angle,鈥� Butrim says. 鈥淲e did seven schemes; the problem was, they didn鈥檛 relate to the street and the neighbours. The angles came out of both. The skewed plan allows the house to relate well to the street while orienting for the best views of the lake.鈥�
From the outside, John says, the house sits four feet lower than the road and blends right in. 鈥淚t鈥檚 low-profile rather than being up; it鈥檚 not overpowering the neighbourhood. The garage is square with the street, and the house is turned. Angled stairs bring it all together.鈥�
On the inside: All those just-right angles add up beautifully 鈥� but not always easily.
鈥淵ou have a challenge with the angles,鈥� says Cathy.
鈥淲hen it was staked, it looked like the prow of a ship,鈥� John says. 鈥淲e thought: 鈥楬ow can we soften that?鈥� We ended up with an H, but parts of it turned.鈥�
Angles convene discreetly inside a first-floor laundry closet. In the super-angular master bathroom, there were 鈥渕ultiple, multiple things,鈥� John says: Tiling the floor was so challenging, he cut the shapes out of paper and spread them out to work out the seams.
The payoffs are enormous: an entire great-room wall of glass facing the lake, just beyond an anticipation-setting entry wall. In the master bedroom, with the bed centred directly on the view, 鈥淲hen you lie there, you can see the next-door neighbour鈥檚 boat bobbing,鈥� Cathy says. And in the kitchen, she says, 鈥淚 remember Mike saying during construction: 鈥楥athy, stand behind this line鈥� 鈥� where the kitchen sink would be 鈥� and it worked.鈥�
But it鈥檚 perhaps the deck off the kitchen where all the angles 鈥� of the home, and of its story 鈥� intersect most profoundly.
鈥淚t鈥檚 our most-utilized spot,鈥� says John. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so close to the kitchen, the sun and our neighbours. People stand at the wall with a beer,鈥� or, Cathy says, drift up in their boats for a glass of wine.
鈥淲e love our home,鈥� she says, 鈥渁nd this place and this community of neighbours is just absolutely wonderful.鈥�
