Basement Bungalow
/I bought a triplex sight unseen in a state I had barely ever been to?! WHY! At the time, I was married to my ex husband who was in the Navy. I was actually in Alaska for a few months right after we got engaged since he was on a “work up” for a few months. The Nimitz was moving over to the Everett, Washington side of the Puget Sound when it got home from Hawaii, so we decided to move in together when we both returned to the continental U.S. When I was in Alaska and starting looking into properties online and became OBSESSED with the historic homes in Everett (@historiceverett). I found a large home built in 1905 that had been converted into a triplex in the 1930s and my wheels started turning. The pricing was sooooo cheap compared to the Southern California market - It surprisingly took minimal effort to sell my ex on the idea, and we bought it before ever seeing it. Yup, young dumb and full of... ambition!
Rucker Avenue, Everett, Washington September 2012
We were relieved to find out that it sure needed work but it was not an internet scam - we owned this property! We inherited two tenants and took over Unit #2 with the porch and front door, it was perfect. After the tenants in the basement moved out - we gutted it. It was a ginormous under taking for someone who had never *really* done this before. It was scary, expensive, and exhausting, but I absolutely loved it. Here are some before and afters:
Honestly, the tenants left the apartment in HORRIFIC shape so those are the tame before photos. While we were working on this unit, I was also working a full time job in Bellevue at a salon - and my ex was rushing to get everything in order before the Nimitz (and he) left for deployment. His friend on the ship overheard him talking about the work we were doing and wanted to come check it out. We kept an open door to any neighbors and friends who wanted to come check things out because I love getting feedback and bouncing ideas off of people - since we all live differently! Our neighbors were always stopping by to say thank you for cleaning up the street and ally way surrounding the property and appealing to better renters. Anyway, once he saw the unit it brought him back to when he was living in England and doing carpentry work - he has an amazing eye and wanted to pitch in, ooobviously free labor is always welcome! He came and installed the cabinets, countertops, and window trim - He did some amazing work and it shows! The basement was so lucky to have his skill because with such low ceilings, and small windows, it needed all the help it could get.
The entire time I was choosing finishes I had to be really careful to make it feel like a home and not a basement. Our biggest and BEST splurge was the recessed lighting. The space literally NEEDED cans because the ceiling was so low. I think most people would have done lighter floors, but these were only $1/square foot - and hey, it is still a rental! I went with white walls, and cream trim to warm it up. I went with the yellow/cream cabinets and soapstone looking laminate for a classic almost cottage feel and I found the stainless appliances off Craigslist to save money. We actually turned it from a (very small) two bedroom into a one bedroom with an en-suite bathroom and walk in closet. The kitchen layout stayed the same with the exception of switching the fridge and range and blowing out the pantry to make an opening for the bar and more cabinets. That opening was a huge game changer. It's amazing how much an opening like that can completely change a space as a whole. The bathroom was my favorite. We considered that since it was a one bedroom a large shower was appropriate and it sold everyone on the unit.
After all the work his buddy put it to it... he ended up moving his wife and three (ya, three!) pugs into the finished "basement bungalow" just before the guys left on deployment. We were able to raise the rent from $750 to $950. When we sold the property in 2016, the basement was being rented for $1000.
The entrance to Unit #1 from 33rd, June 2016
I've decided to take this house unit by unit because there is a TON that happened during the process of remodeling each unit, and lets face it, I'm too OCD to try and fit it all in one post. Next week I'll be sharing what happened when Pahl and Jared left on deployment that lead to the remodel of Unit #3!
With gratitude, Lauren
