Last March, we covered the rescue of a kayaker who got into trouble off southern West Seattle shores. A few weeks later, that kayaker – Dr. Scott Redfern – sent us his own account of what happened; we published it here. Now he’s sent another story, about his home-buying adventure in West Seattle this summer:
Story and photos by Dr. Scott Redfern
On April 10th, I posted the story of my kayak trip gone wrong and my rescue by the Vashon ferry.
On July 8th, I bought a home in West Seattle. The history of the home and the house next door deserve to be shared. The property came with two homes on one lot. What sets these homes apart from all others in the neighborhood is the fact that these two structures have been an enormous eyesore for decades.
The property is located at 4514 SW Willow St. (map) The stories of the house are numerous.
To start off, the owner decided to remodel the original home built in 1924. As all projects do, they started off with the best of intentions. The owner, however, was easily distracted and never finished anything he started. Today we recognize this as a form of ADD. In addition to that, he was obsessive when it came to adding more steel and wood to strengthen the structure.
The owner liked to work with steel and when it came to fortifying the structure he would stop at nothing. Steel beams traverse the house from North to South and from East to West. Neither Gale force winds nor earthquakes of unknown magnitude will bring it down.
The walls are reinforced with tripled up 2X4’s and 6’es for the structure. The decks are built out of steel and the deck floor sis made out of 4X4 posts.
As the owner aged, he became a collector of all things big and small. The house was chock full of everything imaginable, with a bent towards scrap metal, wood and anything needed to remodel a home in the ’50s. Sinks, plywood, drywall, plastic sheeting, pipe fittings; the list goes on and on. It took a week just to empty the 700-foot basement. The front yard had an overgrown shrub that hadn’t been trimmed in forty years.
Now for some history on the homes. The wall that wraps around the south end of the property is made out of sandstone. We’re not talking about little pieces, but giant blocks that were cut and put in place in the likes of a castle. In fact, rumor has it that he wanted to build a castle with a turret … in the front yard.
The stone came from The Society Candy Company building in downtown Seattle. My joke is that I bought a house that is a combination of the Flintstones, the Munsters and the Addams Family.
Fred Flintstone would feel right at home. Scattered along the west property line and all over the property are giant pieces of sandstone in all sizes and shapes. Stop by and see for yourself; it is truly a work of art. Fred would need a rack of Brontosaurus ribs after working in my yard.
The Addams Family structure is the on the south end of the property, where I am camped out on the second floor. Luckily, it has been a hot July and early August. There is no hot water, so my shower consists of dumping 2-5 gallon buckets of cold water over my head and body. I also bought a garden hose, which works well also. It was fun and funny to begin with, but as cooler weather adorns our inevitable upcoming fall, it has become less enjoyable.
The north end of the property has a cottage that was built in 1914 and looks like it. The roof is peeling off. The siding is as faded as can possibly be and the previous owner’s collection of junk adorns the interior, which is rotting and caving in on itself.
I took more than 50 gallons of hazardous waste in the form of paint, thinners, oil, and a plethora of unidentifiable cans from the past several decades to HAZMAT disposal by the dump. The personnel there were more than generous, but graciously informed me that I had to come back on several occasions as I had maxed out the daily allowance of materials. I went there 5 times. In addition I took 6 truckloads to the local metal recyclers, which luckily paid for days worth of day-laborer wages. I lost count of how many trips to the dump I diligently performed. All told, it took five weeks to empty the house of its varied treasures and haul it away.
The previous owner never completed the interior of the house. Only two walls and a partial ceiling were actually dry walled. Partial walls were framed in, some with plywood paneling and mold-ridden insulation behind them. Some walls and most of the ceilings were just exposed studs with old ceiling tiles placed in the gaps for insulation, I guess. The linoleum in the kitchen was so worn you could see the wood subfloor under the dirt.
I am being kind when I say it was a dirty, junk-packed, rat-infested hole.
The house was on the market for a year and a half. Today I can visualize potential homebuyers running to their cars and speeding off after looking inside.
I was the one brave and possibly foolish soul that saw the potential under and within the piecemealed design of the house.
I have been a renter all my adult life, and at 49 years of age I took on the project nobody wanted. After showing the house to my friends and to remodelers, almost everyone said, don’t do it. Even my friend Dan, who has bought and remodeled more than a half dozen homes, said it was too big a project for him.
I decided to let the opinions remain just that. In my heart, I knew this would be my home. I am now the local neighborhood hero. Dozens of neighborhood walkers have stopped by to see the goings-on. “Thank God some one is finally going to do something with this place” they’d say. The sidewalk, driveway and yard were lined and piled with junk, junk and more junk. Rumor has it that one of the neighbors actually paid someone to paint the house at one point because they couldn’t stand looking at it any more.
I have a history of taking on big projects in my life. I love to dig in and build sweat equity. My life history is lined with obstacles overcome by determination, tenacity and hard work. Seeing the potential in things and running hard at it is in the fabric of my being. I’ll share more in person if you like.
There is so much more to tell. Therefore I extend an invitation to drive or stop by and visit with me (preferably the latter). The door is usually open when I’m home or my Saab 9-5 is parked nearby. I’ll give you a tour and we can sit on the over-fortified deck and look out on the beautiful view of the mountains and the Sound. Without the view and a truckload of determination, this home would surely be doomed.
I hope you have enjoyed this short story. I soon hope to throw a “down to the studs” party. I will post the date and time on WSB. Sharing the dream makes it all the more believable.
The Seattle Fire Department has shown interest in using the north cottage as a training ground. They might even burn it down. Wouldn’t that be cool!
When I bought the house, my neighbors welcomed me with open arms. They donated their trucks for hauling and invited me to shower in a real bathroom. I took them up only twice. My favorite summer haunt is Colman Pool for lap swimming. All I can say is, a hot shower for me after a swim is divine.
I love living in and being a part of this community we call West Seattle.
I hope to meet those of you with interest.
Dr. Scott Redfern
Docredfern@gmail.com
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