Before

This is the house as it stood at the time of purchase. It is unique, to say the least.

First Look - February 8, 2010

It seems everyone in town knows it, and has heard stories about it. When we first went to look at the house, the neighbors warned us that it was infested with toxic black mold. Others thought that it had been condemned as structurally unsound. I had sneered at it myself many times, thinking it was one of the ugliest houses I'd ever seen. It never occurred to me that I would one day own it.

Front and North Side

Front and South Side

Back Door

The garage was quickly dubbed, "The Garage of Death," since it appeared on the verge of collapse.

An old recliner in the garage.

The back yard is large.  The whole property is close to a half acre, and has several apple and plum trees.

Once inside, we found the house was definitely in need of a serious makeover, but we didn't find anything particularly horrifying.  Design choices were eccentric, and the finish carpentry was terrible.  The same ugly glossy brown trim dominated the whole house.

Windows were a hodgepodge of different styles and ages.  Just about every geometric shape was represented.

The main front living area was very large with high ceilings.

Stairs leading to the original (1925) portion of the house.

A necessary support pillar creates an unfortunate obstacle in the front room.

The kitchen is narrow, very dated, and isolated from the living/dining space.

The single downstairs bathroom is usable but has very narrow clearance between the vanity, and tub wall.

Living area in the original portion of the house.

Double doors connecting original living room with the cavernous added living room on the front.

The wood burning fireplace needs some attention.

The entire front portion of the upstairs is a huge master bedroom which includes "the turret."

The inside of the turret.

The north wall of the master bedroom with the arched door leading to the bathroom.

The house faces east, and has an unobstructed view of the Anacortes harbor, and the Cascade mountains, dominated by Mount Baker. The view was a prime selling feature for us. 

The house looks over the baseball field of Island View Elementary school.

Master bath vanity.

Master bath tub and shower.

Leaded glass at the bottom of the stairs.