Caryn Buck and Andy Thomas raised their children in a 3,400-square-foot Seattle Colonial. But after 30 years there, they were ready for a smaller house with less to take care of.

"The concept of luxury has changed as we've gotten older," said Buck, 68, a retired investment executive. "It is no longer about what we have; it's about time and experiences with our family and close friends."

After a year of looking for a new house close to their sons and grandchildren, they gave up on finding exactly what they wanted. Instead, they focused on the neighborhood they liked. In 2022 Buck and Thomas, a sales executive in the recycling business, paid $1 million for a rundown, circa-1940 house on a 3,000 square-foot lot in Madison Park.

At first, they thought they might put on an addition on the 820-square-foot house, but their architect, Sarah Smith of Seattle-based Best Practice Architecture, said that would be more expensive than just starting from scratch. Smith worked with the couple to build a new, 1,315-square-foot house with two bedrooms and two bathrooms.

It wasn't easy to stay within their construction budget of just under $1 million while maintaining high quality, Smith said. "It's a constant battle," she said. "You have to be creative and realistic."

Small but mighty

There were certain features that Buck and Thomas, 74, didn't want to give up, including white oak floors, a quartzite kitchen island and soapstone for the counters, fireplace surround and mantle. They also wanted brand-name appliances, including a Sub-Zero refrigerator, a Miele dishwasher and a Wolf induction range. To make this possible, Buck and Thomas purchased the products directly when they could, saving part or all of the builder markup.

They saved on marble in the guest bathroom by using pieces from a remnants yard instead of custom pieces from a slab. And buying property with an existing house on it saved time and money by reducing surprises when it came to permitting, she said.

Still, "it was very clear up front that they didn't want to scrimp," said Smith. "So the strategy was to reduce the square footage."

That meant swapping a storage shed for a planned garage, saving around $40,000. They park one car on the street and the other in their driveway, inside an electric gate.

They also gave up on the idea of a full third bedroom. Instead, the second floor functions as an art studio, playroom and sleeping area for their grandchildren. Smith also saved square footage by designing an especially narrow stairway to the second floor. The stairway fits into the playspace aesthetic, and the grandparents rarely use it, since their bedroom is on the ground floor.

"The house is designed so we never have to go upstairs," said Buck.

In the living area, they saved about $20,000 by opting for a wall of divided glass panels, some with sliding doors, instead of a glass NanaWall, Buck said.

Buck and Thomas also wanted lofted ceilings in the dining room, kitchen and living room area. Smith achieved this by using a prefabricated roof truss, which allows for vaulted ceilings at a lower price than building a roof on-site.

Throughout the process, Buck said, communication was crucial. "Anything that was going to be over budget was brought to our attention," she said.

Trade-offs

There were some areas where they were willing-sometimes reluctantly-to use cheaper materials. Instead of wood siding on the exterior, for example, they used a cheaper fiber cement that mimics the appearance of wood. Instead of a metal roof, they went with asphalt, saving about $20,000.

They skipped custom inset cabinets, instead hiring the cabinetmaker their contractor used for his own house, who was able to give them a similar look for tens of thousands of dollars less. Finally, Buck gave up pendant lights that cost $2,000 apiece, opting for $300-a-piece globe lights. "I still think about that,' she said.

Like other home builders aiming to keep prices down, they also did some of the work-such as landscaping-themselves.

All the compromises were worth the end result, said Buck. "We get to live in a brand-new house that's amazing," she said.