The Story 

Located in Seattle’s North Capitol Hill neighborhood, the Skinner Cottage is a unique home. The Skinner Mansion is just up the hill, and in fact, there used to be two accompanying “cottages.” David E. Skinner built the cottages for his two unmarried daughters. One of the homes was torn down years ago, but this one remains. Most of the time when we see houses of this size in Seattle, they were originally built to serve as “worker” houses for typical middle class folks back in the day. But when the Skinner Cottage. was built, it was done in the same style as the mansion—gorgeous finishes, impeccable trim work, a living area for live-in help off the back of the kitchen, a butler’s pantry, a garage, and more. You could tell that Skinner did not want his daughters to lower their standards! 

When we entered the picture, the owner of the home had inherited it from a couple of wonderful men who had lived in the cottage since the 1970s. They were very active in Seattle’s gay community throughout the decades, and worked in radio. As a result, the home was brimming with incredible memorabilia; walking through the house was like time traveling. There were thousands (honestly, maybe millions) of old records, and everything was impressively organized. However, they hadn’t changed the house at all. It was charming, but worn, and although it was not in need of a remodel, it desperately needed a refresh! 

Happy at Home Contracting identified the work that needed to be done, and project managed the entire refresh. Along the way, we made sure that all of the memorabilia found a home with someone who would treasure it. And when it was time to turn things over to the Get Happy at Home Real Estate Team, we even used the clients' furniture to stage it.