Home Tour: My Fidalgo Island Home

We built a home on Fidaglo Island in coastal Washington. Come along for a tour.

Our Fidalgo Island Home

For years I’ve 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

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.

You can see more of our coastal home on Instagram at @myfidalgoislandhome.

Thanks for taking the tour. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

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