Good House of the Week: King County, Washington (Patreon)

Howdy folks!
This week's Good House of the Week is this cute 5 bed, 4.25 (?what does that mean?) bath neo-Craftsman built in 2015. It might not look like much, but I think this house does a lot well, considering the trend in King County to build freakishly hulking "Craftsmans" and horrendous paper mache McModerns. First, this house packs its huge amount of space (3400 square feet!) into a neat little human-scaled package. Second, there's a lot to like about the siting: it's not right up against the street, yet the yard isn't overly gratuitous. The landscaping is nice, and the pergola and fence combo are charming and inviting. While the materials are modern (fibre cement shingles and siding), they are consistent in color and direction, taking a break from the trend, which is to combine different sidings to look like funfetti cake. 

Third, there's actually quite a bit of nice detailing here. The little window above the door is in line with the other windows on the second story, and its matching muntin spacing helps draw the eye to its neighbors rather than distract, despite being a different shape. There's also a nice horizontal rhythm in the lintel detailing over the second story windows that unites them together. The juliet balcony helps break up what would be an overscaled french door, and echoes the movement and spacing of the fenceposts below. Finally, the first story picture window is nicely scaled and balances out what would otherwise be a topheavy facade. The cute little burgundy door is also a nice touch. The decor is a little too trendy for my tastes, but to each their own. 

Link to Listing