If you dream of homeownership, having your mortgage application denied can be devastating. If this does happen to you, it’s important to remember that you’re not alone. In 2020, 13 percent of all purchase mortgage applications — a total of nearly 650,000 — were denied, according to federal government data. Before quickly reapplying for a […]
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Posted inPeople & Places
An Architect’s Perspective on Bidding and Ensuring the Lowest Possible Construction Costs
During the design process, I am often asked how to ensure the lowest construction cost of a project. Whether the owner has set a maximum construction cost budget or not, it’s necessary during the preliminary design stages of the project to develop a construction cost estimate. We provide construction cost estimates based on local average […]
Posted inAt Home
Stay Sane While Moving: How to Find a Kid-Friendly Rental
Moving with kids can be stressful for all parties involved. While you’re coping with your own stress, trying to find a rental for the whole family, your kids may be worried about leaving their home or attending a new school. Before moving, you must ensure you find a kid-friendly neighborhood and a home with the […]
Posted inHome
Two Became One
For Stan and Jane Rein, the joining of their lives five years ago led to a second momentous union: that of the duplex Jane had called home for the previous seven years. The two-unit building at Bainbridge Island’s Yeomalt Point sat at the top of a ridge with a commanding view of Puget Sound, running […]
Posted inFeatured, Garden
A Dream with Petals
When Carolyn Thompson worked in an office nearly a decade ago, doing data entry day after day was tedious. She yearned for something different — and found inspiration in a magazine article about two women who grew flowers in England. This inspired Thompson. Flowers were something she loved. “I’d always been a gardener,” she says. […]
Posted inPeople & Places
Silverdale Goodwill
Never thought I’d use the words “over the top.” It had been ages since I was at the Silverdale Goodwill, the one across from Costco. Months prior, I noticed a lack of vintage decorative enamelware pots and pans, so I was taken aback when I looked down and saw this oddball with a miss-matched, taped-on […]
Posted inGarden
A Renovated Garden
Barbara and Graham Wilson of Poulsbo took their dismal, barren property and transformed it into a garden paradise. After moving to their current home eight years ago, the Wilsons came to a realization. Their property “was in bad shape,” Graham Wilson asserts. Barbara Wilson describes the lawn at the time as “just a piece of […]
Posted inAt Home
Recipe for Crunchy Mushroom Wrap that Stretches Your Budget
If the prices of your favorite ingredients have you dreading the next trip to the grocery store, finding ways to stretch your budget can help you feel better at the checkout counter. One such way: turning to versatile ingredients that help make every dollar count by using them in a variety of your family’s favorite […]
Posted inPeople & Places
A Successful Artist Inspires Others
Kate Larsson became a professional artist just two years after retiring from her career as a marketing executive for Xerox Corp. Supporting herself as an artist for the past 24 years, she has a lot to say about being successful in the art world. “It takes discipline, endurance and the willingness to think outside the […]