We built a home on Fidaglo Island in coastal Washington.
Come along for a tour.
Our Fidalgo Island Home
For years I shared bits and pieces of our coastal home on Instagram. My plan to blog about the design and build of our home didn’t happen. I’m either a perfectionist or a procrastinator or both. So here we are, five years after purchasing the lot, four years after breaking ground, three years after moving in, and one year after selling and returning to California. Here’s the back story …
In the spring of 2015, while visiting family in Western Washington, we discovered a charming new development of ocean front and view lots on Fidalgo Island. Situated on the Guemes Channel, overlooking the Anacortes ferry terminal, San Juan Passage is a community of just under 100 home sites. Spectacular views, Cape Cod style, shingled homes, gorgeous scenery and a mild climate were a winning combination and soon we were debating which lot offered the ideal spot to build our dream home.
Here’s how the East Coast developer, Gilbane Development Company, describes the community.
“San Juan Passage is a coastal community of 99 traditionally styled, single-family homes situated on tree-lined streets with wide, walkable sidewalks. Prime view parcels are home to grand community parks with landscaped trails that gently wind to the sea.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt5P7YdDwXU
A major selling point for us was each lot could be designed and built according to the buyers’ specifications. A semi-custom home build. We were building from out-of-state and this seemed like an ideal scenario as we could not be on-site on a regular basis. We also loved the Nantucket / Cape Cod feel of the neighborhood. Quite different from the typical Pacific Northwest home style.
We purchased a lot in the Water’s Edge series and begin the process of designing a floor plan to accommodate our family and lifestyle. Nine months later we were breaking ground.
The build took just over one year. And, in February of 2017 we packed our car and left California to begin our new life in the Pacific Northwest. Let’s take a tour.
FOYER & MUD ROOM
KITCHEN & DINING AREA
LIVING ROOM
POWDER ROOM
LAUNDRY ROOM
BUNK ROOM
GUEST SUITE
MEDIA ROOM/GUEST LOUNGE
MASTER SUITE
BACK PATIO / OUTDOOR KITCHEN
The house is a three level home with the entry on the lower floor. We had a lot of discussion about including an elevator, a common feature in other neighborhood homes. Ultimately, we decided an elevator wasn’t for us and besides it takes up a lot of valuable space. We never regretted our decision.
FLOOR PLAN
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- 1st Level
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- 2nd Level
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- 3rd Level
Now for a plot twist. After two years in our beautiful, coastal home, we sold it – furnishings and all – and returned to California. It was bittersweet. We loved the home, but found the PNW climate a tough adjustment. We also missed our California family and friends.
We enjoyed our time in coastal Washington. It’s hard to beat the view and we spent many evenings on the deck mesmerized by spectacular sunsets while watching the Washington State ferries glided in and out of port.
I’m working on including links to our building material and furniture sources … so be sure to check back.
In the meantime, you can PIN the tour to save for later.
Thanks for taking the tour.
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
Or questions.
I MISSED THIS POST the FIRST GO AROUND!
THE OUTSIDE CHAIRS in a WICKER-LOOK I need details on who makes etc.
It was a LOVELY HOME!
HAPPY to HAVE YOU BACK DOWN HERE!!!!
XX
Thank you, Contessa. It was a lovely home … but you know, the weather. Restoration Hardware makes that lovely wicker style furniture. We’ve ordered the same for Snowberry … so stay tuned! xo
It’s been fun watching Snowberry come together, love your style and happy to read your blog this morning. Beautiful PNW home!!
Thank you, Carol! Your comment has be grinning ear to ear. I really appreciate you being here! Oh my gosh, that rhymes!!! xo
What an incredible home. I can imagine it was very hard to leave.
Thank you, Carol. It was bittersweet. We loved the home and had spent years building it … but the climate was a touch adjustment and we don’t miss that. xo
I am both in awe + in love with this home! It’s incredibly gorgeous and the viewwwwwww!
Love following along with Snowberry-it’s beautiful and I still love looking back at this gorgeous home! Do you remember what you used in the Main Bath for slab (counter and shower bench top)?
Hi Sandy! We used honed marble … for the vanity counter top and shower bench. We loved it! Hope you’re doing well! xo
What were your exterior colors on Fidalgo Island? I love the Hale Navy door which is so well framed by the gray you chose!
Thank you, Deb. Hale Navy is a favorite. The trim color is Sherwin Williams Pure White, and the shingle color is a Granite stain. xo
I just love your Snowberry renovation and enjoy your blog posts so much! Still enjoy looking at your Fidalgo Island home as well and wonder if you have those interior colors linked somewhere? Love the walls and trim and accent colors there.
Hi Sandy … thanks so much! And, I appreciate the idea … I need to write a post including Fidalgo Island’s sources including paint colors. Brillant! Stay tuned. xo
Thank sounds great. In the meantime…do you remember if the walls and trim were Simply White??
The home is beautiful and you did a great job. Could you share the source for your desk? I love the curved legs and it’s just what I have been looking for.
Thanks!
Well, hello there! Thank you so much and I’d be happy to share. It’s from Ethan Allen. The Emily Petite desk. I think they make a larger version as well. Thanks for stopping by! xo
I have just recently discovered you blog via shabbyfufu. Snowberry is beautiful and it is a lovely area – I have family there and live about 30 minutes away. However, the heat here is just too much for us, so we want to go to the Washington coast. Your Fidalgo Island home was stunning and I’m loving just looking at all the details of it. We will have to visit that area when we are able to get serious about looking for a home up there. Thank you for sharing your beautiful homes for us to see – you have beautiful taste!
Hello Janet … and thanks for clicking over to my blog. It is hot … especially over the past week. Whew. We spent two years in Washington and came running back because we couldn’t stand the cold and drizzle. That said, many other Californian’s lived in our Fidalgo Island community. Our little pocket development is called San Juan Passage … and it is as charming as charming can be. You should check it out. Bainbridge Island is another wonderful area … and Seattle is just a ferry ride away. I was excited to see that Janet reposted our California house, Snowberry … I just love her Shabbyfufu blog. I hope you’ll stick around here too and let me know how your plans progress for moving north. I’m more than happy to share anything I know about – or experienced – during our two years on the PNW coast. xo
Oh, my Goodness! What a FABULOUS dream home! I missed this story somewhere along the way! WHat great blog posts from there you have, too!
Gorgeous home, Juliet: it must have taken a lot of determination to leave it behind and return to the East Bay shortly after creating a dream home… Did building the Hidalgo Island home prep you for lots of decisions @ Snowberry, given that you’d made lots of design choices just 2-3 years before?
It may (or may not be) akin to our time here in the upper MW: we spent 4 VERY long years bulldozing through issues to build a forever home in a place with a short building season that we did not understand (until we had some experience under our belt). I spent a year and a half hiring and managing all of the interior trades after we got rid of our builder’s foreman. And now we live in our “dream home” that was perhaps designed for our 50 year old selves, which was a decade+ ago! Love the wildlife and friendly people here, but there aren’t many places to go where I need to get out of fleece tops and leggings, and family and friends are in all the places we lived before, particularly in VA, where we built our first home in our early 30’s. Contemplating a return there, still pondering, for one last home before deciding we should move to a continuing care community!
Hi again, Joan. Sounds like you’ve had your share of building and moving experience … and there you are in your dream home! Between 2010 and 2019 we renovated two houses and built one … and moved in and out of a lot of temporary homes. When I look back now … what were we thinking?! xo