Chris Chase is trying to create a better community, one house at a time.
Chase, owner of Cottage Werks in Mukilteo, specializes in designing and building one-of-a-kind green homes.
The houses he and employee John Cole create are small – less than 2,000 square feet. They’re designed to occupy as little ground as possible and to fit the land. The two want their work to be beautiful too.
“I want to build something better,” Chase said. “Better than the garbage going in some of these tract developments.”
Start to finish, the goal is to have as little impact on the environment as possible, Chase said.
That extends to the site, where the company mitigates erosion by doing things such as choosing porous pavers instead of concrete, creating cascading water retention systems and conditioning the soil with wood chip mulch. Trees are left alone when possible and replaced with large, 20-foot native specimens when it’s not. They even dig up ferns and replant them later.
Everything is energy- and water-efficient, including the design, appliances and heating systems. The company’s houses are made with long-lasting materials such as cedar shingles and metal roofs, and less toxic products such as natural fiber carpets and low-fume paint. They opt for products that are recyclable.
These measures mean the home will last longer, require less maintenance and function more efficiently, he said.
Building professionals will be touring several homes his company built at the 10th Street Short Plat, on the hill just above the Mukilteo ferry landing.
One three-bedroom, three-story house he’s about to complete will cost around $600,000, and Cottage Werks has no shortage of customers ready to buy it. Chase said he has homebuyers on a waiting list, one since he started the company in 1999.
“I’m not holier than thou,” he said. “I’m just trying to make it better.”
Reporter Debra Smith: 425-339-3197 or dsmith@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
