In this region, land is at a premium. To accommodate new construction, builders have been purchasing existing homes and tearing them down to make way for new ones.
But a local builder who lives on Mercer Island — Justin Davis of True Design Build — is bucking that trend. Instead, he approaches his design and remodeling projects with a focus on creating a greener home, rather than tearing down an existing residence.
“The community is something I am already invested in as a resident on Mercer Island, and by building beautiful, healthy, well-designed homes I can continue to contribute to the future of the Island,” Davis said in a press release. “The Island is changing quickly and it is important to me to do what I can to make the changes intentional.”
Davis enjoys the challenge a remodel presents. He works diligently to find the balance between a project’s goals and retaining a portion of a home’s original character. So when a Mercer Island house came to market last year in east Seattle, one where the estate did not want to sell the property to anyone who would tear it down, Davis decided to submit an offer. He had a plan to reinvent this home to fit both the neighborhood and today’s lifestyle.
In the current market, selling over asking price is common. However, the managers of the Blauman family’s estate wanted to ensure their father’s legacy lived on. Blauman had been remodeling his home as a labor of love, and was not able to finish what he started.
The home contained special touches, like tongue and groove joints, car decking material and Blauman’s signature “wavy brick” design he installed on the sides of the house. It was important to his sons that the property be finished, rather than torn down, because it was Blauman’s dream to build a quality home for his family. When Davis submitted an offer, along with a commitment to remodel rather than tear down, the estate was willing to take his offer, even though it was not the highest.
Davis was then able to take Blauman’s dream and make it a reality, while following his own passion for green building. He composed a remodel design that effectively used the existing space and available resources, while keeping a significant amount of debris out of local landfills. The studs-out remodel allowed for installation of products that provide better heating and cooling efficiency, water-saving fixtures, and an energy efficient gas tankless water heater. Davis preserved the wavy brick that was originally installed, and he reused resources, for example, he repurposed the garage door for the barn-style master bath doorway.
The finished house fits the scale and style of the other homes on the east Seattle street it resides on.
Davis shared that there are similar properties in the Mercer Island community that possess the same potential as the Blauman home. He would love to see more properties revamped rather than torn down.
Davis noted that the city of Mercer Island has the most tear downs, per capita, in King County, and the trend to replace existing properties with ones twice as large is growing.
For more information, contact Davis at 206-294-5227 or truedesignbuild@gmail.com.
