After owning retirement property in Kingston for 15 years, the couple hired Estes Builders to finally build their dream home. Working with a full-service custom builder turned out to be a critical decision, as the property presented several unexpected challenges. How do you ensure a functional home layout where every room gets a view while accommodating septic, drainage, and privacy on a city lot?
The neighborhood has strict HOA regulations for home height and orientation to preserve the views of other homes. Estes had to complete a survey to create a sea-level-to-roof-line measurement and then design within those parameters. As the last lot to be developed in the neighborhood, drainage flow coming from neighboring uphill parcels created soggy, muddy soils requiring extra excavation to reach bearing soils, and more drainage than usual to route and properly disperse the increased flow of water. No amount of planning can prepare for everything you might run into on a custom build; in-the-field changes to foundation walls, drainage, and to the roofline prior to ordering roof trusses made for a grueling start to the project.
Although navigating property challenges and height restrictions are no fun, Estes’ drama free design + build process delivered as promised with great communication throughout and a quality home perfectly situated to leverage its most important asset—stunning views of the Cascade Mountains and ferry boats to the east. The resulting Northwest-style home is built slightly into the hillside, with living spaces, large windows, and a covered second-story deck with glass-panel railing offering uninterrupted sightlines to and across the water. In addition, the house is aligned so that the flag pole in the park across the street is perfectly positioned in the center of each window.
The open kitchen, featuring two blue wainscoted islands, farmhouse sink, mosaic tile backsplashes, and windows on three sides, opens into the great room with a three-sided fireplace and warm tongue-and-groove wood ceilings that balance more modern hardware and fixtures. Guest quarters on the ground level include a separate entrance, an en suite bathroom, a home office, a hybrid exercise and media room with views of the water, and a wet bar. Shades of blue, a nod to the surroundings, pops up throughout the home, from the front and rear entry doors to the kitchen cabinets to the bathroom vanities.
The couple designed and built the house from afar during the COVID lockdown pandemic with no ability to travel, so Estes’ proven process and clear communication were paramount to building trust and buyer confidence. With regular weekly video calls from the jobsite and having the builder’s feet on the street, all the buyers had to worry about was making design and product decisions when faced with discontinued material and supply challenges.
Estes Builders’ Guaranteed Fixed Price helped alleviate any concerns about cost overruns – especially in a period of extreme market volatility. When the homeowners showed up for Orientation, two weeks prior to key and were informed that Estes was dissatisfied with the finish quality of the concrete flatwork and would be replacing it – at no additional charge – the homeowners were relieved; they hadn’t noticed the defect, but they were grateful their contractor was looking out for them. Knowing the builder is self-incented to run efficiently because of a guaranteed fixed price gave the long-distance buyers financial peace-of-mind, but when they finally got to see first hand that there were no compromises to quality they were assured they had made the right choice in a builder.
