Mercer Island
This west facing Mercer Island home is nestled away on a step hillside with unparalleled privacy. With views of quiet Seward Park, the homeowners wanted to maximize their existing view and add square footage for their family and entertaining. The architect maintained full, sweeping views from nearly all rooms in the house. The major challenge faced was the addition of a third lower floor which involved hand excavation of the hillside, reinforcement of the existing foundation, installation of new footings, and extreme waterproofing measures to disperse the hillside run off that naturally collected at the foundation wall of the new lower floor. The lower level of the home is equipped with a kitchenette area that is steps away from a large scalloped deck where the Italian stone pizza oven lives. The homeowners can also entertain on the main floor with the open, spacious plan of the main kitchen, living, and dining areas that spill onto east and south facing decks. Each of the four bedrooms have a bathroom with an additional full bath on the main floor. A custom designed metal surround was installed at the main floor fireplace, lengthening the wall and maintaining the desire for clean simple lines. This home comfortably suits the family’s every day lives and is well laid out to entertain or just sit back and soak in the amazing views.
