Nestled in the Mount Baker Rim community, Arch House is a beautifully designed two-bedroom, one-bathroom, arched frame cabin. The home was first purchased in 2021 by Erica and Alex Egner, who hoped to create a mountain getaway that could also serve as a vacation rental. They spent the next year and a half designing, renovating, and tailoring the home to their vision.
“We’re both designers,” says Erica. “The desire to create and make beautiful things is something we naturally share.”
Photograph by Kelsey Bumsted
Arch House wasn’t the first project that the couple worked on, however. Before buying another fixer-upper when they moved to Bellingham in 2017, they spent eight years fixing up their first home in Texas.
“When we bought our first home together, our design vision was far bigger than our budget,” says Erica. “Hiring out every project wasn’t an option, so we learned to do a lot of it ourselves.”
Photograph by Erica Egner
The Egners were first drawn to Arch House because of its funky, retro charm. Seeing as it was built in the 1970s, they wanted to preserve as much of the home’s original style as possible, while blending that with their modern aesthetic.
Photograph by Erica Egner
“It was important to us to keep a lot of the existing character,” says Erica. “So items like the spiral staircase, wood-burning stove, and all the wood paneling throughout were left untouched.”
Photograph by Erica Egner
The Egners set out to complete as many of the renovations themselves as possible, hoping to rely on subcontractors only rarely. While juggling two kids and their day jobs, they were able to complete renovations at Arch House in 16 months.
Photograph by Erica Egner
The small size of the cabin was both a blessing and a curse to the Egners. It helped keep the project grounded, but also made completing renovations difficult. Features like the spiral staircase made transporting materials and furniture to the second floor especially cumbersome.
“Virtually all the [upstairs] building materials had to come in through the second-story balcony sliding door,” says Erica. “We even installed a temporary pulley system to lift the new sliding glass door that was way too heavy to safely carry up a ladder.”
Photograph by Erica Egner
The bathroom was by far the biggest transformation. The Engers took it down to the studs, removing the old shower insert themselves and hiring a contractor to handle tiling the new shower and floor.
Photograph by Kelsey Bumsted
“It was a major transformation and a huge upgrade from its dingy, dated predecessor,” says Erica.
For Erica, Arch House marked a shift in her career path. About a year after completing the renovations and listing Arch House on Airbnb, she found herself wanting to do it all over again. So she decided to combine her love for design with everything that she learned from hosting her home on Airbnb.
Photograph by Kelsey Bumsted
“That’s how Perennial Style—my virtual design business for short-term rentals—was born,” says Erica. “Since then, I’ve also begun co-hosting properties for other owners in the area, managing all the ins and outs of running their vacation rentals.” Bellingham, 940.594.7558, perennial.style
