A featured article in the Issaquah Press highlights a Thornberg

THE ISSAQUAH
GARDEN
SEC'TION
C
PRESS
HOME
WEDNESDAY,
OCTOBER 15, 2008
►i
Remodeling:
Building out rather than moving out
IS1 I).\'II) II. v1'S
Battle native Ken ,Juries always
wanted to live near a lake. He and
lris wife Mary Crane jrunped at the
opportunity nine years ago when a
S cozy, colonial beanie available in
the South Cove neighborhood, putting them
right uii the shores of Lake Sammamish.
The only problem was their farr ily, irr(ludirrg tvvo children, needed a little mare
elhow roam thaur the 1928 farmlrouse, originally owned by the Lindley pioneer family,
offered.
"Ken felt he found exactly what he
wanted," Mar y said. "But he knew it needed
work. He saw the big pirturi^."
That picture was expanding the home to
fit their family, rather than try to find a bigger house elsewhere. Thus, began a fiveyear odyssey of a two-plutse remodel pruject to niake the home around Ken and Mary
one tlu could retire in.
One of the obstacles unique to their hone
was planning around and on top of what
the previous owners had already remodeled. Mar y said the y had owned the home
for 25 years prior and had tried to maintain
an old feel, using custom materials, from
windows to door knobs. She pointed out the
ohvious areas where they'd expanded, too.
"But tE chnically, it was still just a twobedroom, 1 t /i-bath house," she said.
Pius, it had sat unused for severs vears.
So, Ken and Mar y had a lot of work to do.
One of the first remodeling decisions they
made was whether to do the work themselves or go with professionals. They chose
the latter.
"Oh, we had an architect in on the planning," she said. "Plus, I had a designer help,
primarily with the rotors and hard surfaces.'
The next step was finding a contractor to
implement their vision. For both phases,
they went through a bidding profess, selecting from their top three choices.
For the second round. the y went with
Thornburg Cornstruetion, a part of the Issaquah rarrrrnwnity for 70 years. Co-owner
Ted Jenneskens said while some homeowners go with just One hid, its an important
part of the reniodeling process to choose
from as many as two or three.
"Most clients have alread y learned about
contractors from visiting home shows and
researching on the Internet," Jenneskens
said. "B y the time they're ready to accept
bills, the y 've alread y narrowed it down. \Ve
find the bid is almost like an interview
Protect your
home from
fire, carbon
monoxide
leaks
BY
BY (.HE(: YARRNt
South Cove resident Mary Crane (above) describes the improvements made to her 80-year-old home, located on the waterfront of Lake
Sammamish, including extending the upstairs out above the front porch, creating a bigger spare media room.
t_.
1
^I
_& :
Iii.
^r
!!
O N
.
VIII
-
-
I; I i II i i II NIH I(, ri iX-Il;( I rl(IX
process."
He added that while getting to know
whether a contractor is capable of sharing a
homeowner's vision, it's jLLSt as important
they're compatible personality wise.
"\Ve like to say we're going to be in their
home for six months," Jenneskens said.
"You gotta be sure we'll all be able to got
along."
Another unique aspect to Ken and Mary's
home remodel was the permitting process.
1-Vhen they first began, all their permits
went through unincorporated King County.
Then, in the intervening five years between
phases, Ken, who a vrts Parifrr Lighting Systunis, kept the permits open be paying a
yearly fee, rather than letting their expire
and having to start over. By the time they
were ready for phase two, their neighborhood had been annexed b y the cit y of Issaquah, but the permits were easily trarrsferred, thanks to Ken's legwork.
For phase one, they concentrated on the
downstairs, remodeling the kitchen and
hardwood floors.
B y the time they were ready for phase
two, Kin and ?MMary were empty rosters,
their children having moved out. Tlie first
converted the property's carriage house,
A before look at the rear of the Jones's home
before the first phase of its remodel.
t^II
"We let things get closer to
the stove in the summer tine,"
Soptirh said.
Checking the stove and chimrrey for cracks or damage can
catch potential carbon monoxide leaks, as well. A carbon
monoxide detector should he
kept nearb y to alert lrumeuevners of an y leaks the y ma y have
II
I1,
]
1; 1;.5 is
The rear of the house now has a covered porch,
and an extended upstairs master bedroom.
missed.
.
1 Vhen cleaning up after a
toasty wood-stove session,
Owners should put their coals
irr a fireproof container, like a
metal or clay box, Collins said.
used by the previous owners as an
office/laundry/storage pit. They installed a
bathroom, a bedroom loll. small kitchen
and living room.
IF'. 1 Hf1I?N P I'I;i. [ f lNS"ri i
r
ION
Seri REMODEL, Page C3 A before look at the Jones' home before the upstairs was extended.
Hurry m fDr the beS15eleCpOd1 from our to
quality bulb. 4Ws have exabng new and
uM sual bulbs, pus all your favorite
r
C?i New Yellow Grape Hyacinth
C+c Fritillaria Meleagris
F
Cq
F I r
N
I
f
-
N 1i n•or rI rItI 1n
V aw
*
D 1 chops. Take Cxit 17
o 1.90 Go 31F2 miles
South on Front 51rftt
]oven Mon-Sal 9.5:3a,
urd
25% OFF HYDRANGEAS
X40% OFF S ELECT PERENNIALS
I h.. ,..•
I
.• :,. _
__
See State
Farm Agent:
1r.r1 Pn•
J
KathyJohnson I
Hayes 1
s
A
Visit one of our showrooms
or call today!
Alliu rn
OUPON SAVINGS
'
Fit right over existing counter surfaces
No debris or old countertops going into landfills
Great selection of designer colors that bring sustainability and beauty together
Huge Giant
•
11§ .
See LEAKS, Page C4
Finding the right home is hard...
Finding the right
homeowners
insurance
0
iseas .
readYto lant
^ r ow!
1-877-6 18-9312
s autumn leaves turn orang e and red, so do many
fireplaces and wood
stoves. But these warm
A flames come with a risk.
To promote fire safety, Eastside
Fire & Rescue has turned October into a month of fire safety
awareness.
"I'm a big advocate of fire
precautions," said Fire Chief
Lee Soptich.
In one large breath, he rattled off a list of guidelines to
help people manage furnaces,
wood stoves, spare heaters,
generators and power outages.
Furnaces are pivotal to many
a heated house.
"The best tiring to do is have
it serviced now, before it gets
into heavy use," Soptirh said.
He encouraged owners to
check for cracks that could alloev carbon monoxide leaks.
Cleaning furnace filters can
also
" save heat and money.
It's easy to forget until they
get to the point they're so corroded that the furnace won't
function properly," he said.
An annual checkup from a
furnace inspector can save the
owner a lot of heartache,
added Deputy Chief of Planning
Wes Collins.
\Food stoves are also good
heat generators. Soptich advised people to do a quick
sweep of combustible material
surrounding their wood stoves
before they use therm.
Spring Bulbs
South Sea tt le Showroom
3317 3rd Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98134
-
LA1 RA (:r:(;(;EI.
392-2224
•
l^^rrc;,tnk'ri frrw}urJ rhu J
_______
Giltaarttt Stt t t ion
I
I KLYIlNcI
Issaquah
KATHYJOHNSON-373QOSTATEFAHM-CCIts
!2O4
Rd SE. sari'aah
(425) 391-4166
www.HAYESNURSERY.com
Like a good neighbor State Farm is there. 0
STATE FARM FIRE AND CASUALTY COMPANY • HOME OFFICE. BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS
C4 • WEI)NESI)AY, 0( r 1'()IBM;1R 15, 2008
'1' HP; ISSAQUAH PRESS
Leaks:
Learning to live with local trees
ameter Duugas fir trunk next to
fly head.
,Just lugging one piece of firewuod tells a whole story. Luuk at
the big trees around your house
and imagine the weight they are
holding up. You need those trees
to he lei althy and happy, so they
ran do their job and stay upright
I renienikier an incident in Is
saquah years ago. I was walking
down Dogwood Street when it
u .1AN'E (;. I I Is( ) N
Ever y fall, main• homeowners
worry about the big trees near
their houses and the arrival of seasonal windstorms. \V'c have darnage in our neighborhood every
winter, but nothing like what we
saw in The Press a few years ago.
I can't imagine sitting on the floor
in my bedroom with a 3-foot di-
;^^
:'
t
1
1
r"1^1
AWar
1
'Tvans
1
t;ee
Professional Landscape Services
Established 1976
425-836-4643
www.evanscreek.net
started to rain, une of those downpours that are more like a monsoon than a shower. I ran to take
rover under a giant maple tree.
The trunk nnrst have been five feet
through, and the canopy seemed
to cover a city block. The noise
was deafening hut, you know, I
did t't get one drop of water on ore
really remarkable.
How could that tree survive
when no water was getting to the
ground around it? Oh. there was a
lot of water getting to the ground,
but it was falling at the edge of the
canopy, at the so-called "tlr ip
line." The tree sends the rainwater
and its roots out to the edge of the
canopy where they an find each
other. How smart is that? Think
about it. Roots need as roods
spare as the branches.
BeraL[Se people see trees growing out of 3-by-3 squares in the
sidewalk. they think trees don't
need a bigger area. But city trees
need us to water them, possibly
forever, and they never will react
full size.
Ever y time I mention the v ulnerabilityy of trees to constructiun, compaction and gardening,
someone points to an example of
a tree surrounded by pavement
to prove I am wrong. It is not
that simple. Ground water and
soil structure drastically affect
the roots tolerance to change.
Impervious glacial tills are the
mast common soil in the Issaqualt area, and the trees that
Porch
fires are
grow in diem are the most vulnerabh to change:
Here are some tips to keep your
trees healthy:
To reduce damage to root syste nis, don't fill, cut ur pave within
the drip) line.
Plant only sustainable, native
]Jlants that require no summer water in the rout zone.
Put your roses, perennials and
preventable
,
I I )31 I'A(-E (^L
"Ivhen a lot of people take
their coals out, they think they re
out and they stick then in a paper bag." Collins said. "Then,
they put the bag out on their
porch, some air gets in and
the y 've got a fire on their porch."
Porch fires are preventable,
and so are indoor fires. Space
heaters, for instance, are notorious for causing infernos, but
Soptich said these heaters could
get a better reputation if owners
would read the manual.
"Spare heaters over the last
few years have gotten a bad
name, because people don't
know how to use them," he
said.
If the space heater has an
open flame, it will remove the
oxygen fromtr the room. Owners
should ensure there is proper
ventilation and be wary of carbon monoxide leaks.
If the heater is electric and the
instructions prohibit the use of
an extension cord, heed the
warning. The heater could cause
the cord to overheat, which
could had to a fire.
topiaries somewhere else' in the
yard, where their water won't
damage the trees.
Remove dead wood, which an
l e a common problem in maples.
Thin Douglas fir lirri1 s back to
tlur trunk to allow the wind to
Move through.
Do not top large
conifers.
Remember the first lime of trees
in a grouping is probably the
strongest. Removal of the outward
trees could he the downfall of the
others.
The big maple tree is only a
rnenrory now. Unfortunately, people anti forest trees aren't always
compatible. Check yatu F trees to
make sure they are healthy, with
selective removal if necessary. If
you have one or several native
trees in your yard, be a good steward and renie
u iiher their roots hiding underground. Give then
space, and give them what they
need to st^ly standing
Jae Garrison is a focal master gardener
aid lariclsCape arclh.rtect Who gaI-den.s in
gtacial (ifl on (liePlatea.a.
Go from ordinary to
¶
CUSTOM REMODELING
Kitchens • Bathrooms
Additions • Flooring
Design Service
-
ir
, (t , ^ fete
k\
Projects!
When quality counts
Let our cedar experts assist you in
the design and construction process.
Delivery and pre-finishing available.
• : v '— -i
-:-
s J1j1 p
J
f
,:
Reach Reporter Laura. Geggel at 3926434, ext. 221, or Igeggel('snovalieystar.cown.
Time for...
r
^,
FABULOUS!
If the owner would like to
glace the heater in an area harklu g an electric socks t, "put a plug
in there," Soptirh said. `Don't attempt to use an extension cord.
It's just notevorth it."
Depending on their size,
portable heaters should have
about three feet between them
and combustible materials.
Also, people should be cautious
of materials above their
heaters.
"Clothes an fall off a hanger
onto a heater," Collins said.
If a heater or another electrical
appliance catches fire, spray it
with a fire extinguisher before
tmplugging the cord. Call the fire
department and leave the house
immediately, especially if the fire
is too big to extinyurish with supplies un hand.
Mang fires and carbon monoxide leaks occur during power
outages. Both Sopticli and Collins
warned against using grills, gas
stoves and ovens for heating. If
you have a generator, you need
to put it outside, far away from
open windows, the garage or the
fresh-air intake vent.
Candles, used by many as
hark-up lights during outages,
tihuuld ht arefully monitored.
"You don't go to sleep with an
open flame in your house," So tit^h said.
Other fire safety steps include
c^he:king fire-alarm batteries,
planning rintlti]Jl( escape routes
and a meeting place in the case
of a fire.
Doors • Decks
(&pen to the
^
'
1
AT. T ^
i liic,'
ISSAQUAH CEDAR & LUMBER
i
Fire Cedar & Milwork since t 950
eNW
C :onstrlic•tion
www.cedarexperts.com
CALL NOW FOR A FREE ESTIMATE!
425,5572950 •
5728 E. Lake Sarrnmamish Pkwy. SE • 425-392-3631
CD1CnWioFn
Open Monday-Fridtry 8 to 5; Saturday 8 to 3:30
1TF1 I 1
5
Introducing Aura • by Benjamin Moore,
I
LCIfl9 11I!i
1f JI rtlHe^N41 .wit. i
10600 Main Street
Bellevue
425-454-7509
{*A.
L.
-
t
...
I Ji II
1e
2221-140th Ave. NE
612-228th Ave. NE
Overtake • Evans Plaza
Sammamish by Safeway
425-836-5484
425-641-7711
Hours: Mon-Fri 7-6 Sat 9-0 Sun 104
,_. L.i.—.I
I
Hours: Mon-Fri 7-6 Sat 9-4 Sun 104
Hours: Mon-Fri 7-6 Sat 9-4
i.. l.
I,
.—I,
I .r iIWa
iY
Sr;m'#^.
... 1. kn YaaY^^^I•