2297 SW Rapids Dr, Port Orchard
Listed $550,000/Sold $560,000
3 Beds + Office
1.75 Baths
2,288 Sq Ft
12,632 Sq Ft Lot (0.29 acre)
Home: Wander into your imagination and picture summer in a comfortably cool home surrounded by huckleberry and fir. Summer with a shady deck just outside the French doors, with beaches and waterfront towns just a short drive away, with cookouts on the porch beside the dining room. Wander further toward winter when it’s time to build the first fires in the wood stove. Okay, you could just adjust the thermostat, but nothing evokes the snug satisfaction of a winter evening like a crackling fire. Let the vision grow into spring when the world wakes up and you open the doors and carry your coffee out to the deck again in the mornings. And all year, in every season, the trees are green. If the picture in your mind feels good, we think you should meet this place.
Detail, function, and beauty guided extensive updates to transform this home in the past 3 years. An open kitchen, dining and living space creates the heart of the home. The primary bedroom now adjoins a dressing room and lives like a private suite near a ¾ bath, office, workshop, exercise area, and laundry in the separate-entry daylight basement. Improvements include ductless heat pump units for energy-efficient heating and cooling, fresh paint inside and out, cedar shingles in the gables, new light fixtures, LG appliances, and more. Wait for the native dogwood blossoms in spring. Open French doors to the decks in summer. Have a backyard campout in fall and gather by the wood stove in winter. Feel like getting out and about? Reach downtown Gig Harbor and Port Orchard in 20 minutes, Bremerton in 25, Tacoma in 30.
“We’ve been able to open up the floorplan in the main living area to make it the true center of our home where we do all our cooking, eating, coloring, dance parties, and can easily access all of our great deck space in the warmer months.”
Notable Updates from 2021-2024
Installed energy-efficient ductless heat pump units for heating & cooling
Full home exterior painted Benjamin Moore Black Forest Green
Repainted main floor and lower floor interior with Benjamin Moore White Dove, Silver Mink, November Rain & Magnolia Home Landscape
Created an open living room and dining space
Expanded downstairs primary bedroom into adjoining small room
Removed popcorn ceiling throughout the entire home and repainted ceilings
Replaced all interior & exterior light fixtures
New glass paned front door
Replaced all exterior—and most interior—door hardware with matte black Schlage hardware
Installed new ceiling fans in bedrooms
New LG Refrigerator, Washer and Dryer
Added cedar shingles to the front gables
Replaced tile base under woodstove with Clé sand brick tiles
Rebuilt exterior stairs in yard
Created open shelving on the west wall of the kitchen
Framed the front picture window in the living room
Installed patio lights
Recent roof deep clean and moss treatment
Replaced gutters and added gutters to carport
New mailbox
Preinspection: A recent seller-procured home inspection is completed and attached to the seller’s disclosure. Available upon request.
Community: Set at the southern end of Port Orchard, this home is just north of the Key Peninsula and west of the Burley Lagoon. While the immediate location is inland, wooded, and rural, the life of beaches, marinas, and waterfront towns both in Gig Harbor and downtown Port Orchard is near. Depending on where life, work, friends, or family root you, you may be drawn to the community of the Key Peninsula, to the grocery store, cafe, and nursery in Key Center, to the beaches and trails at Penrose Point. Or you might find yourself walking the Gig Harbor waterfront and getting all your errands done at the Gig Harbor North and Uptown shopping centers. Maybe life pulls you north to the Port Orchard Yacht Club, or the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton. It could even be that a sense of belonging in Tacoma draws you frequently back over the Narrows Bridge to the city. When you’re staying closer to home, places like Horseshoe Lake, the 360 Trails, and the Gateway Park playground with its spray pad offer outdoor activity. And if you’re looking for relaxed fun and the chance to see some neighbors, drive over to Yoked Farmhouse Brewery just 5 minutes down the road. They keep it family friendly with farm tours, baby goats, and craft nights, and feed you hot sandwiches from Memoranda Kitchen too.
Feeling an inkling that this home might be the one for you? Continue on for the video tour, photos, and a more thorough introduction to the area including a list of 20 favorite local destinations and services nearby.
Main Floor
Living Room with Deck Access
Dining Room with Porch Access
Eat-in Kitchen with Porch Access
Full Bath
2 Bedrooms
Front Porch, Side Porch & Large Deck
Finished Daylight Basement
Primary Bedroom with Dressing Room & Patio Access
Office with Patio Access
3/4 Bath
Exercise Area
Workshop & Storage Room
Laundry & Pantry
Grounds
Carport
Paved Driveway Parking
Patio
Landscaped Garden Beds
Terraced Side Yard
0.29 Acre Lot with Native PNW Trees & Shrubs
Location
This home is nestled among the Douglas fir trees at the south end of Port Orchard, but the waterways of the Puget Sound are only minutes away.
Placid waters reflect the summer sunset at the Port Orchard Yacht Club You’ll find public parking and walkways along the downtown waterfront and a public dock where boaters can tie up.
Pizza, salt air, and a quintessential PNW atmosphere—the Olalla Bay Market & Landing is just 15 minutes from 2297 SW Rapids Drive. You may as well become a regular.
“We love taking the kids over to Horseshoe Lake Park and Gateway Park which are both close by. We’ll take bikes or get on the trails if we don’t head straight for the playgrounds.”
With Purdy so nearby and Port Orchard’s downtown on Sinclair Inlet still several miles north, many may not realize they’ve already entered Port Orchard. But the Port Orchard boundary begins just south of Horseshoe Lake and incorporate the northern-most reaches of the Burley Lagoon. (Speaking of Horseshoe Lake, the county beach park with its open stretches of grass for picnicking, shady trees, and swimming area is just a 5 minute car ride from 2297 SW Rapids Dr—in case lakeside summer afternoons are calling.) From here you can claim Port Orchard as your address, but may find yourself reaching toward community in Gig Harbor and on the Key Peninsula just as often.
Drop by the Tides Tavern in downtown Gig Harbor for oyster shooters at happy hour or a bowl of chowder at sunset. Be sure to step out onto the dock afterwards, and don’t miss Mount Rainier glowing in the distance.
Head north to downtown Port Orchard for a walk along the waterfront—if it’s a Saturday from April to October, browse the waterfront farmers market for produce, flowers, and local goods. Meet a friend with a boat at the Port Orchard Yacht Club, marina, or public dock. Head to Khao Soi for delicious Thai food. Make a visit to the library, get an ice cream cone, and do a bit of antique hunting, or catch the Port Orchard-Bremerton foot ferry. Take a little time to explore the neighborhoods on the hills above downtown. You’ll see some distinctive architecture and beautifully built homes with views of Sinclair Inlet.
Go out to Olalla for pizza on the waterfront at Olalla Bay Market & Landing where you can sit out on the deck and enjoy views across Colvos Passage to Vashon Island, or just stop in at their market for treats, snacks, and local summer flowers. Show up in the morning for breakfast sandwiches, coffee, and maybe a bit of true crime too (if that’s your thing).
Take a drive south to the Key Peninsula for a picnic, camping, or a long walk along the wooded trails and beaches of Penrose State Park. Stop in Key Center for a smoothie, bagel sandwich, or breakfast pastry at the Madrona Cafe on the way in or out, and pick up some groceries at the Key IGA. If you’re working on filling planting pots or garden beds, visit Sunnycrest Nursery across the street from the grocery store too.
Penrose Point State Park, about 25 minutes from home, is an idyllic Salish Sea scene. Walk the trails, reserve a campsite, pack a picnic, or just sit on the lagoon beach and watch the water.
When fresh flowers, specialty cheese, and prime summer peaches are in order, Metropolitan Market is ready for you in Gig Harbor. Might as well choose a book at Invitation Bookshop while you’re on that side of town. The downtown waterfront with its historical markers, marinas, shops, beach parks, restaurants, and breweries is just 20 minutes from home; make it part of your regular rotation. Why else would we live in such a beautiful region? Beauty and charm aside, there’s also Costco, Target, and the YMCA just about 15 minutes from your door.
Take a look at our list of 20 local destinations to get an even better idea of where this home fits in the wider community.
Drop by Yoked Farmhouse Brewery for a drink, a sandwich and a sense of community just 5 minutes from home.
The Key Center Library is about 15 minutes away and offers events for you to join in, but as a Kitsap County resident, you’ll want to get your library card 20 minutes from home at the Kitsap Regional Library in downtown Port Orchard.
20 Favorite Local Destinations & Services Within 20 Minutes
(Travel times here are calculated for getting around by car.)
Whether you’re wandering the Waterfront Farmers Market in Gig Harbor, the Port Orchard Farmers Market, or browsing the Olalla Bay Market in summer, you’ll find fresh bouquets of locally grown flowers to bring home to your table.
FROM HOME BY CAR
Dining, Drinks & Treats
Yoked Farmhouse Brewery, Port Orchard: 1.9 miles, 5 minutes
Madrona Cafe, Key Center: 7.8 miles, 13 minutes
Olalla Bay Market & Landing, Olalla: 8.5 miles, 15 minutes
Khao Soi, Port Orchard: 10.4 miles, 20 minutes
Tides Tavern, Gig Harbor: 11 miles, 20 minutes
7 Seas Brewing, Gig Harbor: 11.1 miles, 20 minutes
Groceries
Local Boys, Purdy: 5.4 miles, 10 minutes
Key IGA, Key Center: 7.9 miles, 14 minutes
Target, Gig Harbor North: 7.9 miles, 15 minutes
Costco, Gig Harbor North: 8.2 miles, 17 minutes
Metropolitan Market, Gig Harbor: 11.6 miles, 18 minutes
Waterfront Farmers Market, Gig Harbor: 10 miles, 20 minutes
Port Orchard Farmer’s Market, PO Waterfront: 10.5 miles, 20 minutes
Parks & Activities
Horseshoe Lake County Park, Port Orchard: 2.2 miles, 5 minutes
Gateway Park & 360 Trails, Key Peninsula: 4 miles, 8 minutes
Purdy Sand Spit, Purdy: 5.4 miles, 10 minutes
YMCA Camp Seymour, Key Peninsula: 7.2 miles, 14 minutes
Trophy Lake Golf & Casting, Port Orchard: 7.2 miles, 12 minutes
Schools & Services
Burley Glenwood Elementary, Port Orchard: 3.3 miles, 7 minutes
Kitsap Regional Library, Port Orchard: 10.4 miles, 20 minutes
Living Room & Entry
Take the front steps up to the new glass paned, stained wood front door. Pause to notice the newly shingled gables, take a seat on the bench and slip off your shoes. You may find yourself lingering in the shade of the umbrella and listening for birds like the flicker, pileated woodpecker, scrub jay, black-capped chickadees, and bald eagles that call this corner of the world home. Or, you may be eager to open the front door—that’s okay, we’ll explore the outdoors again later.
When you come through the front door, we’ll understand if you stay right here for a while, here in this space both bright and open, warm and inviting. The view is all trees and sky. Natural light fills the south-facing picture window. The wood stove invites a sense of rustic nostalgia while a new Cle' sand brick tile hearth balances that with clean, modern, summery character. The stove isn’t just for effect; you'll find a pile of cured, neatly stacked wood in the carport. However, the energy-efficient ductless heat pump units throughout the home—including one here on the living room wall—keep the whole house cool in summer and warm in fall and winter.
You’re standing in the space where all the main daily gathering takes place from reading and watching movies to cooking, eating, crafts, and games. This is where you welcome visitors, where you settle in with a book, where you open the doors and let the air in. French doors lead from the living room out to a long deck with room for a hammock, cozy seating area, and an outdoor dining space too.
“We love the cozy wood stove and feeling like we’re up in a treehouse when on the main floor. The house is surrounded by so many fir trees and large huckleberry bushes. It’s like living in a fluffy green nest.”
Open the French doors to this east deck that stretches the length of the house from the front living room to the back bedroom. Dappled light filters through the fir trees to shade your happy hours and coffee breaks.
Kitchen & Dining
The living room connects seamlessly to a dining area where a 2nd set of French doors opens to a side porch (a perfect spot for the grill). Whether open for air or closed, the doors to the porch bring in light from the west and make it easy to come and go.
Once divided from the living room and hall by a wall, this dining space is now open and inviting. Keep an eye on the activity of the house while you cook or grill, and easily reach the kitchen to grab one more thing after the table is set. Wainscot, plate rail trim, and new vintage style light fixtures finish the room.
A stairwell leads to the daylight basement just past the dining table. The main floor hall extends beyond the wood stove. Notice two closets in the hall for linens, brooms, coats, pantry items, or whatever you need to stash.
There's not a room in this house the homeowners haven't improved. Here in the kitchen the walls and cabinets are painted Benjamin Moore Silver Mink for just the right amount of color while remaining timeless. They’ve created open shelving on the west wall for displaying favorite dishes, glassware, houseplants, and pantry staples, and even created a cover for the dishwasher. A native dogwood blooms beautifully outside the kitchen windows in spring, an annual companion who greets you while you stand at the sink above which is a window which should always be true in every home everywhere. Along with visual updates, there's a new LG Refrigerator with a beverage center. Here, as throughout the whole home, light fixtures are new, popcorn ceilings are banished, and paint is fresh.
“In every direction, we see beautiful, tall fir trees, madrones, and in the spring the gorgeous dogwood tree blooms. The oldest, largest dogwood on the property is visible from the front deck and through the kitchen windows.”
Full Bath
Take the main floor hall to this full bath on the left with the linen closet just outside. Wainscot and vanity are painted to match the walls and flooring continues from the living area. Deep blue paint, warm wood tones, and bright white provide contrast and texture. A vanity and additional cupboard provide storage, and a tile shower/tub surround finishes the space.
2 Main Floor Bedrooms
This large bedroom waits in the back NE corner of the home with a window overlooking the deck. This room easily accommodates a king size bed—so keep that in mind depending on how you’d like to arrange your household—though it clearly also makes a perfect play space and nursery.
Find this 2nd bedroom at the end of the main floor hall. Notice another heat pump unit for year round comfort. Fresh paint and new door hardware continue here. This room looks north out over the back yard into the trees where another native dogwood can be seen blooming in spring. A new ceiling fan increases comfort and provides good light. Sweet and versatile, this room is perfect for a guest, family member, or housemate.
Primary Bedroom with Dressing Room/Den/Library/Studio
“We’ve opened up our bedroom into a much smaller room that was adjacent. I love how we’ve been able to benefit from the great morning sunlight that streams into that smaller room and make a cozy extension off our bedroom.”
Take the stairs from the dining area down to the fully-finished daylight basement with a separate entry for flexibility of use. From the foot of the stairs a hall leads past the laundry area, an office, and bathroom to this primary bedroom at the front of the home where another heat pump unit ensures comfortable temperatures. The sellers opened up this bedroom to a smaller neighboring room to create a spacious suite.
Retreat to this quiet space for an afternoon break, descend the stairs and slip in at the end of the day when the activity, errands, and chores are complete. Private and set apart it truly invites rest and renewal. When you wake up, the adjoining room fills wills with morning light through the east window. If you set up a dressing room, don’t be surprised by how the simple act of choosing clothes feels just a bit better than usual. If you set up a lounge area, maybe you give yourself 15 minutes to read, reflect, and prepare for the day.
Open the door from the primary bedroom to this long patio under the deck. Hang hammocks, set up lounge chairs, carry drinks out for a quiet chat after the rest of the house has gone to bed.
Office
Create a home office, studio, sewing room, hobby space, or quiet sitting area in this room with another ductless heat pump unit. A closet offers additional storage, north and east windows face the trees, and sliding glass doors open to the patio. Get up from your chair, leave the computer behind, and go see if the huckleberries are ripe.
3/4 Bath
Just outside the bedroom and office you'll find this 3/4 bath with a tiled shower. Daily life is much smoother with a bathroom and place to shower on each level of the home.
Laundry & Pantry/Storage
Right outside the office near the foot of the stairs you'll find the new LG washer and dryer with shelving above. Directly at the foot of the stairs an open area with shelving offers more storage. Stash extra pantry goods, puzzles, games, and lesser used appliances down here.
Exercise Area
This open area at the end of the hall is a great spot for setting up a small fitness room. Bring in your bike, rowing machine, bench and weights, or yoga mat. The shower is right next door for convenience.
Workshop/Storage Room
A door from the exercise area right outside the primary bedroom opens into a workshop/storage room with pegboards for tools, a 2nd refrigerator, and more storage space. You get just a glimpse of it in the image above, but it’s an incredibly practical spot for housing tools, working on projects, and tucking seasonal items away.
Outdoors
We’ve been inside and outside, back and forth since this home tour began. And that’s the beauty of life with French doors to the deck and porch, sliding doors to the patio, a bedroom, living room, dining area, and office with access to light and air—you’ll find yourself more connected to the sounds of birds and breezes, to the scent of huckleberry and fir.
The big deck stretches along the east side of the home for morning sun and afternoon shade. You might notice how excellent the roof is looking after a recent deep clean and moss treatment. The homeowners replaced the gutters on the house and installed gutters on the carport too. Everything is tidy and ready for the weather. It’s a good feeling to take on a house that’s enjoyed steady maintenance and care.
Set up an umbrella along the front porch rail for a shady spot to sit in the afternoon light.
“In the winter you can usually find us splashing in puddles at the bottom of our street, and picking blackberries and huckleberries from the yard in the summer. The kids love the back yard. We’ll sometimes tent camp back there in the summer and it really feels like a woodsy campsite! ”
If you don't make it out of town for camping this summer, set up a tent in back, or even just carry a few meals out to the picnic area. Fir, madrona, huckleberry, salal, daisies, foxgloves, bracken fern, sword fern, and dogwood create a natural border around the 0.29 acre lot.
The back steps leading from the lower yard up to the terraced side yard were just rebuilt this summer. Take the garden stairs up and you’re just a few steps away from the side porch.
Park a couple of cars in the shade of the carport that extends into a patio along the full length of the house. Along with the carport, a loop driveway provides plenty of off-street parking for visitors.
This carefully maintained and updated 2,288 sq ft home on a 12,632 sq ft lot feels private and well-tended inside and out. There’s nothing quite like peace of mind and we think you feel that here where so much investment has gone into tending and improving the house, so the sense of home can be enjoyed to the fullest.
More Information From the Listing Agent
Come see this updated Port Orchard home 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 the local real estate market in general.
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