Cottage Life, Water Views

Making Home at 3009 N Junett St, Tacoma, WA

“I love seeing the view of Commencement Bay, especially at sunrise, sunset and nighttime with the glow of the lights across the water. Also, the sailboat race on Wednesdays. ”

— Homeowner

Water Views

This cottage overlooking the Salish Sea is seeking someone with a romantic sensibility. One who dreams of watching the weather cross the sound from the snug walls of a home with over 120 years of history. This home is seeking one who reads novels by the window, one who makes time for summer evenings on the deck with friends, one who has always hoped for a covered front porch, for a little bedroom under the eaves with views of saltwater to the north. Bring good hearts and dreams of home; you’ll be welcome here.

“When entertaining friends and family we are always complimented on the coziness of the home and the amazing view and surrounding neighborhood.”

— Homeowner

The deck is the summer living room. It’s the summer dining room too. The living room windows give the view and the door opens straight out to this fully enclosed deck where the view opens even wider. The homeowners loved being out here so much they had the deck rebuilt and expanded, an investment that allows more space for friends to sit for a meal, more space for pets to scamper, more space for deck furniture, for pots of flowers and basil and tomatoes and nasturtiums and geraniums—for anything and anyone you might like to join you in the open air over Commencement Bay.

The second door from the living room opens to the back yard with its lawn bordered by garden beds and this flagstone patio and fire table covered by a pergola—just one more place from which to enjoy the view.

“My favorite room is the upstairs bedroom with the cozy vibe, vintage feel and water view.””

— Homeowner

Upstairs, where the fir floors glow with their distinctive honey tones, a couple of well-placed windows keep the water present. Look out from the north bedroom and again from the hall to the bath. It’s a good way to live.

“The views are spectacular and seem to change daily. During spring and summer, the neighborhood is filled with amazing color due to the abundance of trees and flowers. I have seen countless rainbows out of my windows, that stretch across the sky; and I have never lived in a place before, where I take pictures of my home, yard or view, at least once a week. ”

— Homeowner

Cottage Life

“I was first drawn to its quaint appearance and the fact that it was an older home; also the water view.”

— Homeowner

Remember the invitation for readers of novels, for people with a sense of romance, for a love of times gone by? Can you enter this home without Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility coming to mind? Certainly Marianne might have been carried from a blustery walk into these very rooms with her twisted ankle. Close you eyes and a gentleman caller is carrying a bouquet of flowers into the cottage; it must be time for tea in the parlor. And it’s so much easier to talk of the weather when rainbows bend over the bay, when clouds obscure the distant shore, when fog horns call. In the words of another beloved heroine, this home certainly offers “scope for the imagination.” (Anne of Green Gables fans have already moved into this home in their hearts, kindred spirits that they are.)

“The flowers bloom at different times throughout spring and summer and I just love the colorful displays that I can view through my windows. ”

— Homeowner

These two front rooms with their beamed ceilings and windows overlooking the garden imbue the house with charm and remind us of times when open floor plans were not all the rage. The open view living room—which connects easily to the dining room and the outdoors—satisfies that more modern taste, while these front rooms remind us of a different pace. Live in them as you like, but please don’t forget to pause by the window to see what’s blooming; maybe the covered porch with its swing beside the roses will be enough to slow you down and remind you not to just get through the day, but to live it.

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More Information From the Listing Agent

Return to our main North Tacoma View Cottage listing page for more information about 3009 N Junett St.

And don’t forget you can take the full tour with all the photos here.

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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Keep in touch about Tacoma life, community, events, homes, and a bit about us.

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Recent Duggan Homes Listings

History, Tranquility and Charm

Making Home at 4314 N Mullen St, Tacoma, WA

“I instantly fell in love with the character and charm of this craftsman home and the history the walls contain—the old doors with the cut glass door knobs and the brass stair dust corners on the original staircase.”

— Homeowner

Original Details

Homes hold our lives, and this one’s been keeping a roof over people’s heads for 116 years. Since 1910 people have been flipping pancakes, baking birthday cakes, telling secrets, having slumber parties, bringing babies home, grieving loved ones, training puppies, and opening the front door for friends.

Though the home is complete with a multitude of updates that offer modern comfort, some of the homeowner’s favorite things about the home are original details lovingly preserved and the companionship of the Olympic Mountains and nearby Salish Sea.

“The original built-in storage in the dining room is both beautiful and practical,” says the homeowner. Perhaps your heirlooms, treasures, favorite dishes, and linens will take their turn on these shelves and tucked away inside the drawers.

Who was the first to pause on the landing at the top of the stairs and nod to the mountains in the distance? Did the first people to live in this home also treasure the view of Puget Sound from the street?

We believe life in a home should be about living there, not a constant guessing game about what someone else who lives there might prefer. And that means choosing colors that fill you with good feelings. You may like life with different colors. The good news is, changing colors is one of the easiest things you can do. The really good news is, this original staircase still stands just inside the front door—paint-free with the woodgrain showing—ready to welcome you home.

Swim Spa & Flagstone Patios

“I put a lot of intention into designing the back courtyard to create a space with tranquility and privacy. It’s the perfect place to end the day — whether exercising in the swim spa, enjoying a deep massage in its hydrotherapy seats, or visiting with friends over a glass of wine on the back porch or patio.”

— Homeowner

What is this spa you speak of? Allow us to share some details:

• 16 ft Vita Swim Spa with Smart Top, exercise kit, swim tether

  • 42 hydrotherapy jets

  • 3 StreamForce stream jets

  • Bluetooth capability with built-in speakers

  • Smart Top cover with Smart Shield to maximize heat retention

  • Dual hydraulic lifts for easy opening/closing

Local landscaping company Father Nature Landscapes created the flagstone patios in front and back, built privacy screens, and constructed a small fence to camouflage the compressor for the ductless mini-splits. The result is a peaceful, low-maintenance environment that will pull you out into the sunlight, and maybe even out into the rain.

“The flagstone patio and bistro set in the front yard is my favorite spot for coffee in the morning sun.”

— Homeowner

Thank you for visiting this North Tacoma home whose sturdy walls have supported and protected the lives of many people for over a hundred years. Could you be next to choose rugs for the fir floors upstairs, invite friends over for a soak in the spa, and relax with a book on the flagstone patios?

“This house has truly felt like home during a meaningful chapter of my life. I hope that the love and care invested here will continue to be felt by those who make it their next home.”

— Homeowner

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More Information From the Listing Agent

Return to our main Updated Vintage Comfort listing page for more information about 4314 N Mullen St.

And don’t forget you can take the full tour with all the photos here.

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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Keep in touch about Tacoma life, community, events, homes, and a bit about us.

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Recent Duggan Homes Listings

Our Time in Northern Norway

In the days that ended August and began September, Michael and I were away in the Arctic. I shared about our trip over the course of a couple of weeks on social media after we returned. But many choose not to spend time there (for so many good reasons), and maybe you'd like to hear about it too. And if you don’t have time to read, maybe give some of the photos a glance, because it’s an extraordinary place.

Arnøya

Written September 8th: Michael and I are home from Norway, and before he joined me I spent a week reading, writing, and exploring on a small island in the Arctic in an old homestead on the shore with my very dear, old friend and a new friend to whom that home belongs.

It’s a place of saltwater and stone, reindeer and glacier, wild blueberry and chanterelles, wood stove and sauna. A place of wool blankets and bicycles, afternoon coffee and homemade bread. A sei whale visited us. Jellyfish pulsed purple in the shallows. Lingonberries ripen at the end of the road where a shale beach turns to boulders out at the edge of the world in a place where oblong depressions in the earth covered by crowberry and bunchberry show us Stone Age people once inhabited this land between steep mountainside and rocky beach.

To say it is beautiful, to say the time was treasured, to say I will always remember, is not to say enough. 

Sommarøy-Hillesøy

Written September 9th: When Michael joined me in Norway we went first to the islands of Sommarøy and Hillesøy, joined to each other, and to the mainland, by one-way bridges. Here, the colors of the Caribbean wash up on myriad Arctic white sand beaches while early autumn turns the bunchberry red. Sod roof boathouses line the shore where tiny pink shells scatter amid coral from the largest coldwater reef in the world.

It’s an almost overwhelmingly beautiful dreamscape, a combination of colors and temperatures and architecture I wouldn’t have believed existed together in one place. We parked the Fiat and didn’t get back inside it. We hiked up the steep rocky flank of Hillesøytoppen. We ate homemade Norwegian sweet buns in a boathouse turned beach cafe by a retired astronomer. We said hello to horses and walked the graveyard at sundown. We were happy. So happy we returned days later, left the city for another unplanned day and night there—a holiday within a holiday—and I will never be sorry for that. 

Senja & Tromsø

Written September 22nd: It’s the first day of fall, and we’ve been home over two weeks from our trip in northern Norway, above the Arctic Circle where fall had already set in. There, the leaves of the low blueberry and the bunchberry dogwood covering the ground were already red, and the birch had begun to turn. The light lasted longer there than here, but the temperatures were crisp and low. These photos show a bit from our time on the island of Senja in and around a town called Torsken, and just a very little bit from our days in Tromsø including the Ishavskatedralen, the Arctic Cathedral.

Senja is Norway’s second largest island. It’s mountains on mountains on fjords. Seemingly endless peaks on peninsula-like fingers of land formed by the deep fjords stand high above the sea. In Tromsø one can eat fresh cardamom buns and cinnamon buns any day of the week at an array of cafes. And that’s worth a lot.

Senja

Tromsø

If you dream of traveling to Northern Norway one day too, we’d be happy to tell you more and share anything we learned along the way.

Primary Suite Bathroom Reconfiguration

Get inspiration for expanding the half bath in the primary suite with these design images from Crystal Bailey Interior Design. With these plans, the full bath in the hall becomes a half bath, while the primary suite grows to incorporate a shower. Remember, there’s also an additional 3/4 bath in the daylight basement where guests can shower.

This Corner Victorian - 824 No. M St.

A Rare Opportunity

This corner Victorian, in the center of the historic North Slope ‘wedge’ of Tacoma, hasn’t been offered to the public in well over a century. This, most definitely, is a rare opportunity to own a unique piece of Tacoma history. The current owner is the second owner in nearly 125 years. It's now time to pass this on to the next steward.

In over four decades the current owner has embraced the tradition and responsibility of caring and maintaining this home. The evidence is apparent as one takes in the home and property. 

Introduction to Upgrades

Upgrades have been mindful to the character of the home in appropriateness and for longevity. Over the years the plumbing has been upgraded to copper pipe, modern electrical panel box and wiring, 100 year warranty roof, high-efficiency forced air natural gas heat, high-efficiency hot water tank, storm windows and more. All lighting is LED and chosen for color correctness.

Carriage House Turned Modern Garage

The carriage house was ailing and beyond repair. It has been replaced by a modern 2 ½ car garage, constructed in similar fashion to the previous structure. The garage door, windows and the handle of the double door were salvaged from the original carriage house. It now houses storage, accessed from two swing-open doors from the original driveway and an impeccable two car garage accessed from the paved alley. 

The sectional rollup garage door is flanked with boxwood hedges and automatic dusk to dawn vapor and tamper proof sconces. White smooth walls and ceiling, LED light fixtures, automatic garage door with WiFi capabilities provides a clean and bright haven for your vehicles

The garage steps and concrete were custom-made in the style of “waterfall” stair nosing’s and aged to match the era.

Mature Landscaping - Thoughtful Four Season Design

The extensive mature landscaping was designed to enhance the home and the corner lot. Nursery stock was specifically chosen for the various textures and color of the shrubbery. This provides a pleasing show in all four seasons.

The basic greenery are Silal, Skimmia, rhododendrons, azalea, European and Japanese boxwood, various laurels - standard and variegated, forsythia, thuja pyramidalis, Italian cypress, ferns, verbena, huchera, paschysandra, ivy, camellia (original to the home), calla lily, various bulbs and tubers, Japanese barberry. 

Nursery stock was also chosen to be rugged, tough and disease resistant to minimize feeding and care. Other than watering and occasional feed, a spring and fall trimming is generally all that's required. A 12 zone commercial irrigation system takes the greatest care of the lawn, shrubbery, annuals and perennials. With sprays, pop ups, drip emitters etc., all is maintained in the summer with the most minimal use of water and ensuring maximum color and health. There are a multitude of bulbs and tubers, perennials that are a gift in the spring and a huge splash of color.

Front Yard Design and Porch Detail

Upon approaching the entry walk, notice the Victorian birdbath with the little frog on his island in the center. The front yard is framed by a low masonry wall with a parge-coat face, capped with brick. This ‘parging’ was a technique that was used in the last century on many fireplaces and first story walls of homes and buildings in the downtown area. Low-voltage automatic in ground well-lights backlight the shrubbery along the walkway to the porch. Once upon the porch, before you is a beautiful mahogany door with its heavy brass, beautifully aged and the stained glass with German colored prisms and iridescent Kokomo glass, the same glass maker that supplied Tiffany for his projects.

Back Yard - Custom Patio and Fencing

Leaving the house through the back door with the “original” mechanical doorbell, you enter the backyard onto a cobblestone patio. Its edges have been carefully cut and contoured to radiused and rounded corners with a double edging of cut cobbles. The private back yard with its lawn, shares incredible morning sun with a huge purple lilac tree that is as old as the house.

The original old growth fence posts along the sidewalk were reused, though originally larger in dimension than they are now. The rotten ends were removed, the posts resurfaced through a planning machine, and reset in metal brackets placed in concrete. Good for another hundred years!

Other Outdoor Details of Note

Rarely seen anymore, atop the house is the Ridgecrest. An iconic Victorian adornment.

Among the sculpted lawn and beds are fences, gates and arbors. All of cedar and dark oil stained.

At the front of the house, the brick walkway and the boxwood along the ‘M’ street parkway hosts mature thundercloud flowering plum trees, as does the 9th Street side.

Natural Light and Marine Breezes

The morning sun, both winter and summer, flood the front porch. It's a great place to have morning coffee and read the Sunday paper on the steps. The morning sun illuminates the kitchen from the side window. In the summer mornings it virtually glows. As the sun sets in late afternoon and into the evening, the glow comes into the kitchen through the back porch windows and into the bay window of the dining room. The house blooms with warm light, it's absolutely beautiful. The way that the house lines up facing the bay, you can count on cool morning breezes entering the back door if you wish. In the evening it reverses due to the marine influence, open the front door and the cool breeze from the bay comes through the house. In summer the house is so beautiful in its golden colors. The fall and winter are equally so with their own color palette

Storm Protection

The house being vertical rather than horizontal is easy to heat. With the storm windows and the bulk of the southwest winds and rains being blocked by the neighboring houses, thus buffering winter storms. The north and west sides continue to take in what winter sun there is. In the fall and winter the house is very cozy, warm, and quiet as the lighting creates an inviting environment. Walking by at night and looking into the house you just want to be inside.

Local Lumber and Original Fir Floors

This home was built entirely of indigenous local woods. No east coast materials such as oak, were used with exception of the oak fireplace mantle. All woods were harvested here and milled on the tide flats at St. Paul and Tacoma Lumber, at which the first owner of this house was bookkeeper.

It is extremely rare to find a staircase balustrade with its king post, newels and rail to be made of western red cedar. Made from the infamous ‘Giant’ timber of the northwest that made this area famous. Cedars wider than a man is tall. The deep brownish red coming through has the most rich, deep luster. It is impossible to resist reaching out to place your hand on the carved round top Newell post. The floors are the original fir floors. Extreme care was exercised in removing just the finish and replying a fresh topcoat. It was imperative not to erase the amber of aging and the evidence of over a centuries use.

As is customary in restoration work, repairs are done in a proper and thoughtful manner and well executed. Common in restoration work, it is never advisable to disguise a repair as if it never happened. Severely worn pieces near the kitchen swinging door were replaced by making custom flooring to match utilizing a piece of timber removed from the kitchen wall. This insured the exact same grain.

Trim and Other Original Details of Note

In the entryway, under the staircase, is the cloak nook with its quaint hangers.

The original doors with their transom lights, floral design steeple head cast iron hinges and turned wood doorstops are original.

The home is complete with all its original trim, 11 inch baseboards, picture rail, spandrels, fluted door and window casings, Bullseye head blocks, bottom plinths, and corner protectors to protect the plaster walls from damage

First Floor

The first floor comprises the entry, with main staircase and cloak nook, the parlor (living room), dining room, sitting room, kitchen, half bath and staircase behind the stove to the maid’s room. 

Parlor Details

The fireplace is oak with Victorian burgundy glaze tiles and cast-iron surround. The fireplace is built in the Rumford style

The original mechanical door bell that now resides on the back door, was replaced by a two note chime.

The French doors and milk glass light fixtures were added in 1924.

In the main parlor, what we call the living room now, is a Gasolier light fixture with holophane shades. It was a hybrid gas and electric fixture originally. In the day, dubious of electricity, the old standard gas fixture was always on standby!

Sitting Room - Adjacent to Dining Room

In years past the sitting room was used by family. Comfortable chairs, bookcases or maybe for music and a piano. The parlor was usually closed by drapes or doors and off limits except for visitors, special events or when the preacher came calling.

Kitchen Details - Custom Cabinetry, Countertops, and Lighting

The kitchen has been upgraded and specifically designed and built to the theme of the original. The custom cabinets built of solid wood are painted white with black iron hardware. High grade white Melamine cabinet interiors have adjustable shelves and are bright and easy to clean, The drawers are solid red alder with dovetail construction, European hinges and hardware are used. Pull out trash bin and vertical tray storage are also provided. Classic elements have been "dovetailed" with contemporary styling assuring timelessness.

The stone countertop was specifically chosen to be reminiscent of the chalkboards in the old school houses. However rather than slate, a more uniform surface was desired. This most unusual black granite was chosen with a unique surface. Neither fire faced nor honed, it has a soft and even surface. The island cabinet is capped with a maple butcher block with pendant lights above for lighting and a kitchen stool nests beneath.

All the appliances are well above entry level appliances. All have been researched for their build, features and overall quality.

The stainless steel apron front sink is a deep commercial unit with heavy stainless steel racks, deep wells, and disposal. The faucet is a single stem, high arc faucet with pull out spray head.

Ultra quiet stainless steel dishwasher, stainless steel side-by-side counter depth refrigerator, and stainless steel microwave. The stainless steel stove is a five burner gas range and convection oven with griddle. The stainless steel exhaust hood has halogen lighting and three stage exhaust fan with extremely high efficiency. In addition there is a whole room exhaust fan as well. The lighting consists of general room lighting, task lighting, undercabinet lighting and accent lighting.

Domestic Helper Historical Notes

The rear staircase behind the stove goes to the miniscule bedroom of the maid. More properly, Domestic Helper or Servant. With the huge influx of European immigrants seeking opportunity for a life here, it was affordable by modest homes to employ such help. Monday through Saturday was common. Sunday was a day off for most domestic help. When they could walk or take a trolley to meet friends, relatives, and other family members who were working in the city as well. In all parts of the city were Churches and Halls that served as community gathering places for all the Irish, Italian, Swedish, Norwegians etc. 

Second Floor

Climbing the bound carpet stair runner to the second floor you will find it entirely carpeted. A beautiful soft gray/green high quality carpet timeless in design and is easy to decorate around. It’s very quiet as you go from room to room. Each room is very unique in and of itself with colored glass and bays.

Full Bath

At the end of the hall to the right is the bathroom with a tiled shower and swinging door and its original clawfoot bath tub.  Quite unusual as it is six feet in length! A foot longer than most clawfoots! The cabinetry and countertop mirrors the kitchen. Bright, airy and open. 

Laundry Room

At the very end of the hall is the door to the maid’s room. A bit smaller than original, having the tiled shower in the bathroom taking floor space on this side of the wall. None the less, it serves well now as the laundry room with its stacked high efficiency front load washer and dryer. Just outside this room, natural light is also afforded with a most unusual and beautiful etched glass window at the top of the small staircase.

Setting and Neighborhood Cadence

In the morning and in the evening, a quick glance to the west either from the alley as you park in the garage or from the front yard, the tops of the Olympic Mountains can be seen with summer sunsets or winter snow. Walking alongside the house on ninth street towards M St. you can look straight down the hill over the top of Annie Wright school to the Bay.. It's wonderful to see the blue water and to look across to Brown's Point and gauge whether it’s a high tide or low by the amount of beach showing.  

The cadence of this neighborhood is like a heartbeat. In the morning you can hear the occasional cars starting up and people going to work, the city bus gathers people as they make their morning runs somewhat muffled and quiet. Shortly it becomes quiet for the bulk of the day. Extremely so. Broken only by the sound of distant lawn care, UPS trucks, mail deliveries and neighborhood activities and such. In the evening it begins again in reverse as the buses go by and cars return to their familiar parking places. You can hear kids play outside and then around dinner time all becomes quiet again. After dinner hour the activity is by foot power. Older folks going for walks, families going for walks, pushing strollers, walking dogs, people saying hello as they pass. In the summer this can go on into the dark. Once again it becomes ridiculously quiet. It's hard to believe this is in a city

The sounds I feel are extra special are the variety of birds, the far away muffled sounds of the train along the waterfront when he sounds his horn. If you listen very carefully you can hear the clack of the wheels on the track, When the fog sets in on the water you can hear the muffled sound of the fog horn for the ships, and the church bells form St. Patrick’s several blocks to the Northwest, striking the hour.

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For more information about this beautiful North Slope Historic District Victorian, e-mail, call or text me, Michael Duggan, at 253-226-2787. I'll be happy to answer your questions about this home or the local real estate market in general.