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APRIL 10, 2019
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VOL. 100, NO. 15
the most of an old basement Gary Potter, Potter Construction Many of the oldest homes in the great Northwest have basements, but the problem is that they weren’t designed for entertaining or even family use. They were meant for storing coal, canned goods, and farm tools. These basements can be tricky to work with due to their low ceilings and uneven concrete floors, no heat, and with posts every six feet to hold up the center of the house. How should you approach these types of basements to best meet your remodeling vision? Taking on a basement with a low ceiling is not easy. You’ve got to do everything possible to not reduce the ceiling height. A low ceiling is anything under 7 feet.
The building code allows a 7-foot ceiling but if your basement is 6’10” you won’t be required to raise the house or lower the floor. This is because it is considered an existing condition. But will it be comfortable? If you’re working with a sub7-foot ceiling, make sure you can live with the existing height after all the work is done. Even with most of the area at 7 feet, the code allows shorter ceiling height under beams and soffits and at doorways. A typical interior door is 6’8” so you can use that as a guideline. What else should you consider? First, consider the flooring. Uneven concrete is very hard to cover with tile without having to fill in the low spots. Carpet and/or tile can add ½ to 1 inch to the floor. One solution is to roll on a protec-
tive synthetic coating which creates a gleaming floor and no measurable thickness. This material is made for concrete floors, goes on in two to three coats, and can be made to look like a natural surface. Look for companies that specialize in this type of installation. Next, consider the beams that hold up the house. Make them as
small as possible with the longest span allowing fewer posts. You will need to use a structural engineering firm to make sure the beam is sized correctly for the span between posts and the load of the house above. Consider also what material will cover the ceiling. Drywall is typically used on residential ceilings,
which is ½ inch thick or more depending on how much shimming needs to be done to make it look level. Ceiling lights in this instance are usually the recessed type. Set into the space between the floor joists to prevent using precious BASEMENT, Page R7
What’s That Smell? Fragrance may be Toxic for Your Health What is the ingredient “fragrance”?
“Fragrance” is an ingredient - often times multiple ingredients - rolled under the singular-sounding ingredient listing. The ingredient(s) contained within the term “fragrance” do not need to be specifically listed. Therefore, when you see the word “fragrance” in an ingredient list, it is likely a variety of undisclosed chemicals. “Fragrance” is considered a “trade-secret” ingredient. Although the FDA requires products to list their ingredients, they are not allowed to be used to force a company to tell “trade secrets.” “Fragrance” falls into a strange realm of “a complex mixture of many different natural and synthetic chemical ingredients” (of which do not need to be disclosed to the consumer).
If the secrecy isn’t concerning enough, what else is bad about “fragrance”?
The innocuous-looking ingredient “fragrance ” often contains hazardous chemicals linked to negative health effects. “Fragrance” is considered to be among the top 5 known allergens and can trigger asthma attacks. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, “fragrance” is the number one cause of cosmetics-induced dermatitis. A report by the Committee on Science & Technology noted that 95% of chemicals used in fragrances are synthetic compounds derived from petroleum, which are capable of causing cancer, birth defects, central nervous system disorders and allergic reactions. Phthalates are used to make fragrances last longer, and are usually present in products that have fragrance in them. The phthalate commonly used in products that contain fragrance is diethyl phthalate, or DEP. Research has shown that DEP is confirmed to be harmful to aquatic life. And when tested on rats in a laboratory setting, it has been shown to cause musculoskeletal and neurologic problems. Phthalates are also associated damage to the male reproductive system. I could go on and on, but the idea is to realize that “fragrance” isn’t healthy or safe. Fragrance irritates individuals with chemical sensitivities as well as contains hazardous chemicals that can harm individuals and the environment. FRAGRANCE, Page R7
It’s time to get your utility room clean and sorted Natalie Ivashkina, Eco German Kitchen Utility rooms deserve the same attention that the other spaces in your home get. Utility rooms don’t get enough love. Because these rooms are generally closed to the public, they are often the most neglected spaces in our homes. That’s a shame, because a well-organized utility room makes daily household activities easier and much more efficient. You don’t have to be Marie Kondo to understand the benefits of organizing. Having iron-
ing boards, laundry baskets, paper goods and vacuum-cleaner attachments in easy reach is essential for effectively responding to any cleaning needs that arise. You don’t want to have to scour your house in search of a hand vacuum after you tracked dirt all over your antique rug. The trick to maximizing the utility of your utility room is approaching its form and function with the same attitude you bring to more public-facing spaces in your home. If you start with the idea that the room is as important as your kitchen, the value of keeping it clean and well-organized will be obvious. Take the project
as seriously as you would any other room. Just like a kitchen, the utility room should be tailored to your needs and expectations. Before you rearrange everything, you should start by identifying your most essential requirements. Do you need a depot for small appliances and cleaning supplies? Space to fold and iron laundry? Additional storage for recyclables or amenities? By asking these questions, you will get a sense of the kinds of activities you will need to accomplish in the space, and the varieties of storage suitable to the task. UTILITY ROOM, Page R7
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Home & Real Estate
APRIL 2019
Final Opportunity to Live in Discovery Park
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APRIL 2019
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When hiring a contractor, start early and choose wisely Working with a contractor sounds daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Prepare for your next project with these useful tips. Noah France and Dana Chermak, Chermak Construction The process of hiring a contractor can be very stressful. But if you take your time and do your homework before hiring, you can save a tremendous amount of time, money and anxiety, and still achieve great results. The following tips will help guide you through the process. 1. Start looking early. If you’re interested in tackling a project this year, you should already be planning. Once the holiday season has passed, homeowners feel energized and start refocusing on their homes. Our business starts picking up on Day 1 of the new year, and the earlier you jump in the better off you’ll be. If you’re planning to go all out — full design and engineering plus permitting — anticipate waiting 12 weeks before a contractor starts on the project. If the project doesn’t require engineering, half that (six weeks) will be enough. Due to all the planning involved, no contractor will start a project immediately. Because of this, you should engage a contractor a month or two before the project’s start time. Some projects are dependent on cooperative weather, which drives up seasonal demand for certain trades like painting, concrete and dirt work. It can be very difficult to book these contractors during the summer, so you must get on their schedules very early in the year, even if it means contacting them before Jan. 1. 2. Know your project scope before you start. Often, clients will come to us with a laundry list of work they’d like done. In this situation, our job is to help align their budget with the overall scope of work — adding to the scope always drives up costs. Having this conversation early on can help you get the most value from your project budget.
3. Identify a reputable contractor. To find a reputable contractor, start with a credible source. The Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties’ Remodelers Directory is a good place to start. The Better Business Bureau is also a great source — to be listed, a contractor must have no outstanding issues with their customers—and a great place to find out if a business is li-
censed, insured and bonded. You can also verify a contractor’s license by visiting the state’s Department of Labor and Industries website at http://www.lni.wa.gov. 4. Before you hire, see their team in action. You should visit the company’s offices and meet the crew to see their project approach firsthand, including how they manage accounting, scheduling, and production. You’ll get a CONTRACTOR, Page R5
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Home & Real Estate
APRIL 2019
Lawmakers consider extending eviction process timeline
Home Run Solutions
By Emma Epperly WNPA Olympia News Bureau
Who says you have to suffer through your kitchen remodel? Employing a “Temporary Kitchen” unit can make remodeling your kitchen relatively painless. Joe Reed, Home Run Solutions You will certainly lose kitchen functionality as you’ve known it once construction begins. If you’ve ever endured a largescale remodel, even one with great results, you probably remember the most agonizing aspects of that experience. If you haven’t, pursuing a remodel can be still be intimidating because there are so many factors, from budget to schedule, that affect the project and so many decisions to be made. People often overlook the fact that from the very first step — the demolition phase — you immediately lose functional amenities. Preparing meals often means cooking outside (a difficult proposition in the Pacific Northwest) or ordering food in. Meal costs add up and diets suffer. Dishes and appliances become inaccessible. Simple tasks like pouring a drink of water or toasting bread are almost impossible. But there is a way to keep your
house running smoothly during a kitchen remodel. Jacob Thompson, the co-owner of Home Run Solutions, recalls a recent discussion he had with a family of five in Snohomish before their much-anticipated remodel. “They expressed concern about losing the function of their kitchen for the entire duration of the remodel,” he says. “We put ourselves in their shoes and realized we could do better. There was no reason that small appliances, cabinets and counter space had to be completely eliminated during the remodel.” And so, the concept of the Temporary Kitchen — dubbed “TempKi” by Thompson — was born. For the Snohomish project, Home Run Solutions procured a set of stock cabinets and fitted them with casters for easy mobility. Any combination of the four cabinets can be reconfigured and reused for future projects. Next, they added a molded countertop and adequate power strips. They added select kitchen appliances
such as a toaster oven, crock pot, coffee maker and microwave, and some basic utensils, towels and cutlery. The Temporary Kitchen could be immediately rolled out for use on day one of the demolition. Thompson says: “Once we started planning the TempKi we had numerous ideas, which I’m sure will be integrated into setups in the future. It all depends on the homeowner’s needs and the availability of utilities that will remain in place during the remodel.” Every remodel is unique and certain limitations and challenges will emerge once it begins. If you or your remodeler can anticipate your needs in advance, you can make the necessary accommodations to ease the process. No one should have to remodel their lives when they remodel their kitchen. Joe Reed is co-owner of Home Run Solutions, a member of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS).
Protecting tenant rights through increasing the length of eviction proceedings is part of eviction-reform legislation, currently in the state House of Representatives. The House Committee on Civil Rights and Judiciary heard public testimony on Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5600 on March 19. The bill would extend from three to 14 days the time a tenant has to comply with a notice to pay rent or vacate before unlawful detainer action. This notice means that a tenant must vacate the property or pay the back rent if they do not want eviction proceeds on their record. The measure also authorizes judicial discretion in unlawful detainer proceedings. Landlords would be allowed, under certain circumstances, to seek payment from the Landlord Mitigation Program Account, which is an account held by the Department of Commerce that tenants payback over time, for an unpaid judgment of over $500. Sen. Patty Kuderer, D-Bellevue is the prime sponsor of
the bill and the chair of the Senate Housing Stability and Affordability Committee. Kuderer testified in support of the bill and noted the continued work being done with stakeholders to perfect the bill. “It was interesting because what jumped out at us is that right out of the gate the leading cause of homelessness was evictions. Eviction for nonpayment of rent in particular,” Kuderer said. The change of notification time from 3 to 14 days was the major point of contention throughout the public testimony. “What the data showed us is that Washington was an outlier at three days and that it was inhumane to give someone a notice and three days later expect them to pack up all their worldly possessions and find another place to live,” Kuderer said. In a study done by the Housing Stability and Affordability Committee, 26 other states have longer periods of time than Washington’s current 3 days. Some states allow as long as 30 days. Kuderer said she settled on two weeks because it would allow tenants to receive an additional paycheck during that time. The bill represents a “hard-earned compromise” for Kuderer.
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APRIL 2019
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CONTRACTOR, from Page R3
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MARY LAVERN-OAKES |
feel for the atmosphere of the office and how that might affect the project. We also recommend visiting one of their job sites to ask questions and get a sense of how clean and safe it is. Don’t be afraid to request a meeting with a past client. Their testimony will prove whether the contractor can deliver what they promise. 5. Always get a referral. A trusted friend or colleague’s opinion can be a great place to start if they worked with a contractor and had a positive experience. During a major project, you’ll be spending a lot of time with the contractor in your home — having a first-person account you trust will help you make the right choice. You can also call your local lumber store and ask them who their biggest customers are as they might be able to refer you to reputable contractors. 6. If you are unsure, start with a small project. When it comes to recruiting a contractor for a large project, having them start with a smaller project is one of the best ways to find out how effectively they work,
schedule and budget. Before and during a project, ask specific questions to see if they can answer in a relatively straightforward manner. For example, how do they deal with a problem when it arises? Be wary of contractors who tell you your project is going to be smooth sailing the whole time. 7. Once you begin, stick to the schedule. Your contractor should always give you a tentative but detailed schedule for a project, and it’s in their best interest as well as yours to keep to that schedule. When they go over on time, they go over budget and drive up overall costs. 8. Choose wisely. The key to this entire process is finding a contractor you can easily trust, get to know, and work with. The more you know up front, the easier time you’ll have going forward on the project. Noah France is the president and Dana Chermak is the director of Chermak Construction, and they are members of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS).
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Home & Real Estate
APRIL 2019
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WSDOT releases Montlake Market survey results
APRIL 2019
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BASEMENT, from Page R1 ceiling room. You need more of this type of lighting because it casts the light down and can leave dark spots in between if there is not enough. Adding a few wall sconces also helps fill in the ambient light. Now, about the lack of heat. Removing all concrete and putting in radiant flooring with a new slab is wonderful but adds a lot to the overall cost. Other options include radiant heaters, a gas fireplace, baseboard heaters or extending the ductwork from the existing furnace. And note that when extending an existing furnace to make sure it can handle the additional area. In all, an old basement can be transformed from a dark, dank, dungeonesque space to a welcoming light-filled, enjoyable addition to the home. Potter Construction is a full-service remodeling company serving the greater Seattle area since 1979.
UTILITY ROOM, from Page R1
Photo by Brandon Macz WSDOT has still not decided whether it will add construction time and cost to spare the Montlake Market from demolition.
Neighborhood business’ fate remains uncertain as SR 520 Bridge replacement looms By Brandon Macz It is feasible to preserve the Montlake Market and still reconfigure Montlake Boulevard during the next phase of the SR 520 Bridge Replacement and HOV Program, but it will add millions to the project. Whether public opinion captured in a community survey conducted by WSDOT will sway the transportation department or fuel another push in Olympia to spare the neighborhood market from the wrecking ball remains to be seen. The Montlake phase of the SR 520 replacement includes a new West Approach Bridge South for eastbound traffic that will connect to the floating bridge over Lake Washington, a lid over 520 and a bicycle/pedestrian land bridge east of the lid that connects the Washington Park Arboretum and East Montlake Park. The Montlake Market was removed and later added back into plans for a reconfiguration of Montlake Boulevard, which caused an outcry from the neighborhood and legal challenges. The Legislature passed a proviso in 2018 directing WSDOT to preserve the market if possible. WSDOT provided the public with design options in January that would preserve the market, at
which point it launched a survey that ended on Feb. 14. Forty-one people took the survey that night, and another 1,688 weighed in before the survey closed. Two-thirds of respondents were from Montlake, Madison Park, north Capitol Hill, Portage Bay and Eastlake. Keeping the market building upright and operational is estimated to add 45 days to the project — about $50,000 more per day — which is estimated at $15.3 million to $20 million in added cost. WSDOT interprets the legislative proviso as requesting the transportation department address preserving the building, and not the business. Just keeping the building, leaving it vacant and not operating during construction, is estimated to cost $7 million to $10.15 million. The building could be reused later, or surplused and sold to the highest bidder. The transportation department awarded Graham Contracting Ltd the design-build contract for the project in October. Even as the lowest bidder, the cost came out to $455.35 million, which was $30 million more than WSDOT’s highest estimate for the project. Half of the survey respondents said they wouldn’t mind adding 45 days of construction to keep Montlake Market operating, and 25 percent said they would still
accept the delay even if only the building were preserved. About 10 percent would accept an increased timeline of 31-45 days. Two-thirds of respondents cited the loss of Montlake Market and its neighborhood amenities as their highest concern for community effects, and a quarter said their concern was travel and construction impacts from preserving the market. Twenty-five percent of survey respondents said they would accept a project cost increase of $20 million or more, 20 percent were fine with up to $10 million, and 10 percent found an increase of $10 million to $20 million acceptable. Forty-four percent of respondents said it wasn’t worth it to preserve the building if the Montlake Market is unable to continue operating. People also provided written comments, with 451 expressing a desire to save Montlake Market and 211 writing against preservation. WSDOT takes ownership of the property this summer. Another public meeting is expected before then to provide an update on the property’s fate. The survey report has been provided to WSDOT senior leadership, Seattle representatives and Washington legislators for review.
Once you know what you’re trying to accomplish, you can remodel or rearrange the room to optimize the layout to best serve you. Everything from a work station to placement of the ironing board to storage solutions will flow naturally from that goal. The room should be laid out so you can quickly access the things you need while giving you space to work, or maneuver, as needed. If you decide to hire a remodeler or interior designer, it’s essential that they grasp your vision for the space before they start. These days there is a wide variety of clever space-saving solutions catering to almost every aspect of utility room efficiency, all designed to meet the specific needs and tastes of the client. You can purchase all-in-one cabinet systems that provide storage and baskets for laundry, depositories for recyclables and additional space for cleaning utensils and maintenance tools. Such systems might also include a tall unit for mops and brooms, and a pull-out ironing board. Whatever uses you decide to prioritize or solutions you employ, getting your utility room sorted will improve the flow of your home and your life. Having a clean, logical and accessible layout will give you the utility you need without the stress-inducing clutter or piles of laundry. The room will go from being a private space hidden away to one you show off to guests. All it takes is caring about it. Natalie Ivashkina is the general manager at Eco German Kitchens, a member of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS)
FRAGRANCE, from Page R1 Where can fragrance be found?
Fragrance chemicals are commonly found in your average cleaning products, scented candles, and air fresheners; as well as shampoos, conditioners, lotions, and many more products. Even some products labeled “unscented” may contain fragrance ingredients! This is because the manufacturer may add just enough “fragrance” to mask the unpleasant smell of other hazardous chemical ingredients.
How to I avoid products that contain fragrance? What are the alternatives?
Once we realize the importance of finding products that do not contain “fragrance”, the mission then becomes where - and how - do we find better products. Choosing healthier products also requires an awareness of not only ingredients but also “brand knowledge”. We must learn how to choose products that are safer alternatives to hazardous chemical-based products. Unfortunately, not all brands that claim to be “safe” or “green” really are. Some of the brands that I have come to love and trust for cleaning are BioKleen and Ecover. These are the brands that we use at my cleaning company. For personal care products, the brands EO, Aura Cacia, Alaffia and Earthpaste are my personal favorites. When choosing your own products, consider shopping at a local natural foods store, such as Whole Food or a local natural food Co-Op. Other rules of thumb when shopping for and choosing healthier products are to look for products that clearly declare all of the following statements on the container: plant based, contains no fragrance, non-toxic and biodegradable. Another nice tool for “checking” a product’s “heath rating” is through this website: www.ewg.org/ guides/cleaners Gea Bassett is the founder and owner of Green Cleaning Seattle - OtiumMaid Services™ (GCS), an eco-safe AND FRAGRANCE-FREE home cleaning company in Seattle. She has an MA in Sustainable Education from Goddard College. Her mission is to continually expand and improve on what it means to be a “green business” by injecting a sustainable mission into every element, including using natural products, reducing carbon footprint, growing local, providing continuing education for her employees, and beyond.
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Home & Real Estate
APRIL 2019
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