It was a brand new house.
But, boy, was it ordinary. Its basic 1998 interiors — carpet, tile and walls — were overwhelmingly white, white, white.
Scott and Heidi Nelson knew, however, that they could transform the 2,000-square-foot tract house in Bothell.
It would just take time.
On both counts, they were right.
Though it took more than 10 years, today their home is a custom beauty.
Project by project, typically one or two a year, Heidi Nelson and her husband, who run a trucking company and a leasing business, gradually improved their house.
“I knew I’d probably upgrade it but not to the extent that I did,” Heidi Nelson said. “I would save up to do the bigger things.”
Though many homeowners might be cash-strapped in today’s economy, Heidi Nelson believes their home is a testament to improving a home slowly, patiently and within one’s budget.
“You can go to the Street of Dreams and think: ‘When am I going to have a house like that?’
“This is a house that we took step by step and upgraded it and made it into our own custom house,” she said. “We took our time.”
While the Nelsons’ budget might be bigger than some — they paid roughly $240,000 over a decade with about half of that spent on additions — homeowners can copy many of the Nelsons’ elegant upgrades.
Scott Nelson said he enjoyed learning about the remodeling process as they went along, working with different contractors and eventually finding their favorites as well as the best bids.
“As time goes on, you learn more,” he said. “Things change.”
First the Nelsons tackled the kitchen, adding granite slab counters and tile.
Other changes, big and small, followed, including crown molding, wainscoting, new wood flooring, high-end carpets, new appliances, colorful tile, four new fireplaces and solar tubes for extra light in the living room.
They increased the living space by 1,000 square feet by adding a bonus room and expansive guest quarters by Dave Anderson and his company, D.M. Anderson Homes of Bothell.
Heidi Nelson’s taste for the bold and dramatic comes alive in the rooms imbued with rich, brilliant hues thanks to Heidi Blair with Blair Painting of Bothell.
Upstairs in the bonus room, Brazilian cherry flooring adds warmth, while, on the main level, warm tigerwood stretches throughout the dining room and guest quarters.
In the bathroom, travertine tile surrounds a double-deep soaking tub.
Furniture throughout the home is traditional and stately, yet casual enough for everyday use.
Heidi Nelson worked with Karen Nelson with Pirollo Interior Design of Woodinville to create a less-is-more arrangement of furniture, art and accessories.
The Nelsons didn’t just improve their interiors, however. They added elaborate landscaping, exterior paint, garage doors with windows, and an entry remade with slate stairs, wrought-iron railings and a new front door.
None of those changes compare, however, to the Eldorado stone veneer that covers nearly the entire front face of the home. Near the street, a rock wall echoes the grandeur along with two short stone pillars that flank the driveway.
Everett architect Sandra Alder made sure the new sections of the home blended seamlessly with the original structure, even though they were added in different years.
“That’s my goal,” Alder said. “I do not want you to be able to ever tell there was an addition.”
Each new addition features the same stonework and French doors with wrought-iron balcony railings, giving the home a timeless look, Alder said.
“You won’t be able to drive up to it in 10 years and feel that it has aged from a specific period,” Alder said,
Color is what makes the Nelsons’ interiors truly shine, Alder said. “Color is incredibly important. Color makes it rich.”
Sarah Jackson: 425-339-3037, sjackson@heraldnet.com.
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