You’ll never guess what’s behind Door No. 1 at this Lake Stevens home.
An elevator shaft.
What’s even more surprising is where it is: the living room.
It looks like an ordinary paneled door. The molding matches that of the nearby window and patio doors.
If you open this door, watch that first step. The elevator is still a work in progress.
The elevator is part of Mari and Doug Cline’s renovations to make their home accessible for aging relatives.
The Clines bought the home new in 2013 after moving from Texas to Washington for Doug’s engineering job at Boeing. After his dad, Earl, had a stroke, they moved him into their home in a main floor room that was an office. But there were no bathing facilities on the floor, and the upstairs living quarters weren’t a feasible option.
The home’s unfinished daylight basement had available space. It also had high ceilings that took away that basement feel.
“I wanted a place where we could all coexist,” Mari Cline said. “Where I could have a home that I love, where he had his own space, where we had our own space. We could flow together.”
The Clines hired Renaissance Builders in Arlington to renovate their home. Owner Chuck DeGraffenreid recently started a new branch, Renaissance Home Mobility, specializing in home modifications for aging issues as well as those injured in accidents, military veterans and children with disabilities.
“We’ve been building for over 35 years, and I’ve done a lot of these projects through the years and was seeing a greater need for it,” DeGraffenreid said. “There is a great market for it looking at my own family and friends. And myself. I enjoy working on and upgrading homes, but there is a greater sense of satisfaction in need as opposed to just want.”
His company will be among the vendors at the Everett Home &Garden Show, March 6, 7 and 8 at Xfinity Arena.
Renaissance transformed the Clines’ basement into a 640-square-foot suite with living room/mini-kitchen, bedroom and bathroom.
The tricky part was getting there. An exterior door from a backyard patio was the only way in. Adding an interior access for a stair lift would have entailed major foundation changes and losing a coat closet.
“It would have been $15,000 for a stair lift and it was $23,000 for an elevator,” Mari Cline said.
She worried her father-in-law’s mobility would decline to the extent he might not be able to access the chair on the stair lift. So they went with the elevator, which could accommodate a wheelchair, if necessary.
This home is in a manicured subdivision of Northwest Craftsman-style houses in coordinated colors and styles on small lots.
Mari Cline was mindful of her neighbors when she went elevator shopping.
“I didn’t want anything loud, clunky or bumpy. I didn’t want my neighbors to hear the elevator running,” she said.
From the outside, the elevator shaft blends with the deck.
“It flows naturally with our house,” she said.
The elevator unit, a hydraulic model by Advantage Elevators, is expected to be installed in the shaft within several weeks.
The suite is nearing completion. There are still a few furnishings to be added and a TV to hang.
Sadly, her father-in-law died last December. “He never got to enjoy it,” she said.
The suite has French doors, granite countertops, polished tile and dark laminate-wood floors.
“The French doors add lots of light. I wanted it to be bright. I didn’t want it to be a dark cave,” Mari Cline said. “I didn’t want it to be sterile. I wanted it to reflect our home and style and be comfortable. I want anybody who is going to be here to be happy.”
The furnishings look like something from a model home.
“I wanted the bedding to be luxurious.”
The bed, under that fancy bedding?
“It’s a hospital bed,” she said.
The space will be used by visiting guests of all ages.
“My mother is coming April 1 and she’s planning to stay all summer,” Mari Cline said. “She uses a walker. My mom’s on a limited income so if something should happen she could come live here.”
The couple’s 19-year-old son goes to college in Texas, where their daughter is a third-year medical school student.
“If my daughter gets a residency in Washington she could live here,” she said.
The total cost of the remodel was about $66,000.
“It was the right decision,” she said. “We got everything we always wanted in a home and more.”
Andrea Brown: 425-339-3443; abrown@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @reporterbrown.
If you go
The Everett Home &Garden Show, is March 6, 7 and 8, Xfinity Arena, 2000 Hewitt Ave., Everett.
Tickets: $6.75, adults; seniors $6.25. Free for 16 and younger. $2 off coupons on EverettHomeGardenShow.com or in the Herald.
Hours: Noon to 8 p.m. March 6; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 7; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 8.
Daylight saving time special: Everyone who arrives at the show between 10 and 11 a.m. on March 8 will get in free. Free parking in the Snohomish County Garage on March 7 and 8.
For more, go to www.everetthomegardenshow.com.
Events: Featured speaker David Pehling, WSU Extension Snohomish County, will talk about “Mole and Vole Control” at 3 p.m. March 6; noon March 7; and 1 p.m. March 8. Snohomish PUD will offer a special energy saving kit including 4 LEDs and a dhowerhead for $10, a $60 value. While supplies last. Dunn Lumber will have a free wine tasting every afternoon at its display booth from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. March 6; 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. March 7; and 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. March 8.
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