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An architect’s (successful) experiment asks $2.2 million in Roosevelt

Architect-tested, family-approved

By Sarah Anne Lloyd
The Case Study House and its backyard studio.
Travis Lawton/Courtesy of Windermere

Architect Kevin Eckert, founder of Build LLC, has a passion for experimenting with new materials, concepts, and techniques, but to use them, he has to be able to demonstrate how they work. Enter Eckert’s “Case Study House,” a living laboratory of modern design.

In 2015, Eckert’s whole family moved into this house in Roosevelt, and lived everyday life inside the design. The family made some changes that stemmed from that hands-on experience—a rooftop deck, for example, evolved quickly from a “conceptual outdoor dining space into a more pragmatic gathering lounge,” noted a 2016 Seattle Times feature.

But they also had some fun with it. Eckert’s wife Erika is an artist, and maintains a small studio out back, well-lit (and ventilated) from a wall of giant windows. Artist Mindy Barker, who Erika has known since college, created a foundation-to-roof mural of trees along the home’s open staircase.

It’s given Eckert a deep understanding of his own design, one that can only come from living inside it for years, steeping in decisions like moving the bedrooms to the first floor (“I don’t understand spending the best floor on where you sleep,” Eckert told the Times) and living the benefits and drawbacks of those giant modern windows—they provide tons of light, big views, and are sited for optimal temperature control, but as Erika said in that same feature, “I see people slow as they drive by.”

Now that the house has been thoroughly vetted, it’s on the market for $2.2 million. For those more interested in the process, Eckert will be speaking at the home on March 27; you can register by emailing listing agent Edward Krigsman directly.

Rather than place the great room at the entry, Eckert opted to wrap the kitchen, dining, and living area around the open staircase on the upper level to take better advantage of light and views.
Travis Lawton/Courtesy of Windermere
White oak finishes add a warm touch to the modern style, and the custom mural by Mindy Barker makes the walls pop.
Travis Lawton/Courtesy of Windermere
The dining room opens up to a large deck with a fire pit.
Travis Lawton/Courtesy of Windermere
The home’s five bedrooms are located on the lower levels—but the master still benefits from the home’s siting, tucked inside a bay window under the view deck.
Travis Lawton/Courtesy of Windermere
A 198-square-foot backyard art studio is built for light and ventilation.
Travis Lawton/Courtesy of Windermere
The home’s roof deck provides an open-air gathering space with bigger views.
Courtesy of Build LLC

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