Queen Anne & Magnolia News Real Estate - February 2019

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FEBRUARY 13, 2019

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VOL. 100, NO. 7

Greystar offers multiple housing options across two buildings

By Brandon Macz

QA&Mag News editor One of developer Greystar’s latest Elan communities is now leasing in Uptown.

Construction of Elan Uptown Flats, 300 First Ave. W. started in 2015, two years after the site was acquired.

The apartment development consists of 168 residential units and 14 live/work units spread across two eight-story buildings. The west building opened in April, followed by the east in October.

Elan Uptown Flats is 74 percent leased, offering a number of apartment options: studio, one-bedroom open, urban one-bedroom, live/work, lofts, two-bedroom and threebedroom. Higher levels and corner units are leased at a premium, with 9-15 month options priced at a flat rate.

The Elan brand is meant to represent energy, style and enthusiasm, according to Greystar, and then incorporates the neighborhood into its name.

Elan Uptown Flats also includes Pacific Northwest elements in its design, using cedar for the majority of the exterior siding. Two custom colors, “Biscuit” and “Umber,” are used on the wood soffits featured heavily in the interior. The floors in all units are vinyl plank, except for in the bedrooms, which are carpet.

Local architecture firm Weber Thompson was the architect and interior designer for the project, which is certified LEED silver. Solar panels are located on the west rooftop, which also boasts an off-leash dog run, green space, barbecues, a community room with kitchen and outside entertainment center.

There are three electric charging stations in the garage,

Photo courtesy of Greystar There are 168 apartment units in the recently opened Elan Uptown Flats development, which are spread across two buildings, and include studio units up to three-bedroom options in Uptown. More photos at queenannenews.com.

that recently opened in South Lake Union, Ascent and with 142 total stalls and currently 70 percent occupancy.

Amenities include a 24-hour fitness center, dog wash, gas Marlowe, and recently received design review approval to ranges, club room and 24-hour package concierge; lockers start two more developments, the Arista Residences across near the mailroom can be accessed with a code sent to resi- from University Village and Waverly in SLU. More information about Elan Uptown Flats, including dents by text or email.

Greystar has boh a high-rise and mid-rise community floor plans and leasing options, is at elanuptownflats.com.

Ventilation system is key to Wheeled drones coming to a sidewalk near you? improving indoor air quality Legislation would establish regulatory framework for small delivery robots

By Lucas Howard

Panasonic Eco Solutions We spend most of our lives indoors. Whether at work, school, shopping, dining or comfortably ensconced in our homes, the average American easily spends 90 percent of their time inside buildings. Just think about how much time you’ve already spent indoors today.

Unfortunately, indoor air quality is rarely as good as fresh outdoor air. But ideally it should be. We should all think more about how indoor air quality affects our health, and what we can do to improve it. Healthy indoor air should be fresh, maintain comfortable temperature and humidity levels, and be free of chemicals, mold and other contaminants.

There are many ways to improve indoor air quality that will make your living space more comfortable, save energy and

By Sean Harding

WNPA Olympia News Bureau

money, and improve health outcomes for you and yours. Proactively limiting the introduction of pollutants into your home is the first crucial step for protecting indoor air quality, but eliminating all potential pollutants is impractical.

For this reason, mechanical ventilation is critical for improving occupant health. Additionally, it will increase the long-term durability of your home.

In Washington, state building codes have required mechanical ventilation in all homes constructed after the implementation of the 1991 Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality code (VIAQ). Many homes built before the VIAQ also had some sort of ventilation system installed. These systems may be as basic as exhaust fans installed in bathrooms and

The automation of life has increased significantly over the past decade.

Smartphone, drones, artificial intelligence like as Alexa and Siri, and delivery services like Postmates, are beginning to converge. Soon, personal delivery devices could bring favorite meals to your doorstep.

Personal delivery devices are small, wheeled robots that deliver food and other small items to customers with a smartphone. They can travel up to 4 mph and deliver up to 20 pounds of cargo to pedestrians within a three-mile radius. House Bill 1325, if passed, would establish guidelines for the operation of the devices in Washington state. Several other states and the District of Columbia have already established similar regulations.

The bill would allow rolling drones to operate on sidewalks and crosswalks as long as they weigh less than 120 pounds, have a functioning braking system, a marker containing the name and contact information of the operator, at least $100,000 in liability coverage and is actively controlled or monitored by a remote operator.

Personal delivery devices would not be allowed to transport hazardous materials. Bill sponsor Rep. Shelley Kloba, D-Kirkland, said she is open to adding an amendment to prohibit the transportation of alcohol.

“We certainly don’t want unauthorized access to that,” Kloba said at a

VENTILATION, Page R3

 ROBOTS, Page R7

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Home & Real Estate

February 13, 2019

On those chilly Seattle mornings, heated floors are worth the hype

By Jason Legat Model Remodel

If you’ve ever felt the warmth of a heated floor on a cold, rainy Seattle day, then you know it makes a big difference in your comfort level. There are few people who wouldn’t appreciate the added warmth in their home during cooler months, especially when they learn that heated floors are relatively energy-efficient. If you’re considering a new home, the cost of adding in-floor heating to a single-room remodel is a relatively inexpensive upgrade, given the immense satisfaction that comes along with it.

Heated floors are known in the building industry as “radiant floor heating” or “underfloor heating.” They work by transferring heat through the floors using electrical cables or tubes of hot water (called hydronic floor heating).

Floor heating is typically installed on top of the underlayment (electrical) or just below the subfloor (hydronic), in a precise pattern that ensures every inch and corner has an even heat distribution. The temperature can then be controlled via a programmable thermostat on the wall.

You can choose to heat your entire home with radiant floor heating, or just use it for supplemental heating in one or two rooms.

For most homeowners, we recommend the latter. The most common rooms to install them in are bathrooms, mudrooms and basements. Tile or concrete are often the natural choice for these locations because they are easy to clean, but those materials feel cool to the touch. To combat the cool, especially

in rooms where you walk with bare feet, heating is a simple solution.

Thankfully, both tile and concrete hold heat better and withstand higher temperatures than other flooring materials, making them the perfect match for radiant heating. They will retain the heat even after the system is turned off, thereby using less energy than, say, a space heater, to heat the room longer. Electric floor heating is reasonably energy-efficient, and close to negligible if you’re already powering your house with solar.

Electric systems are the most common and affordable choice for small spaces or single-room applications. They are great for remodels because they are thin, adding little height to the floor. Heating cables are snaked across the floor in a patterned channel or using pre-manufactured mats, depending on the customization required. The tile installer or flooring specialist will be able to install the heating system, but you should plan for the additional cost of a certified electrician to hook it up to your power supply.

When all is said and done, adding floor heating to a small bathroom can cost as little as $1,500. It’s a relatively minor investment

Model Remodel

when you consider that the overall cost of a bathroom remodel in Seattle can be upwards of $50,000.

Hydronic systems are recommended for larger applications — such as an entire house or a full basement — due to the lower operational costs. Larger systems could initially cost well over $50,000 but are very energy-efficient over their lifetime. These systems are most often installed during initial construction or major remodels because they are installed deeper in the floor and require more height for the tubing.

At the end of the day, heated floors are a preference, but one worth indulging if you have the means. If you tend to run cold, the simple joy of warm feet straight out of the shower is worth the relatively low cost. Ask your contractor about your options.

For a feature you’ll use daily for most of the year, this seemingly small luxury goes a long way.

Jason Legat is the founder and president of Model Remodel and is a member of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS).

Keep Douglas Firs out of city gardens Steve Lorton Tree Talk

Like animals, some trees just don’t domesticate well. They belong in the wild. Our venerable and beloved Pacific Northwest Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) is a prime example. Yet, scan the horizon of Madison Park and you’ll see them poking up here and there.

Oddly, all are about the same height and age: all are about 100 feet, likely 75 or 80 years old; far too young to be leftover old growth, and too old to have been planted after the sophistication level of our gardening public kicked in during the mid-20th century.

OK, why are these indigenous behemoths here?

I have a theory.

When I bought my house in The Park in 1974, there was one on my tiny lot, and two more looming up along the driveway, adjoining my property to the south. Today, these would be like the others I see in size. At that time, I asked the daughter of the family selling the house about these trees.

“Oh, that’s my brother.” She rolled her eyes.

“There was this Boy Scout troop in Madison Park back in the ’40s. They gave out these seedlings, and all the boys came home and planted them in

their yards.”

Ah ha! Now, as I look across the Madison Park skyline, I see the ghosts of early Eagle Scouts hovering in these trees.

I had the three in my little garden taken down.

Not only were they shading out everything else I wanted to plant, they also were insufferably greedy water suckers. As I recall, it was Art Kruckeberg, the pioneering professor of botany at the University of Washington, who said a Douglas Fir can pull 300 gallons of water out of the soil on a hot day. No wonder my soil was dry! Then, too, I was worried that one of these giants would come down on my house (or worse a neighbor’s) in a wind storm.

So, there’s the case for never planting a Douglas Fir in your city garden. Now, what do you do if you have one?

Option 1: Call in a tree service and have it removed.

Option 2: Live with the tree. Study up on gardening in the dry shade. Irrigate when you must.

Add copious layers of mulch to the ground under the tree and fill the area with drought-tolerant natives like Sword Fern (Polysticum munitum), the Giant Chain Fern (Woodwardia fimbriata) — with fronds that can reach 9 feet — and our ground covers, Mahonia nervosa and M. reopens.

There are plenty more choices. Do your homework. Research is fun.

Option 3: If you choose to keep the tree and  FIRS, Page R7

Photo by Mary Henry Tree Talk columnist Steve Lorton cautions city gardeners not to plant Douglas Firs in their yards.

Pacific Publishing Company – Queen Anne & Magnolia News • Madison Park Times • City Living Seattle

 VENTILATION, from Page R1 kitchens to dispel odors, moisture, particulates and other indoor pollutants where they are produced.

Some homes may also have a dedicated whole-house ventilation system that runs continuously, constantly flushing pollutants at a low flow rate. Some whole-house ventilation systems not only exhaust pollutants but also supply filtered and sometimes tempered outside air (or low-temperature air used to regulate indoor air temperature) to the living and sleeping areas of a home.

Mechanical ventilation systems don’t just guarantee better indoor air quality; they also help mitigate potential moisture-related building durability issues. Moisture generated from everyday activities can build up in the air and condense on the many surfaces within the home if not evacuated effectively. That mildew growing on the grout in our bathrooms is an obvious symptom of ineffective or nonexistent exhaust ventilation.

More concerning than a little mildew is moisture condensing, undetected, within our home’s structural cavities. While relatively uncommon, moisture that’s ineffectively managed can migrate into inaccessible wall or attic cavities, resulting in serious health problems and compromised building durability.

Keep in mind that just because your fan is making noise does not mean it is effectively eliminating moisture and potential pollutants.

The duct work connecting the fan to the outdoors needs to function as intended to clean the air. Often duct work is compromised by improper construction, limiting the ability of some fans to move air and moisture to the outside of the house.

Sometimes problems arise because those of us living there simply do not understand how our actions lead to ineffective ventilation.

How long should we run our bath fan after a shower? And how important is that range hood anyway?

These are questions you might find yourself asking.

If you want to answer these questions and are interested in obtaining more information on residential ventilation systems, check out the video “Fresh Air for a Healthier Home,” produced by the Washington State University Energy Program. The information in the video is well vetted and presented by regional and national experts on the subject. And when it comes to indoor air quality, the more you know, the healthier you — and your home — will be.

Lucas Howard is an indoor air quality specialist at Panasonic Eco Solutions and is a member of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS).

RECYCLE THIS PAPER

February 13, 2019

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Men in little boxes Michael Herschensohn History in Perspective

One of these days, I may get over my unrelenting interest (OK, my obsession) with the Counterbalance. It certainly seems weird treating the system as magical. After all, it was nothing more than a waist-high block of cement that ran through a three- or four-foot tunnel on a buried miniature railroad to boost streetcars up Queen Anne Avenue or to slow them down on the descent. It seems I am not alone in my obsession, for just about everyone living in our neighborhood loves learning about these mysterious streetcars and those men who lived their days in little boxes, one at the hill top and one at the bottom.

My primary informant about the Counterbalance is Gary Gaffner, a founder of the Queen Anne Historical Society, longtime president of the Friends of Discovery Park and a member of Historic Seattle’s governing body from its founding in 1974 to 2017. Gary, a civil engineer, lawyer and ambitious entrepreneur, proved cleverer than me when it came to ferreting out information about that short stretch of our inner-city rail system.

It helped that he owned and restored the Harry W. Treat House at 1 W. Highland Drive and had relatively easy and cunning access to the underground tunnel just out the door. In fact, he is the only person I know to have walked the western tunnel. Gary died on Dec. 18, 2018. I fondly dedicate this article to his memory.

The usual photographs of the Counterbalance show streetcars wending their way up or down Queen Anne Avenue between 1902 and Aug. 10, 1940, when they got replaced by electric trolleys. Unfortunately, those photographs really don’t explain how the system worked nor do they show how well it was designed. All 10 cars were still running when the line shut down, and both Counterbalance railcars remain in the tunnels to this day.

Perhaps the most important thing to know is that the streetcars purchased for the Counterbalance began their run downtown and finished first at McGraw Street, and then later at Halladay on Sixth Avenue West. The Counterbalance climb was just a short bit of the roundtrip.

It also helps to know that these cars were designed with grips, not unlike those still operating on San Francisco cable cars. Two differences: In San Francisco the cable moves constantly through the middle of a grip whereas the Seattle grip grabbed the cable from the side.

Also, in San Francisco, gripping the cable requires talent. Passengers don’t want to be jerked when the cable engages; moreover, the friction from the cable moving through the grip can wear parts out quickly.

Apparently, it also required a special, but different talent to attach Queen Anne streetcars to their cable. Seattle’s system brilliantly solved the friction problem, having the Counterbalance cars stop before they were hooked onto the cable. Once the cars were attached, the gentle tug on the cable started the big block of concrete moving, to offset crashing down the hill or not getting up the slope at all.

On Queen Anne, the cable was attached and detached from the car by men who emerged from little boxes set on the curb to do the job; one at the top and one at the bottom of the hill. These men could also pop down into the tunnel to adjust the counterweights to approximate the weight of the streetcars and their loads. The basic counter COUNTERBALANCE, Page R7

Photos courtesy of Queen Anne Historical Society (Top) Queen Anne’s old trolley system required men to wait at the top and bottom of the hill to apply counterbalance cars to them. (Above) Seattle cable cars had grips on the side.

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Home & Real Estate

February 13, 2019

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Home & Real Estate

February 13, 2019

Recycle Old Batteries to Help Protect Your Family and Home

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New Ways to Help Protect Your Home and Family (StatePoint) When it comes to your home, there is unfortunately no shortage of things that can go wrong and no shortage of culprits, from wicked weather to electrical fires.

High winds, plumbing and appliance issues, hail, leaky roofs, frozen pipes and break-ins -these are some of the most frequent causes of property damage, according to Travelers, which analyzed eight years of its homeowners insurance claims.

But experts say that there are steps you can take to help protect your home and family from situations beyond your control, particularly when it comes to some of the most common issues.

“Beyond investing in an insurance policy, integrated smart home technology can go a long way toward helping you protect your home,” says Pat Gee, senior vice president of Personal Insurance

Claim at Travelers. “Some of the most common situations we see might be prevented or mitigated with the use of smart home technology.”

Gee points out that with a smart water sensor, for example, you could be alerted at the first sign of excess water where it doesn’t belong and take care of it before it’s too late, or, with a smart motion sensor, you’ll know about unusual activity on your property in real time.

Travelers thinks that smart home technology is a game changer when it comes to protecting homes and property, so it has teamed up with Amazon to offer integrated smart home solutions at a discount to the insurer’s eligible customers.

Customers can choose between a Smart Kit, Smart Kit Plus and Smart Kit Premier, which include an Amazon Echo Dot, security cameras, water sensors, motion

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detectors and a smart home hub to centrally control these devices from one app. Travelers is also offering discounted kit installation, providing free Amazon Echo Dot devices to eligible customers, and has introduced new Alexa skills to help answer billing questions and provide property maintenance and home safety advice to all consumers, with more skills planned for the future.

To learn more, visit the insurance industry’s first digital storefront at Amazon.com/Travelers.

“Traditional smoke alarms and home security systems are helpful, but there are new, proactive ways to monitor your home, including devices that are easier to use and more affordable than ever,” says Gee. “There has never been a better time to explore smart home solutions that can enhance your home’s security and help provide peace of mind.”

(StatePoint) Is it time to finally declutter your junk drawers, closets, attic and basement? If these areas of your home contain used batteries, you’re in good company. One in five consumers store some or all of their used batteries from the past year, according to a recent Nielsen study conducted on behalf of Call2Recycle.

Whether it’s electronics packed away in the attic or boxed toys in the basement, old batteries are everywhere. As part of your de-cluttering efforts, experts say it’s worthwhile to take the time to gather used batteries and properly recycle them.

“Responsible ownership of technology products extends to endof-life management of the batteries that power those products,” says Carl Smith, CEO and president of Call2Recycle, Inc. “By properly recycling those old batteries, consumers can help protect people and property.”

From old power tools to cordless telephones, cameras, e-readers, tablets and cellphones, many people don’t know what to do with the dead batteries inside their electronics. Indeed, more than half of individuals throwing away battery-operated electronic devices leave the battery attached.

To safely and easily recycle the batteries you find, Call2Recycle recommends the following steps: 1. Tape: Protect the ends/terminals with non-conductive electrical, duct or clear packing tape.

2. Bag: Store the taped batteries in a clear plastic bag that closes.

3. Drop: Recycle your rechargeable batteries at a convenient Call2Recycle drop-off location, including retail partners The Home Depot, Lowe’s and Staples. It’s an easy task to complete while running everyday errands. Eighty-six percent of the U.S. population lives within 10 miles of a Call2Recycle drop-off location.

More information about proper battery disposal can be found by visiting call2recycle.org.

To protect your family and home, take the step of recycling your used batteries. It’s a simple way to make a positive impact on the environment and keep the people and property you love safe.

How a Pressure Cooker Can Save You Time and Energy in the Kitchen (StatePoint) Pressurecooking may sound intimidating, but it’s important to keep in mind that it’s actually a simple process that can save you time, energy and money.

Not only does a pressure cooker use up to 70 percent less energy than a stove, it combines high pressure and high heat to dramatically reduce cooking times, saving you as much as two-thirds the time it takes to cook with a conventional stove. Another benefit? More vitamins and minerals are retained by pressure cooking vegetables as opposed

to boiling and steaming.

Using a pressure cooker is different than cooking on a stovetop or in the oven, so the first few times, follow a recipe to get the feel for liquid ratios and cooking times.

Recipes for all occasions, as well as tips and pressure-cooking advice can be found on Crock-Pot. com.

Don’t let inexperience prevent you from trying a pressure cooker. Once you have a few strategies down, it can become a useful tool to prepare convenient, quick meals for your family.

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February 13, 2019

Pacific Publishing Company – Queen Anne & Magnolia News • Madison Park Times • City Living Seattle

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Three openings on Seattle Planning Commission There are three positions that will be open on the Seattle Planning Commission in April, and residents have until Feb. 15 to apply to fill them.

The 16-member commission advises the Seattle City Council, mayor and city departments on planning goals, policies and plans regarding land use, zoning, transportation and housing issues, especially in regard to the city’s comprehensive plan.

Commissioners attend monthly meetings the second and fourth Thursday of each month, plus serve on at least one subcommittee that meets monthly.

Two of the open positions will be filled by the city council and one by the mayor, and all appointments

must receive final approval by the council.

Ideal candidates will understand zoning and land use issues, the need for affordable housing and how transportation investments impact neighborhoods, as well as have a passion for community engagement and community building.

There are currently no members representing either Queen Anne or Magnolia.

Letters of interest can be sent to Seattle Planning Commission executive director Vanessa Murdock at vanessa.murdock@seattle.gov or by post: Seattle Planning Commission, PO Box 94788, Seattle, WA, 98124-7088.

Photo courtesy of Queen Anne Historical Society There was a tunnel that men could go into to adjust the counterweights used to either help trolleys climb a hill or slow down during a descent.

 COUNTERBALANCE, from Page R3

Photo courtesy of Starship Enterprises Starship Enterprises already uses wheeled robots to deliver goods, and could enter the Washington market if they are legalized.

 ROBOTS, from Page R1 Transportation Committee hearing in late January.

“This is a very exciting bill,” she said. “Sometimes I feel like I’m living in a science fiction novel. Because we have new and interesting technological ways that we can accomplish tasks that are, you know, pretty mundane.”

Starship Enterprises is one company already in the wheeled robot business.

Starship’s U.S. Head of Public Affairs David Catania said his company’s devices have logged more than 150,000 miles without a traffic incident and have encountered more than 15 million people. One insurance claim was filed when a device hit a parked car, which Catania attributed to a “robot ambassador” not paying attention. Robot ambassadors are humans who accompany the devices to do public relations on their first roll outs.

Mike Dornfield, a program manager with the Washington State Department of Transportation, said the department supports the bill but would like to increase safety by requiring an audio warning and reduced speed when the devices approach pedestrians and bicyclists.

 FIRS, from Page R2 fear that a big wind might bring it down, you can ameliorate its mass by using the Betty Miller method.

Elisabeth C. Miller was the legendary horticulturist and genius gardener who, among multiple other accomplishments, founded and funded the Miller Horticul-

weight, of which there were naturally two, was a 16-ton block of concrete on a small railroad car not quite waist high of the weigh master in the tunnel. It was this person’s job to estimate each trolley’s load and to adjust the weight of the counterbalances to meet it before gripping the cable. Each counterweight equaled the weight of a nearly empty streetcar, which was surely not enough weight to keep the morning rush hour crowd from racing to the bottom of the hill and not enough to pull the evening rush back to the top.

Gary reported that there were concrete blocks and chunks of iron that could be loaded on the counterweight car to offset heavy loads, and that the system had a “tractor” that could run through the tunnel on its own power, moving the concrete blocks or chunks of metal from the top or the bottom of the hill as needed. Gary also pointed out that the two tunnels were connected at the top and the bottom. I am not sure about the connection at the street intersections, but the larger spaces gave access to the pulleys that needed occasional lubrication.

Each set of tracks on Queen Anne Avenue had a slot between them, through which the car could be gripped to the cable. Noting that Queen Anne Avenue jogs midway on the hill at Prospect Street, Gary mentioned that the tracks ran in a straight line, above and below ground. Consequently, the streetcars occupied the middle of the avenue below Prospect, but

tural Library at the UW Center for Urban Horticulture and the Miller Botanical Garden (of which I am a proud board member.)

Betty left us in 1994, and I am one of the few people alive who knew her well.

Betty loved her towering Douglas Firs, and she had an amazing system to manage them. She’d send climbers into the trees who would spiral up, taking off every third limb as they went around. The limbs would plunge to the ground. She’d snip off the supple ends to use as winter protection

above that point they ran just inside the street’s western curb.

When a streetcar coming from downtown arrived near Roy Street, the man charged with attaching the car to a cable had to determine (perhaps he was there to remember) which of the two concrete blocks was at the top of the hill.

This meant that a car going up the hill might have to run on the “wrong side of street.” Tracks connecting the two sets of tracks, both at the bottom and the top of the hill, made it easy to switch the car to the track to use for the climb or the descent. The most popular image we have of the hill climb shows a car with its pole dragging, going up the track on the western or wrong side of the street. It would switch back to the “correct” side of the street at Lee. The same track switching applied to the car heading downtown, depending on the location of its counterbalance.

According to some sources (including Gary), lightly loaded trains going up the hill frequently had to counter the counterweight by applying their brakes. (Imagine that!) Lightly loaded trans going down the hill often had to use their motor to pull the weight up the hill as the car went down. It wasn’t rocket science, but it did take some care and some understanding of gravity.

A photo of the tunnel tells a lot of the story.

We see the narrow tracks, the cable to which the streetcars attached and wooden buffers along the edge softening blows the concrete block might inflict on the tunnel walls or that the tunnel walls might have inflicted on the concrete block Michael Herschensohn is president of the Queen Anne Historical Society. Learn more at qahistory. org.

for tender plants; larger pieces would be cut into lengths for the fire pit. The benefit to the trees was twofold. First, it slowed the growth of the tree. Secondly, it allowed wind to move through the tree, lessening the possibility that it would be taken down in a storm.

The bottom line here is simple: Never plant a Douglas Fir in your city garden. But if you have one, consider the three options.

If you choose to leave it in place, you’ll have my gratitude. I love looking over The Park

and seeing them punctuate the view above the rooftops. These trees, which can reach more than 250 feet in height in our forests, are among the most majestic conifers on Earth. Beautiful year round, fragrant, dramatic in the wind in movement and sound, they block the harshest light and catch the softest rays. As the dawn breaks or the sun sets and the light pours horizontally through the branches, take a good look. You’re quite likely to spot the ghost of Madison Park Eagle Scouts roosting in the limbs.

R8

Home & Real Estate

February 13, 2019

Improving accessibility will help older homeowners age in place

By Paul Kocharhook

Pathway Design & Construction As we age, the seemingly simple tasks we once took for granted can become much more trying. But there are changes you can make to your home’s kitchen and bathrooms that will make them more manageable to your parents and allow you to stay there longer as you get older.

Remodelers can employ universal design — or “aging in place” design — that melds safe, practical and accessible conveniences with a modern and updated aesthetic.

Not only will this make these rooms safer and easier to use, it could also add value to your home in case you decide to sell it.

You might be asking yourself, why start with the kitchen or bath?

Kitchen or bath remodels are the best projects to introduce the “aging in place” approach into your home, not only for yourself but for guests as well — even young and spry ones. We’ve all seen the statistics that accidental falls happen most frequently in kitchens and bathrooms.

Many daily self-care tasks usually take place in either the kitchen or the bathroom. Seemingly simple tasks like preparing food, cooking, eating, cleaning, showering or bathing, using the toilet, dressing or even walking through the house can become difficult as we age. Introducing “aging in place” design can significantly improve efficiency, ease of use and safety for you and your guests.

While major remodeling projects should be left to the professionals, you can assess your home to identify problem areas and consider necessary solutions. Check your bathroom and kitchen and see if you can spot areas that could be safer, more functional and more pleasing to the eye.

Do you have enough light? One easy way to begin is with the lighting. If you’re living in a house that’s more than 40 or 50 years old (built in the 1970s, 1980s

or earlier), chances are good the lighting may need some attention.

Abundant lighting will improve safety and make the space more attractive. If it’s too dark or dingy in your home, some refreshed lighting is going to make a big difference right away.

Are cabinets in reach? Closely examine the cabinets in your kitchen. Are they too high? Do you need a step stool to reach essential foods or dishes? Are the cabinets too low? Do you have to get down on your knees and stretch to grab the frying pan or electric grill? Updating and reworking the cabinets can turn a navigation nightmare into a highly functional space.

Is the bathroom accessible? If your home has its living area and kitchen on the main floor with only a powder room, you may need to remodel the powder room by adding a shower and making it accessible for people of all walking abilities and in wheelchairs.

Time for a remodel? We’ve only discussed a few of the problem areas, but a true “aging in place” approach will require professional assistance. Once you have assessed your home, contact a reputable remodeler with a certified agingin-place specialist. They can design and implement solutions that will transform a once-treacherous obstacle course into a bright, easyto-use room.

It can be hard to imagine a time in your life when simply exiting a shower or making a sandwich might be a challenging experience, but acting on it now will help older family and friends make themselves at home when visiting — and increase your house’s resale value for buyers with accessibility needs. If, however, you decide to stay for the long haul, “aging in place” renovations can transform your house into a forever home.

Paul Kocharhook is the owner of Pathway Design & Construction and is a member of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS).

L U X U R Y W A S H I N G T O N P A R K E S TAT E A D D R E S S B Y A P P O I N T M E N T O N LY

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MLS# 1377539

RALPH ANDERSON IN MAGNOLIA 2828 27TH AVENUE WEST | MLS# 1377949 PRICE REDUCED $1,695,000

O F F E R E D AT $ 1 5 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 S PA F F O R D R O B B I N S

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CLAUDIA VERNIA

206.963.7770

BALLARD CONTEMPORARY 816 NORTHWEST 56TH STREET | MLS# 13660

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206.714.3074

HAWTHORNE HILLS TURN KEY 6205 53RD AVENUE NORTHEAST | 1402339

O F F E R E D AT $ 1 , 6 9 5 , 0 0 0

O F F E R E D AT $ 9 8 5 , 0 0 0

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MID CENTURY MODERN CONDO 905 CHERRY STREET #105 |

MLS# 1326626

FAIRMONT LUXURY CONDO 941 11TH AVENUE EAST #4 | MLS# 1403790

O F F E R E D AT $ 4 9 9 , 9 5 0

O F F E R E D AT $ 1 , 9 9 5 , 0 0 0

JEFFREY STEGELMAN | 206.459.0508

S PA F F O R D R O B B I N S |

DOWNTOWN VIEW CONDO 2121 TERRY AVENUE #1601 | MLS# 1404120

206.963.7770

C H I C B E L LT O W N L O F T 81 VINE STREET #203 | MLS# 1399703

O F F E R E D AT $ 1 , 3 5 0 , 0 0 0

O F F E R E D AT $ 5 8 9 , 9 0 0

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DOREEN ALHADEFF | 206.604.7575

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