SULTAN — Everybody in town knows about the octagon house, and now so do over 8 million HGTV viewers.
What’s up with that?
The eight-sided house was on a recent episode of HGTV’s “Ugliest House in America,” a nationwide contest for a $150,000 makeover. The Sultan home was on the “Unpleasant Pacific Northwest” segment, along with two others in Washington, in the series hosted by comedian and actress Retta.
The show was filmed shortly after Emma Corbilla Doody and Don Doody bought the house in January 2023 for $920,000. It is over 10,000 square feet, about five times the living space of the average home, with a funky floorplan.
“We never thought it was ugly. It’s beautiful actually,” Emma, 55, said. “It was built in 1987 and they spared no cost. It’s just weird, the configurations.”
A solarium area that went viral in a “Zillow Gone Wild” Instagram. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
“The mirrors were pretty crazy,” Don, 57, added. “They have five furnaces in here, and four water heaters.”
Not to mention many humongous built-in cabinets, a dizzying amount of wiring for now-obsolete security cameras and a cat bathing station. The exterior is faux stone airbrushed concrete as are some interior accent walls. In the center is an octagonal library.
Don Doody points out the different security areas the original owner had in place at the home built in 1987. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
The light fixture over the dining room table has 64 bulbs.
“I replaced every lightbulb,” Don said.
The layout of the house is as much a maze as it is amazing.
As Emma put it: “It’s a complete octa-what!?”
Countless windows offer a panoramic view of the mountains and trees on the 7-acre spread with streams, ponds, two large outbuildings, a greenhouse, hot tub, swimming pool and tennis court.
An added bonus: adjacent to the property is the grave of the original owner, along with his cat and a dog. (Not sure why that didn’t get a mention on the HGTV show.)
The grave of the original owner of the home is located next to the property. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
The Sultan home is behind a gate at 33600 132nd St. SE, next to Ed’s Apples and about a mile from the McDonald’s on U.S. 2.
The first owner sold it for $2 million in 2002. It sold again in 2009, this time for $800,000. After sitting empty for a year, the asking price was $960,000 in December 2022.
A headline in the UK Mirror read: “‘Weirdest house ever’ has social media ‘freaked out’ by octagonal shape and odd interior.”
In an Instagram post, “Zillow Gone Wild” host Samir called the home’s solarium a “glorious Wendy’s smoking section. All it needs is an ashtray and a junior bacon cheeseburger.”
He dubbed the giant blue tub in the primary bathroom a G.A.T. — Group Activity Tub.
The Doodys snagged the home for 40 grand under the list price a week after it went on the market.
“We have another house in Gold Bar, which is a teeny home,” Emma said. “We’d been looking forever for a piece of property to do wellness retreats.”
They run Renew Medical clinic in Edmonds. She is a naturopath. He is retired from the business sector.
The couple has made considerable changes in the year since “Ugliest House” came calling.
A lot of things were broken and the grounds were overgrown, said Don, handyman-in-chief.
Massive pruning has taken place. Thousands of dollars were spent hauling away trash and debris.
They hosted parties and weddings for friends on the grounds slated to be an event venue. A section of the home is an apartment unit.
A sectional sofa seats a dozen people in what Retta called “the ballroom.” Books line shelves in the library that could be in the governor’s mansion. In the basement is a to-die-for entertainment lounge with a bar, billiards and projector TV.
“The bedroom no longer looks like ‘Star Trek,’” Emma said.
The space that was named “the ballroom” by Retta on the HGTV show “Ugliest House in America.” (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
The primary suite is 1,500 square feet, with a 40-bulb vanity and the famous blue Group Activity Tub.
“This is your bedroom? This is madness,” was the reaction by Retta on the “Ugliest House” roadshow.
Retta, known for “Parks and Recreation” and “Good Girls,” monologues unfiltered as she judges homes on “The Ugly Meter” of appearance, function and surprise.
The HGTV show, in its fifth season, had over 8.3 million viewers last season, according to the network.
The octagon house is in the second of six episodes in the current season. Retta and crew were there for about 12 hours. It has about 6 minutes of screen time, with Emma and Don as stars as well in their unexpected burst of fame.
The Sultan home was pitted against a Seattle pad that had mirrors everywhere, even mirrors on mirrors, and West Richland digs with red double sinks and red claw foot tub on red carpet.
The octagon held its own, not only with mirrors, but also “rooms on rooms on rooms,” as Retta put it.
She called the en suite tub area, with all the side bars, “like a ballet studio.”
A tub in a basement bathroom prompted Retta to ask: “I’m sorry, what is that?”
It’s for washing cats. The previous owner had 20 cats. The cat tub made Retta’s surprise meter.
Even with so much history and hoopla, the octagon did not make the cut on “Ugliest Houses” to stay in the running. The Seattle house of mirrors was chosen to advance to the finals.
The kitchen space inside “The Octagon” on May 2, 2024 in Sultan. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
It’s more like the ultimate party house anyway, especially with the G.A.T.
Is there a person, place or thing making you wonder “What’s Up With That?” Contact reporter Andrea Brown: 425-339-3443; abrown@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @reporterbrown.
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