“ IT’S ALL COMING together and feeling more and more comfortable, like home each day.”
Pat McCarthy shared this morning as he was updating me on the progress of his family settling into their new home. This is just one month after their purchase closed. You see, real estate professionals are in homes every day, inside the most intimate spaces of strangers, friends, colleagues; they all end up working through the same process to get people from one home to the next. Sometimes we even have the pleasure of helping a client buy a home and then get to sell it for them when their goals have changed two, five, or 20 years later.
What’s missing is everything in between. All of the life that happens within the walls; babies brought home for the first time, puppies, first steps, new jobs, and the loss of a family member. Sometimes we get glimpses of memories made on Instagram or a remodel project here or there when I drive by, but there’s so much more to the story us realtors miss in-between.
Photograph by Grayson Glasby
Pat and Bethany’s Story
Pat and I had known each other since college. Every time I would drive down Chuckanut Drive over the years I would glance over at his house and admire what I could see evolving from the street, but it wasn’t until I was asked to help them with their next real estate adventure that I was able to see with my own eyes that this home has a big story to tell.
16 years ago, exactly on the day I’m writing this, Pat closed on the purchase of this home. He already owned two other houses and had been looking for one that he could do an extensive remodel on. When this home popped up it was the least expensive home in Edgemoor by $200,000 with room around it for additions and he jumped on it!
Pat was a bachelor when he took on this project and over the next four years he did small modifications: stained the cabinets, new countertops and tile in the kitchen/dining area, et cetera. In 2010 when Pat met his now-wife, DIY and Design Magician Bethany, he was just getting ready to start the primary bedroom addition. Bethany had just purchased an investment property that she was remodeling at the same time. (Sounds to me like they were made for each other, but anyone who has ever done a remodel project with a partner knows it either works well, or doesn’t work at all!)
Photograph by Grayson Glasby
Pat quickly realized that Bethany had, “a real eye for design and was willing to really go above and beyond when it came to putting work into the house. Seeing that it was a major passion for her, and I had some other passions, I got out of her way and let her do her thing.”
Collaborations
In 2018 they decided it was time for another big project. It took six months for them to get the permits and line up contractors for the kitchen, living room, hall bathroom and laundry room remodel. They set up a toaster oven in the primary bathroom and a dish wash station in the tub. For four months, they lived out of the primary bedroom and their 18-month-old daughter’s room. The transformation of the main living space in this home, even from the perspective of someone who works in houses every day, is astounding. The vision and design are just impeccable and is certainly one of the selling points for the new owners! This wasn’t their last project, however. Starting in 2020, the exterior of the front of the house was begging to shine like the inside of the home now does. And so Bethany and Pat took on the driveway expansion, staircase, and proud timber frame entry. Incredible, right? And they are still married! Pat and Bethany both had warm and fuzzy things to say about how they work together:
Pat: “Bethany and I have really learned to enjoy working together. It’s a good balance of her slow and methodical work ethic with an eye for design and my all out get after it approach. The balance has been for me slowing down a bit and understanding not everything needs to be done at once.”
Bethany: “Pat’s not allowed to paint, that’s where we draw the line. He doesn’t have enough patience for it, but we learned that early in our relationship so I just do all the painting. For the most part, I feel like we usually agreed on design and vision. We had to make a few compromises for each other. He wanted granite countertops and I wanted quartz. He won since I got to decide most of the other design choices.
Photograph by Grayson Glasby
The Final Result
This home had a 16-year journey in becoming stunning, and most would say it is perfect now. Bethany was so satisfied with the physical spaces that she had taken to building custom furniture for specific spots in the home! Set on a ¹/³ acre lot just minutes to Fairhaven with a greenhouse, multiple outdoor entertaining spaces, hot tub, fruit trees, garden space, and even a detached office/ studio and woodshop in the backyard, it’s hard to imagine that anyone would want to leave. For me, being a part of these journeys is an honor and a joy. It isn’t every day a transformation is as incredible as this one, and for that reason I had to share it with you all! Bethany’s words of inspiration: “Start small. Maybe change a light fixture, swap some curtains, paint a room and see how it makes you feel. If you’re inspired by it, try another project. With some hard work, a little confidence in yourself, and some YouTube videos, anyone can do most anything. I feel like the more work you put into your home, the more pride you take in it.”
Photograph by Grayson Glasby
