Issaquah Landscaping’s show garden ‘Rhythm and Roots: A Tribute to Bluegrass’ nears completion at the Tacoma Home & Garden Show. By David Rogers

When the economy took a dip, David Rogers took a hiatus from entering his business in the annual Northwest Flower & Garden Show.

“It was nice to get our name out there, but we needed a break,” Rogers said of Issaquah Landscaping.

After four years off, the creativity bug was causing Rogers to itch regarding making a return to the venue renowned for its show gardens. From 2001 to 2005, Issaquah Landscaping won one gold, two silvers and a bronze medal for its creations.

“We could use another gold,” he said.

Participating businesses are given three and a half days to construct a themed show garden at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle to be ready by opening day of the convention Feb. 8. While Rogers enjoys the challenge, he admits the weekend features a huge distraction.

“I always forget it’s Super Bowl weekend,” he said.

Distractions aside, Rogers’ team this year, working from a design by longtime collaborator Susan Browne, constructed “Rhythm and Roots: A Tribute to Bluegrass.” In addition, the timing is perfect seasonally.

“It’s getting exciting this time of year, this close to spring,” he said. “The garden show gives it a feeling of kicking off the whole season. Plus, it gets my guys out there, excited again after a long winter.”

The idea is to showcase a themed layout utilizing native Pacific Northwest plants. Without trucking in actual bluegrass from the state of Kentucky, Rogers went down a more representational route — designing instruments throughout the garden from banjos to harmonicas. To give the design a backwoods feel, there will be a water feature, a metal garden shed representing a cabin in the woods and a huge metal pergola.

Some of the native plants Rogers said he used that homeowners can also integrate easily into their own gardens include:

• Omorika spruce
• Flowering currant
• Oregon grape (orange flame)
• Rainbow lucothe shrubs
• Deodar cedars (electric blue)

Rogers said he hopes the one element that puts his display over the top is a first for his designs — a live band. The local band Cascade Cutups will play bluegrass music throughout the show, helping transport visitors to another time and place.

While Rogers said he hopes plenty of visitors to the garden show stop by his exhibit, he admits the convention gives him the opportunity to see what others are doing in the business.

“I’m always intrigued by use of water systems,” he said. “Gutters to rain barrels to herb gardens. I love to see the mechanics they use.”

Local participating businesses

“Grunge Garden”

“Grunge Garden” pays homage to Seattle’s music scene of the 1990s, when groups Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Nirvana and Pearl Jam put Seattle on the rock music map again. Shaped to depict a guitar, this garden includes drums (and a drum water feature) and boots from the period. You’ll also see flannel — a wardrobe mainstay for grunge rockers or wannabes.

Adding to the authenticity, the creator reached out for advice from members of the famed Northwest band Everclear. This garden is a memorial to a time that has passed us all by but that we can fondly remember.

• Creator: Adam Gorski, North Bend, 766-8605
• Adam Gorski Landscapes Inc.
• www.adamgorskilandscapes.com

“Here Comes the Sun” Design-a-Garden

The first-ever “Design-A-Garden” process is a collaboration between visitors to the show’s website, Seattle’s Swansons Nursery, veteran garden creator Lloyd Glasscock, of Looking Glass Design, and Show Designer Cyle Eldred. For several months before the show, readers selected the garden theme (The Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun”) and helped select materials, art, furniture and plantings, and other components through online voting.

It includes a large central patio using Montana bronze flagstone and sockeye quartzite flagstone, a backdrop of sheltering trees, celadon containers overflowing with plants and studio art glass pieces interspersed among the garden features.

• Creators: Marenakos Rock Center, Issaquah, 392-3313
• www.marenakos.com

• Looking Glass Design
• Lloyd Glasscock, Stanwood, 422-3336
• www.lookingglass-design.com

• Terra Firma Hardscapes
• John Stout, Everett, 252-5408
• www.terrafirmahardscapes.com

• Swansons Nursery
• Brad Siebe, general manager, Seattle, 206-782-2543
• www.swansonsnursery.com

• Sawdust Supply, Seattle
• 206-622-4321
• www.sawdustsupply.com

David Hayes: 392-6434, ext. 237, or dhayes@isspress.com. Comment at dhayes@isspress.com.

For gardeners, this realization is a real boon. We don’t have to stare out the window at the dripping rain and soggy soil for very long each year. We are always just a blink away from getting out there and rooting around in all that good dirt.

For many plants, our winters are more like a rather uneventful camping trip in the mountains than a hellish experience. In fact, some of them seem to like the discomfort and the inconvenience that winter has to offer. We know the bulbs like it — the narcissus, crocus, hyacinths and tulips. They don’t seem to be bothered by anything, snoozing from summer through most of winter, and then peeking out of the ground as the weather improves. They inch up during good weather, and stay put when it’s cold. Mine are up already with the warm temperatures we’ve had.

Some plants go beyond understanding. Winter heath starts blooming before Christmas, knowing full well that ice and snow are on the way. Sarcococca is blooming now, through rain, snow, ice and wind. Winter sun mahonia is out there in the freezing temperatures, pretending not to notice. Sedums are boldly sticking their heads up out of the ground daring winter to take its best shot. And we know if it does, the sedum will win. Primroses are amazing and almost look out of place with their bright colors in among the grayed earth tones of winter.

Although I appreciate the enthusiasm and bravery of the winter bloomers and growers, I don’t feel I depend on them to get me through the winter anymore. The low sun angles on the deciduous branches create a hopeful look and a very artful one as well. Even the dripping rain and the dramatic gray skies seem exciting. It’s now fun to look outside without feeling obligated to be out there doing something. The pruning of fruit trees and roses is coming soon enough.

For now, I’m going to enjoy this beautiful winter weather and the surprises it brings.

Jane Garrison is a local landscape architect and master gardener who gardens in glacial till on the plateau.

Many home inspection services can help homeowners find indoor air hazards, such as dust and mold. Thinkstock

Americans spend up to 90 percent of their time indoors, according to Aileen Gagney, environmental and lung health program manager for the American Lung Association in Washington.

And indoor air can be up to five times as polluted as outdoor air, she said. That can be a very serious problem for the very young and the very old, as well as those with asthma and other lung problems.

And not incidentally, Gagney said asthma rates have shot up what she called an “amazing” 70 percent in 10 years.

Gagney obviously is well versed on the topic of indoor air pollution. She easily rattles off dozen of tips for cleaning your indoor air and can speak personally about the possible effects of indoor air pollution.

An architect by training, Gagney has worked at various construction and home-related jobs, including as a general contractor. Almost 30 years ago, Gagney was applying polyurethane in a bathroom. After the job, she slept for 16 hours. From then on, she developed a hypersensitivity to many chemicals. Exposure to common items such as fresh paint can cause her migraine headaches. The effects are almost immediate, she said.

In short, she said she takes indoor air pollution and its possible effects very seriously and wants others to do so as well. Gagney even speaks out against plug-in air fresheners that she said mostly consist of chemicals.

“You don’t really think there is vanilla in there, do you?” she asked.

Get rid of mold

Probably the biggest problem with air quality locally is mold, Gagney said, adding she receives 30 to 40 calls a week about that topic.

Nancy Bernard is the indoor air quality manager at the state Department of Health. She spends most of her working time answering phone calls about indoor air quality and, like Gagney, said mold is a big problem in the Northwest.

Many callers want to know if the state can do something about mold issues or want inspectors to come and take samples of the mold in a home, Bernard said. But neither the state nor local counties have mold inspection programs, she added. Further, Bernard argues there is no reason to sample mold as the type of mold present is almost never relevant.

“It makes no difference what kind it is, the thing to do is get rid of it,” Bernard said.

So how does one do that? Both Bernard and Gagney said that if you have mold, you have excess moisture. Remove the moisture and the mold will go with it.

By the way, Gagney said never to use bleach on mold. It doesn’t kill the mold; it just bleaches it. As with most cleaning chores, old-fashioned soap and water works best, Bernard said.

How do you get the moisture out of your air? Both Bernard and Gagney talked about properly using exhaust fans in your kitchen and bathroom. For example, Gagney said to leave your bathroom fan on for 60 minutes after bathing or showering. You can also use a squeegee on your walls if needed. Another step is to try and make sure kitchen and bathroom fans vent to the outside, not to an attic as is sometimes the case.

With windows and doors closed against the cold, winter is a tough time to keep air circulating through your home — a key to clean indoor air, according to Chad Fulton, of Glendale Heating and Air Conditioning, whose company services the Issaquah area.

“It’s very important to get dust out of your air,” Fulton said.

Toward that end, he recommends changing the filter on your furnace at least four times a year. (Gagney recommended doing so every three months.) You also want to use the right filter. Some are aimed at trapping dust but might be worthless for dealing with pet dander. And no filter is 100 percent efficient at trapping anything, Fulton said, so another step is to have heating ducts cleaned every five to seven years.

To keep air circulating, if possible, leave the fan on your furnace running, Fulton suggested. Putting in a small duct to let in fresh air might not be a bad idea and shouldn’t add to heating bills. Ideally, air in your home should be exchanged once every hour, according to Fulton.

Limit all chemicals

Gagney and Bernard had plenty of other suggestions for keeping indoor air clean. Their first rule is don’t smoke inside. If you must smoke, go outside, especially if you have small children, Gagney said. And either change clothes or wear something you will leave outside when finished smoking. Gagney even suggested leaving your shoes outside regardless of whether you smoke or not.

Shoes can carry in all sorts of chemicals that can end up in your carpeting, she said. Small children are especially susceptible to being exposed to those chemicals.

Other tips include getting a carbon monoxide detector, Bernard said. She said if you use a humidifier, clean it regularly. Stay away from indoor pesticides, especially bug bombs. Get a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter and change it regularly.

Gagney comes out strongly against that box of chemical cleaners you might have under your sink. She said the only cleaning products you really need are baking soda and vinegar.

“People talk about better living through chemistry. I say better living through green cleaning,” Gagney said.

Tom Corrigan: 392-6434, ext. 241, or tcorrigan@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

In January, we expected our lowest temperatures — maybe even icy ponds. We used to get a break for two weeks in February, which would give us the false idea that spring would come early, and also the opportunity to prune roses and fruit trees. We expected showers and sun breaks in March and April and started seeds indoors. Then May would bring the first warm days, and we prepared our soil. June was never stable; we always had warmth and rain, perfect for planting warm-weather veggies.

The rain always lasted through the Fourth of July, dousing the fireworks fantasies. On the fifth came the sun and it would stick around until October. The veggies grew big and produced. Octobers were clear and cold as the last of the edible crops were brought in. Then on Halloween, the rain would come, dousing the kids again. Those rains would last until year’s end, falling sometimes as wet snow. We planned on it every year.

We are not able to predict weather cycles now. Last year, my diary shows that January was warmer than usual, and February was dry and sunny. Then March came in like a lion and didn’t let up. My diary shows that May, June, and July were the coolest on record, averaging highs of 60 degrees, not enough to grow vegetables.

We finally got some warm temperatures in August, but it was too late to plant. We had a few warm days in September and October, but mostly it was cold and wet. November and December were drier than usual. It seems that our dry periods were wasted on our cold months in 2011. It was a bad year for gardening.

If the weather cycles are changing how can we deal with it? Maybe we have to change our expectations and respond to conditions as they arise. If we get any nice days in January we could prune the fruit trees and the roses ahead of time. We can be ready for anything that comes along.

Is it possible to outfox the weather? We could look at cold frames; crop covers, supported and unsupported; raised beds; and season extenders that allow us to go with the flow.

There are many possibilities out there for gardeners. It’s important to educate yourself to deal with gardening in unpredictable weather. Check out www.kingcountymg.org. I would ask people at The Grange Supply for what they have to offer, because they live here and share your pain. Charley’s Greenhouse in Mount Vernon gets my vote, too, because they understand “cold and wet.” You can always crosscheck prices and possibilities at www.farmtek.com.

Jane Garrison is a local landscape architect and master gardener who gardens in glacial till on the plateau.

Habitat for Humanity Store volunteer Cindy Clark (left) and merchandising supervisor Molly Jacobson work in the Bellevue showroom, moving and assembling previously owned furniture donated to sell. By Greg Farrar

The items relegated to closets, crawlspaces, garages and junk drawers need not be banished to the landfill during a home decluttering effort.

Local recycling and reuse experts said the trick is to find fresh uses for old and unnecessary items, either through donations or repairs. Items in good condition make ideal candidates for donations to thrift stores. King County and local businesses offer recycling services for many household goods and items in not-so-good shape.

King County EcoConsumer Tom Watson said options abound for unloading the items cluttering the nooks and crannies in a home.

“Always consider donation, because reuse is better than recycling,” Watson said. “Someone else can use it — family, friends,” online classified services and thrift stores.

Watson adds another R to the time-tested mantra to reduce, reuse and recycle — repair. Often, furniture and other household items in otherwise good condition can be repaired for less expense and hassle than replacement. Old furniture, for instance, is a candidate for reupholstering.

Arie Mahler, donations manager for Seattle Goodwill, said sending items to a thrift store is a solid choice to reduce clutter — and aid a local nonprofit organization in the process, too.

“We’re pretty forgiving when it comes to donations,” he said.

Homeowners in the process of decluttering should set aside still-functional items to donate and damaged or irreparable items to donate or toss.

“The rule of thumb is, if you would give this to a family member or a friend or pass it on to somebody, that’s the kind of condition that we’re looking for,” Mahler said. “It doesn’t have to be brand new. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Is this something that you would, when you go into one of our stores, something that you’d buy? Is this something that would appeal to you or would you cringe?”

Seattle Goodwill is on a constant search for donations of clothing, electronics, furniture and household items, such as kitchen utensils.

The organization does not repair donated items, so Mahler reminded potential donors to offer items in decent condition. Seattle Goodwill also does not accept used mattresses or box springs. Donating a used bed frame is acceptable.

Donation is also a more “green” option for decluttering, because items repurposed for another use do not end up in the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill near Issaquah.

“That’s always going to be better than recycling, environmentally,” Watson said. “The order to consider it would be donate, recycle, throw away.”

Sometimes, however, actual garbage is donated to Seattle Goodwill and other thrift stores. Mahler recalled unpacking bags containing kitchen scraps and soiled diapers.

“Nothing surprises me anymore,” he said. “Those are extreme examples. That is very much the exception and not the rule.”

Habitat for Humanity of East King County opened a Bellevue store not long ago to accept donated building materials and household items. The store places particular emphasis on appliances and furniture, but organizers also need electronics and decorative objects, such as paintings and candleholders, to meet customer demand.

“The purpose of the store is to raise money for Habitat, but it’s also to divert things from the landfill and then make home items affordable for people in the community,” Merchandising Supervisor Molly Jacobson said. “I think it’s a vital resource because it comes full circle for everyone.”

The area also offers a strong market for recyclables. Consumers can recycle old batteries, foam blocks and packing peanuts at local retailers or drop-off sites.

Nowadays, Watson said, recycling or tossing some small appliances is simpler, because such items can be more difficult or expensive to repair than in the past.

“Being in the Seattle area, we have some good markets for some of these products that other places might not have,” Watson added.

The statewide effort to recycle electronics, E-Cycle Washington, is also available for consumers to get rid of unwanted TVs and the like. Statewide, consumers recycled more than 100 million pounds of outmoded computers, monitors and televisions between January 2009 and July 2011.

AtWork! in Issaquah is a drop-off site for outmoded TVs and other electronics.

Watson advised people not to stress if a decluttering effort means some items need to be tossed into the trash.

“Especially in our region, Issaquah and Seattle, some people are just so ‘green’ and it just kills them to throw something away,” he said. “They’ll write me and they’ll ask, ‘What can I do with an old plastic lawn chair?’ Rather than feeling guilty about it, sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and toss it.”

Increasingly, manufacturers and retailers provide options for recycling, although some items, such as the aforementioned lawn chair, remain difficult or impossible to recycle.

“It’s not the public’s fault when you have to throw something away,” Watson said.

Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, or wkagarise@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

PSE customers can receive the instant rebate of up to $10 off a variety of Energy Star-qualified LED bulbs. Depending on the type of bulb, the after-rebate price to customers is between $15 and $50. Customers can purchase rebated Energy Star-qualified LED bulbs at participating retailers, including Costco, Lowe’s and The Home Depot.

Such bulbs use up to 85 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs and last up to 22 times longer.

Learn more about LED bulbs and find a participating retailer at www.pse.com/led. Or call 1-800-562-1482 toll free on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Customers can complete a survey at www.pse.com/ledsurvey after receiving the rebate to enter a drawing for a $100 prepaid gift card.

Then this fall I noticed they didn’t drop their leaves at the same time as the other red maples. In fact, on Dec. 7, they still had their beautiful, brilliant red leaves. I became very curious. Since it’s impossible to stop or even slow down on East Lake Sammamish Parkway, I thought some day I can walk down here and check out these trees.

Yesterday I was taking the off-ramp from Interstate 405 onto Northeast Eighth Street in Bellevue, and I noticed a beautiful tree, larger and older than the ones on East Lake Sammamish Parkway, but the same variety. It, too, was in full, brilliant foliage with just a few leaves on the pavement. With a fear of being run over or arrested, I jumped out of my car and grabbed a leaf. It was not a maple.

At home I checked out the leaf, and the name, sweetgum, popped into my head. But the tree was too beautiful. American sweetgums always look like they have been in a wrestling match — craggy, twiggy looking, each a rugged individual — not good when you are trying to create a formal row. These trees on East Lake Sammamish Parkway are spreading, all similar in shape with graceful branching and outstanding reddish color.

I’m going out on a limb to say that the tree is the “burgundy” variety of American sweetgum, Liquidambar styraciflua “burgundy.” There are many varieties, but I base my selection on the fact that these trees are holding their leaves into winter, a characteristic of the burgundy variety. What an improvement over the species!

Here’s the best part. We have a shortage of deciduous tree choices for urban conditions in our region. Our native forests do not include a good deciduous tree that tolerates pavement and compacted soil conditions. This tree is amazing. It is long-lived and thrives in our acidic, heavy soil and poor drainage. Native to the temperate regions of the eastern U.S. and Mexico, it can’t take really cold winters. We don’t have really cold winters, so it likes it here. The only negative is the fruit — persistent, prickly, brittle, round balls that have earned different, unflattering names across the country.

Guessing at tree types is not advisable in a newspaper column, but I am open to corrections or discussion. I could ask the county, but I’d rather ask you.

Jane Garrison is a local landscape architect and master gardener who gardens in glacial till on the Plateau.

Master gardening clinics are over for the year. Reach experts through the Center for Urban Horticulture at 206-685-5104 and online at www.kingcountymg.org.

Checking your furnace can save on winter heating costs. Thinkstock

Even in this area, where winters are fairly mild compared to some other spots in the country, there are numerous steps you can take to help protect your home against winter cold and reduce your energy bills.

“As cooler temperatures are upon us, preparing homes to save on heating expenses and conducting annual safety checks are important for our customers’ pocketbooks, safety and the reliability of their heating equipment,” said Agnes Barard, director of customer care for Puget Sound Energy.

In a press release and on its website, PSE offers numerous steps folks can take to winterize their homes:

• Seal gaps around windows by adding weather stripping or, if appropriate, caulking, to keep heat from escaping. For a cheap and quick way to do this around doors, roll up a towel or blanket and put it at the base of the door.
• Add insulation to attics, walls, ducts and floors.
• Have your furnace inspected and serviced to make sure it is in good working order. If you believe there is a problem with your natural gas furnace, water heater or other gas appliance, PSE will send a technician to conduct a free inspection. Small repairs may be done for a minimal cost. Call 888-225-5773 toll free.
• Keep heating vents unblocked by furniture or other items.
• Close the fireplace damper when it’s not in use.

PSE said with just a few steps, you could save up to 15 percent off your heating bill and actually keep your home warmer.

Of course, some of the chief culprits in allowing inner heat to escape are quite possibly your windows. Tim Bergsma, of Issaquah Glass Inc., said the usual recommendations are what PSE suggested, namely caulking around windows and even doors.

“The biggest thing you can do is upgrade your windows,” Bergsma said.

Windows installed or rebuilt prior to the late 1980s probably aren’t the most efficient available. They may look good, with double panes of glass and aluminum frames, but Bergsma said there are more efficient materials now available.

Many newer windows are coated with materials that reflect heat back into your home instead of letting it slip outside. The frames commonly are vinyl and don’t conduct heat or cold nearly as much as aluminum.

Incidentally, Bergsma doesn’t necessarily recommend putting that plastic insulation you can find in hardware stores over your windows. If you have older, possibly even single pane windows and feel cold coming off them, the plastic may indeed do you some good. On new windows, you probably needn’t bother.

“I don’t think you’re going to gain much,” Bergsma said.

Bergsma believes there is one phenomenon of which owners of newer windows need to be more aware. With older, single pane windows, sometimes condensation forms on the inside of the window.

With new, highly efficient double pane windows and frames, very little cold is getting in and very little heat is getting out. The outside window surface is probably the coldest thing on the exterior of your house. In this case, exterior window condensation can occur. It’s harmless and it doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with your windows.

“It’s just something some people don’t understand,” Bergsma said, adding his firm has had to replace new windows with less efficient models in order to satisfy customers convinced their windows were faulty.

PSE offers various rebates for home upgrades, ranging from new windows to insulation. Learn more at www.pse.com. You can find more winterizing tips on the same site.

If you have trouble paying your winter heating bills, help might be available through the federal government’s Low Income Heat Energy Assistance Program as well as PSE’s Home Energy Lifeline. Call 888-225-5773 toll free.

Tom Corrigan: 392-6434, ext. 241, or tcorrigan@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

On such a day last month, I had the privilege of being a docent at the old Gilman Town Hall Museum on Andrews Street. In the back of the museum on the neighbor’s property is a wonderful, old apple tree, and while nobody had a good crop of apples around here this year, this tree was loaded. They are beautiful, deep-red apples with a subtle, winey taste. You can bet I was thrilled when the owner offered a basket of them to me.

I asked him what kind they were and he didn’t know. He said they were very old; the tree had been there since the early days. These apples looked like McIntosh to me, like the ones on my tree at home. I checked it out, and I’m convinced that they are. McIntosh is one of the older varieties, developed in Eastern Canada at the beginning of the 19th century. They are very cold hardy, tough trees. I have to say that mine in glacial till on the plateau is not nearly as happy as this one in the good, deep soil of the Issaquah Valley.

It impressed me that the owner was picking up the apples as soon as they fell. He said he would make cider from the windfall and didn’t care about a few bruises, marks or even bugs. He was doing something really good by picking up those apples right away. Our two worst apple insect infestations, apple maggot and codling moth, come from apples left lying around on the ground. They both can be controlled organically by keeping the fruit and debris picked up under the trees. That tree had never been sprayed, as far as he knew. The apples he gave me were flawless.

The maggot and the moth overwinter in the ground as worms and emerge in spring as flies and moths. To complete their cycle, they cavort around for a while and finally crawl back into the ripening fruit to lay their eggs in summer. Because of their ability to overwinter in soil, it is recommended that you don’t even throw infested droppings in the compost pile. Send it to the landfill. Yellow sticky traps are available if you need more help.

That day at the museum was magical. It seemed as though I had stepped back 50 years in history. The day was warm, the birds were tweeting and the neighbors were downright neighborly. Life doesn’t have to be all crazy traffic and noisy box stores. Get away from it, park the car and enjoy old Issaquah. It’s even nice on a crisp, cold day in winter.

Jane Garrison is a local landscape architect and master gardener who gardens in glacial till on the plateau.

Master gardening clinics are finished for the year. You can still reach master gardeners through the Center for Urban Horticulture 206-685-5104 and online at http://kingcountymg.org.

Mark and Leslie Gilbert, with son Trey, 4, now enjoy more family time in their ‘great room,’ created by opening up their kitchen space into the little-used living room. By Greg Farrar

With a growing family, Mark and Leslie Gilbert had a tough decision facing them and their two boys (ages 7 and 4) — abandon the home they love for a larger one or upgrade their current house?

“For me, it came down to the question, ‘Do we upgrade within the neighborhood to something with more square feet?” Mark said. “Or do we upgrade our home and reuse the square feet in a different way?”

Leslie looked at the problem from a different angle — what could they do if they stayed?

“We had a lot of floor space that was unused,” she said, adding she thought they could do something better with the flow through the kitchen to the unused formal dining and living room.

After weighing all of their options, they chose to stay in their home and upgrade the kitchen.

The renovation entailed knocking out an L-shaped wall and creating a “great room.” It would feature a central island in the opened-up kitchen that would face a more defined living and dining space, rather than separate rooms.

As a human resources manager, Leslie said she was used to preplanning, so she jumped right in on the project.

“We pre-ordered everything — the tile, doors and granite,” she said.

To help them with the planning process, the Gilberts were lucky to know a couple of professionals with good reputations living right within their own neighborhood — licensed architect, Jamie Hsu, and a bonded construction contractor, Paul Smith, of PT Smith Construction LLC.

Leslie said Hsu helped them visualize what could work best for them. Once that was established, Smith helped map out a timetable for each phase of work, constantly updating the Gilberts regarding what came next.

Leslie said many of their decisions were based upon staying in the home, and choosing upgrades that are more personalized, rather than selecting changes that are just good enough to make the home attractive for resale.

Their one potential stumbling block came with the permitting process with the city of Issaquah. Leslie said they thought it would be done for them in time to start the renovation by January this year.

“But the permits weren’t done,” she said. “So we had to apply for expedited permits. We were then able to start on time, but we had to pay extra to do it.”

She advises others to start the permitting process sooner than they did, essentially as soon as you know you’re doing the project.

“A good rule of thumb,” Mark added, “is take the time you think you’ll need and multiply it by two.”

Mark, a director at Microsoft, points to the kitchen island as the room’s new hub of activity, from cooking prep he and his wife both love to a spot for the kids to do homework. He gives all of the credit of its success to his wife’s prior planning.

“Leslie channeled it in. She thought through where everything should be when you’re in the act of cooking or changing up where things should be when stored,” he said.

The new design closed off a space next to the kitchen — the former dining room — that now is used as an office space, handy since Leslie works from home about 20 to 30 hours a week.

Mark said with this phase of the renovation done, which came in under budget and quicker than planned, their next big project is to tackle the back yard with its ungainly deck with its empty — and unused — hot tub.

Now that they’re seasoned renovation veterans, Leslie had some simple advice for other homeowners looking to upgrade.

“Don’t be scared off by it,” she said. “When it’s done right, it’s helped make this house feel more like a home than it was before.”