3317 N 31st St, Tacoma
Listed $650,000/Sold $660,000
3 Beds
1.5 Baths
1,276 Sq Ft Finished + 768 Unfinished
A North End home with water views, high quality craftsmanship and vintage detail set between Proctor and Old Town sounds like the Tacoma dream home we hear people describe. And that’s what you’ll find in this Tudor with its windows to the Salish Sea, glimpses of Vashon Island, and the Cascade Range beyond. Puget Creek Natural Area—with its 66 acres and salmon bearing stream—borders the back yard, bald eagles sweep the sky above.
Inside, hardwood floors and an open staircase set the tone. Crown and picture rail molding adorn rooms filled with natural light. Watch through the expansive dining room window as ships make their way to the port. Spend evenings by the fireplace or invite friends for dinner on the deck. A main floor bedroom with a private ½ bath is a lovely spot for guests, but makes a perfect home office as well. We’re guessing you’ll find yourself choosing one of the water view bedrooms on the 2nd floor, because you’ll never get tired of pausing on the landing at the top of the stairs, looking out over treetops to saltwater and beyond. At least, we hope you never will, because that’s the gift this house wants to give you—the gift of gazing.
Certainly, there’s more to life here than looking out windows, and we’ll share more about that as we move through the house room by room, then out into the neighborhood too. And all of this just scratches the surface. Annual community festivals in Proctor, live outdoor music in Old Town, historic homes in every direction, the weather rolling toward you over an expanse of water and open sky—that’s what square feet and an address just can’t quite describe.
Continue on for the video tour, photos, details, and a list of 20 Tacoma favorites nearby.
Main Floor
Entry
Eat-in Kitchen with Deck Access
Living & Dining Room
Bedroom with En Suite Half Bath
Office Nook
Second Floor
2 Bedrooms
Full Bath
Landing with Built-in Bookcase & Attic Access
Deck & Garden
Spacious Deck with Stairs to Back Yard
Paved Driveway
Landscaped Front Yard
Fully Fenced Back Yard
Unfinished Basement
Laundry Area
Workbench & Extensive Storage
Exterior Door
Entry
Allow us to welcome you, an honor this solid wood door happens to do quite well. Its elegant shape and classic character are appropriate qualities to encounter at the outset. We assure you there’s more to come. You might stop to notice the oil-rubbed bronze doorknob and fixtures. If you’re an appreciator of doorknobs and various hardware, you’ll enjoy keeping an eye open for the many vintage and original fixtures throughout the home. And we’ll say this as well before taking you further, although they won’t come with the house, you may as well stop to appreciate some of the framed art pieces hung with care from the picture rail molding as you move from room to room. It’s like taking an impromptu tour of Tacoma art and artists. Enjoy.
Living & Dining Room
Move to your right, past the open staircase into the living and dining room where beauty meets you from floor to ceiling. Hardwood floors, smooth coated ceiling, picture rail and crown molding, large windows flooding the room with natural light from north and south, a hearth to beckon you, a view that asks you to stay awhile. Go look. If the weather is overcast and rainy, we’re sorry, but the truth is, cloudy days are satisfying here too. If the day is clear, you’ll see for yourself the Salish Sea there out beyond the treetops, perhaps Vashon Island, or in the distance a glimpse of the Cascade Mountains. Come back to this table, look out this expansive window, watch for ships on their way to and from the port, watch for birds, watch the weather.
Office Nook
On your way into the living room you may have noticed a curious little spot on the east wall. Step through a cased opening into a little time machine we call “the office nook” where schoolwork, or office work, or creative work may be done, letters could be written, coats hung, shoes stashed. Paneling for warm character, glass block window for privacy and light, a corner for quiet.
Bedroom with Private Half Bath
As you may have noted, this is a 3 bedroom house. We’ll take you upstairs to see the 2 upper rooms with views, but first a visit to this main floor bedroom that has quite a lot to offer in terms of convenience and flexibility. Maybe you choose this bedroom for yourself, maybe you offer it to your favorite houseguests, maybe you set up a desk, a sewing table, an exercise mat, a model train set—we don’t know what you like to do, specifically. But we do imagine you’ll like having this room with its built-in cupboards offering storage, and we think you’ll especially appreciate its quaint half bath complete with a tiled floor and wall mounted sink. A half bath on the main floor makes life easier, no matter how you use this room.
Eat-in Kitchen
Follow the front hall straight back from the bedroom to find the kitchen. Now that you’ve moved about the main floor a bit, you may have noticed the layout’s circular flow. The entry leads into the living room, on into the dining room, which leads into the kitchen, which leads to the front hall, and around again. The kitchen has a 3rd exit point, one that is not to be missed: sliding doors from the breakfast nook out to the back deck where your friends will want to sit and from which they’ll kindly thank you for the chilled beverage you always offer, without fail, good friend that you are. We’ll give you a preview of the deck here, but before you go out, take note of a few kitchen details. First of all, dishwashing here comes with a view. An arched opening leads from the main kitchen space into the breakfast nook where a little table or banquette could go. These homeowners use the room as an extension of the functional kitchen space, and as a spot for storing and displaying favorite barware to make happy hour on the deck more fun.
The character here is nostalgic and simple. Calm colors with a bit of bold playfulness in the black and white checkerboard floor. A personal favorite detail is the built-in spice cupboard with its glass door.
Landing with Built-in Bookcase
Come up the open staircase to get to know the 2nd floor. After the 3rd stair tread, you’re on the home’s original oak hardwoods which extend throughout the landing and bedrooms above. And here, on the landing, is where another pause is encouraged (not to catch your breath, it isn’t a grueling climb), but to look out, once again, at the space and light and trees and water and sky the windows of this home beg you to consider. Less romantic, but practical and therefore worth mentioning, is the attic access through a hatch in the ceiling over the landing.
2 Bedrooms
A right turn leads into a spacious bedroom finished with picture rail trim, ample windows, two closets, and enough space to easily accommodate this king size bed with lamp stands on each side. The north side window offers views of water, islands, and land beyond.
Step across the landing to the 2nd upstairs bedroom for a similar view. This room, also finished with hardwood floors and picture rail, offers a built-in dresser and the opportunity to set up another comfortable bedroom, or a family room, office, or den.
The uses of the 3 bedrooms very much depends on the size and needs of your household. No matter what, there isn’t a bad room among them.
Full Bath
The two 2nd floor bedrooms share easy access to the full bath. Its south facing window provides good light even on darker winter days. Vintage details and classic style define this simple bathroom with its black and white hex tile floor, ample storage, pedestal sink, wainscoting, and tiled shower/bath.
Unfinished Basement
The basement not only offers extensive storage space — including shelves and cabinets for everything from canned goods, to garden pots, to tools, to wine—it’s also the laundry area complete with a washer, dryer, and large utility sink. There’s plenty of space for an ironing board and a table for folding clothes, even room to sit and get organized. Store bikes and kayaks, and head straight outside through the door into the back yard
Deck & Yard Space
A tidily landscaped front yard with shapely beds and curved lawn provides a warm welcome to the home. Park in the paved driveway, or leave the car by the curb and take the paving stone path beside Japanese maples, hydrangea, hostas, lavender, roses, and crocosmia to the front door. They’re not all out and blooming yet, but it’s not so long until the warmer months will coax them upward and open.
In back, the deck will coax you outside while the warming weather coaxes the plants. Set up a dining set, your barbecue, an umbrella, maybe even a colorful outdoor rug. The deck is meant to be another living room when summer comes. Stairs lead down from the solidly built deck to the fully fenced back yard below. You can also access the back yard through a gate on the west side of the house, or through the basement door.
With the Puget Creek Natural Area bordering the yard, you’re sure to hear and see a variety of birds. Growing in the back you’ll find roses, an apple tree, a smoketree, and a fern grotto under the stairs. A stacked stone wall reminiscent of the old world is set into a low bank. There’s room for your imagination out here, check landscaping books out from the library nearby in Proctor, and look around the neighborhood for inspiration.
Location
This Tudor home sits on a hillside of North Tacoma with the port and Mount Tahoma in the distance.
One thing one should always keep in mind when considering a home is that you can paint the walls, choose different tile, sometimes even install a gas fireplace, but you can’t change the location. The good news here is, you won’t want to. When people talk to us about where they’d like to live in Tacoma, it’s pretty much right here. For now, while we’re living the “stay home, stay healthy” life, you’ll spend pleasant evenings looking out the wide dining room window, or you’ll step out the back door onto the deck for home-style happy hour that’s as fancy or simple as you want it to be. But soon, one day—a day we know is coming—the difficult question on your date night will be whether you want to open your front door and roll or stroll out to happy hour in Proctor or happy hour on the waterfront. A conundrum indeed, but one to celebrate.
The Proctor Farmers’ Market - just 0.6 miles from 3317 N 31st St - meets Saturdays from spring through late fall, with monthly winter markets as well. (This image is from the days before the pandemic.)
Image from Brewers Row where you can get tacos and so much more for takeout or delivery less than 1/2 a mile from your door.
Image from The Fernseed where you’ll find houseplants and all their accessories just up the road in Proctor.
When you call this house home, Proctor is your neighborhood, but the thing is, Old Town is also your neighborhood. You’re in this sweet spot, literally, where the quiet wilderness of the Puget Creek Natural Area borders your back yard, but movies at the Blue Mouse, birthday gift shopping at Compass Rose, and filling a basket with foraged mushrooms, freshly picked greens, and bright bouquets are just a short walk, roll, or ride away in Proctor. Walk, roll, or ride the other direction down to Old Town and your feet will hit the beach after just 1 mile. We say “the beach” but it could also be the dock, the Ruston Way waterfront, the lawn at Jack Hyde Park, or tater tots at The Spar. There’s a lot more to love about the surrounding neighborhoods. For now, know you’re set just about halfway between fine grocery (fine, as in “fine wine” not as in “I guess that’s fine”), and specialty shops of Proctor, and the waterfront dining, parks, and piers of Old Town. We think you’ll enjoy it.
20 Favorite Tacoma Destinations Within 1 Mile
Image from Olympia Coffee, serving beautiful coffee and delicious baked goods less than a mile away.
Puget Creek Natural Area - right outside your window! 0.5 miles to park entrance
Cooks Tavern - 0.4 miles
Brewers Row - 0.4 miles
Rosewood Cafe - 0.4 miles
Proctor Farmers’ Market - 0.6 miles
Tacoma Public Library Wheelock Branch - 0.6 miles
Washington Elementary School - 0.6 miles
The Fernseed - 0.6 miles
GardenSphere - 0.7 miles
Olympia Coffee Roasting - 0.7 miles
The Blue Mouse Theatre - 0.7 miles
Mason Middle School - 0.7 miles
Peaks & Pints - 0.7 miles
University of Puget Sound - 0.7 miles
Metropolitan Market - 0.8 miles
The Spar - 0.8 miles
Old Town Dock - 0.9 miles
Lander Coffee - 0.9 miles
Evolve Home & Apparel - 1 mile
Jack Hyde Park & Chinese Reconciliation Park - 1 mile
More Information From the Listing Agent
Come see this North End Tudor in person to get a feel for the layout, style, size, and location.
And feel free to call or text me, Michael Duggan, at 253-226-2787. I’ll be happy to answer your questions about this property, or talk with you about Tacoma and the local real estate market in general.
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