Who said a duplex has to duplicate styles? If there’s a rule for that, they broke it to make this $1,235,000 combo property in Wallingford.
Walk up to the front door and find yourself at the entry to a 1917 wood-sided Craftsman with a full-width, covered porch. Walk around back and find a modern cement planked addition. Out front, an organic mix of foliage, including a tree that’s older than most of Seattle. Around back, an orderly concrete patio with a side of raised bed gardens. Take your pick of historic or current.
Combined they become a duplex with a total of five bedrooms, two and three-quarter bathrooms, and 3,350 square feet of living space - an impressive achievement on a 4,800 square foot lot.
Step inside and see the old-style room dividers that mixed columns and bookshelves from the days before ‘open-concept living' and e-books. The kitchen and baths in both have been updated. Historic doesn’t work as well when describing old electrical, plumbing, and appliance options.
Step into the modern addition and see - lots to see, thanks to a wide array of windows thanks to modern building materials and methods that allow more glass than wall. Because the addition concentrated on the second floor, there’s also a better chance for views of the Seattle and Lake Union.
Outside, besides lounging on the front porch, you can also relax and grill on a patio that places old bricks beside new concrete, and use a grill that uses old bricks and a new metal back splash/heat shield.
One modern convenience that couldn’t fit on the property until recently is a pool. The remodeled garage includes a hot tub that’s big enough to be a swim spa. Imagine that, swimming in Seattle year-round out of the rain in warm water in Wallingford. In some ways, that’s historic.
- 3612 Burke Ave N [Windermere]