We own 5 acres in the hills of Washougal, Washington. It’s the perfect location surrounded by farmland, hills, and a beautiful view of Oregon and Mount Hood. We are currently designing a custom home with plans to begin building in late Spring 2020. I can’t wait to share all our design ideas, building plans, and all the progress on my blog entries below. I’ll also share photos and videos of the property and ask for input as we make the many decisions it takes to build a home on a rural property.

Where is our property? - We own 5 acres in the hills above Washougal, Washington off of Washougal River Road.

How big is it? - Our lot is 5 acres. My parents have a lot next to ours and my sisters is next to theirs. Each lot is 5 acres for a total of 15 acres. The lots are sloped so the actual building spot is closer to 1 acre with the rest being untouched timber. Each lot has amazing views of the Washougal River Valley, and Oregon and Mount Hood in the distance.

How did we pick a builder? - We interviewed several custom home builders in the area and they all had a lot to offer but we fell in love with Soaring Eagle Homes in Camas, WA. Matt and Cheri are a husband and wife team that we instantly connected with. Building a home is a long process and we wanted to feel confident we worked well and could easily communicate our dreams with. A big bonus is Matt takes care of the building details and Cheri is the interior designer. They are our Chip and Joanna Gaines!

How did we pick an architect? - Through Soaring Eagle we met Blondino Designs. They are also a family business with many years of experience designing homes. We enjoy his lighthearted style and his passion for designing beautiful custom homes. It takes a special person to have the ability to interpret someone's ideas and put them on paper and make them a reality. My guess is he could have a second job as a family therapist after working with our family.

What is the timeline? - We are currently in the design phase intending to submit complete plans to the city for approval in early Spring 2020. A lot of site prep needs to happen before we can officially break ground but our goal is to start late Spring or early Summer 2020.

Home details? - Our home will be a single-story ranch with a daylight basement. Most of the home will be built on a slope so the daylight basement is essential and will give us a nice area to put the kids’ bedrooms, a rec room/game room, and a bar. The main floor will have a master suite, kitchen, great room, laundry room, and guest room. Our style is a modern farmhouse with elements of industrial and modern. The main feature is windows along the entire back of the house to take advantage of the beautiful southwestern views and sunsets. We will have a front courtyard and yard area that will allow me to have a garden and possibly chickens in the future. Mike doesn’t want a lot of yard to maintain so we’ll see how that ends up. Our goal is to keep the house under 4000 square feet. There is a new well, and septic already on the property and we will need propane since there isn’t natural gas. The local utility company is planning on running fiber up to our homes so we are keeping our fingers crossed this happens.

I can’t wait to share more as we navigate this exciting adventure!

If you have more questions or want more details, please email me. I’d love to share more!

xoxo, Michelle