The first time Ron and Connie Edlin saw the site of their dream home, it was a wild tangle of Scotch broom and a dirt road leading to a tiny, rundown cottage.
Connie Edlin wasn’t sure they should buy the property near Kayak Point in Stanwood; after all, they owned a cozy home in Mukilteo.
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Photo GalleryBut from the edge of the rugged eight acres, hiding behind overgrown shrubs and madronas, lay an expansive view overlooking Port Susan, Camano Island and the Olympics.
It was the type of stop-and-grab-the-camera view property the Edlins, now in their 50s, had admired as a young couple but hadn’t been able to afford.
“You see places with views like this, but you don’t imagine you could ever own it, said Ron Edlin, who is now the owner of an insurance company in Everett.
The couple decided to buy the property. But building the home of their dreams would take another decade and some sacrifice.
The challenge: to create a house beautiful enough to suit the stunning waterfront location yet functional enough to withstand a gaggle of grandkids, dogs and the couple’s casual lifestyle.
And they had to do it all on a tight budget.
The Edlins managed by making compromises and by serving as their own general contractor. They sold their comfortable Mukilteo home and lived in the cottage that initially was so run down a developer had planned to bulldoze it.
After their children left for college, the Edlins built a finished barn with a loft apartment on the top floor and a garage below. The cottage came down and the work of building their dream home finally began.
The Edlins, who describe themselves as “informal folks,” wanted a place comfortable enough to come home to and put their feet up.
With four grown children and six grandchildren, “a lot of what we do is based on family,” Ron Edlin said. The couple’s two daughters and their families live within a few miles, and Connie Edlin cares for some of her grandchildren a few days a week.
“With kids running in and out I didn’t want to constantly be yelling, ‘Take off your shoes’ or ‘Don’t touch that,’” she said.
When they met with Andy Hall, president of Botesch, Nash and Hall in Everett, Connie Edlin brought a pile of torn pages from magazines: pictures of houses, porches, windows, kitchens, everything that she felt captured the spirit of the “cutesy” casual, warm home she dreamed about.
Hall patiently listened and scribbled on his yellow legal pad during the meeting.
“He said he’d never written the word ‘cutesy’ down so many times in his life,” Ron Edlin said.
Six months later Hall came back with a plan for a contemporary home with a warm country farmhouse feel.
“He hit a homerun with Connie, but I was unhappy,” Ron Edlin said, because Hall had drafted a house that would cost more than $200 a square foot to build, twice the couple’s budget.
So they scaled back the plans to fit their budget, putting their money where their priorities were.
They eliminated a basement and a room planned for above the detached garage. Instead of a $22,000 metal roof, they opted for a $7,000 composition roof. A glass sunroom became a standard kitchen.
Wood-frame windows turned into vinyl. “The wood costs three times as much,” Ron Edlin said. And vinyl’s easier to care for. They chose granite squares for the kitchen countertops instead of a slab.
Although the couple’s motto was “function over form,” the result is a home that manages to be unique, inviting and beautiful.
The 3,300-square-foot two-story home is situated to take full advantage of the view to the west. A round turret lined with windows faces a natural point of land on the property.
The core of the house is an open staircase that leads to the couple’s master bedroom and bath, and to a loft that serves as the grandchildren’s playroom.
Off the master bedroom is a balcony that perfectly frames the view. Connie Edlin has stored a small coffeemaker and mugs in a nook nearby so the two can head straight to the balcony with the morning brew.
Cathedral ceilings in several rooms and a two-story entryway off the kitchen provide plenty of natural light and a sense of openness and drama.
Despite these fanciful touches, the house is designed with practicality in mind.
All the flooring downstairs is a high-quality tile that can withstand grandkids and the couple’s new puppy.
The family spends much of their time at the south end of the home, which includes the turret, kitchen and a cozy sitting room.
When it came time to choose furniture, Connie Edlin selected pine and oak pieces with a distressed look that could take a nick and still look good.
In the walk-in closet they share, they used an attractive but budget priced closet organizing system from a home store that cost $700. A bid from a pricier company came in at more than $3,000. “You don’t entertain in your closet,” she said.
The couple chose to forgo window treatments – it saved money and allowed them to take full advantage of the view.
The Edlins tackled the landscaping with the same sense of practicality in mind. Connie Edlin opted to plant a row of shrubs rather than a railing in front of the low porch that wraps around the house.
They cleared the property themselves, planted grass and installed more than 300 plants. A white fence separates the groomed grass from the roughly mown rear of the property. The couple has planted a small orchard and a grove of Christmas trees for the grandchildren to enjoy.
Kids are remembered inside the home too. Connie Edlin created kid-friendly spaces with pint-sized furniture, including a reupholstered rocker that belonged to Ron Edlin as a child. She filled the loft with toys and a crib, turning it into a dream playroom.
The house is set up as a one-bedroom, although the loft and the den downstairs could be bedrooms. “Everybody is building 3 and 4 bedroom houses. I didn’t want the wasted space. I wanted livable space,” she explained.
If the couple stays in the house into their later years, they can turn the den, which has a small walk-in closet, into a master bedroom and live downstairs.
A more formal room near the den with a gas fireplace is a spot they can entertain guests. Ron Edlin calls it “the conversation pit.” When he was growing up “everybody had a living room with nice furniture and white carpet and nobody could go there.” Instead, this room is filled with soft, big furniture so “you can come in and put your feet up,” he said.
This room is a metaphor for the whole house. The Edlins want guests to feel comfortable and they have achieved that while fulfilling all their dreams for a view home.
Reporter Debra Smith: 425-339-3197 or dsmith@heraldnet.com.
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