If you want to watch whales but don't want to worry about waves washing away your yard, you could consider setting your house back from the water and partway up a steep slope. Someone did that with this Craftsman cabin on Vashon in 1984.
At 857 square feet, it's a cabin, not a lodge; but a lot of the features show up in both places. One advantage of the smaller house is the smaller price, $425,000. Smaller houses can spend more on quality work. Take a look at the joinery involved in all-wood construction, especially in second floor rafters and dormers. None of the work is hidden behind sheet rock. Piecing together the roof, walls, frames, and support structure is something that has to be done right for it to be a solid house, and cleanly because the work will always be on display.
With 1 bedroom and 1.5 baths in less than a thousand square feet, and with an open architecture, an otherwise tiny house gets a warm and expansive feel. The first floor works as one large room, a handy feature for parties. Privacy provided by the surrounding trees may explain the almost total absence of curtains and blinds. The bathroom has a wall of windows that would work in very few places. It's possible the only eyes looking in will be from birds and squirrels.
Outside is the roughly half-acre; though that may not be as important as being part of a community that has shared spaces, like the beach. Check for boundaries, covenants, and restrictions; but also, check with the neighbors about opportunities, shared resources, and whether there is a busy social calendar. The neighborhood may feel secluded because it is on the west side of the island, but that doesn't mean they can't be having fun.
If you take a tour, take a look at that slope and those trees. Views are great, but sometimes they are temporary.
· 12825 SW Ober Beach Rd, Vashon [Estately]