From House To Home

Arthur and Leann Fleming had a dream 11 years ago. The Edmonds couple enjoyed spending weekends with friends on Whidbey Island so much that they decided they’d retire there someday. They purchased a 5-acre parcel and over a series of weekends built a shed on it where they could camp out and plan their retirement home.

But the peacefulness of the island life called to them, and they decided to start construction of their home sooner than originally planned. One day while leafing through the September 1998 issue of Fine Homebuilding, they discovered a home that interested them enough to contact the architect, Robert Reed. Says Reed, “They had seen my personal home...and that prompted them to come in for an interview.”

Finding the right architect was the first step. The next, according to Reed, “was deciding where to locate the house. The site is about 5 acres and has a number of different natural characteristics. Part of the site is wooded, and we first discussed nestling the house within the trees. Another portion of the site is a large meadow that slopes to the west. This area offered views out to the water and more sunlight, so we explored placing the house in the middle of the meadow, on the slope, or more towards the edge. We eventually decided that placing the house on the top edge of the sloping meadow would allow the house to be complementary to the meadow without overpowering it. It also creates a nice feeling as one approaches the house along the driveway...the house is gradually revealed as one moves through the adjacent wooded area until emerging into the openness of the meadow.”

The “tower” is one of the first distinctive features of this lovely island home to be revealed upon approach. The Flemings had admittedly different perspectives about what they wanted structurally: Leann sought an easy flow among single-level rooms, and Arthur hoped to incorporate some height for the sensational views of Puget Sound. They were able to achieve both, and the tower portion of the home, although its upper level is not fully finished, is where they say they like to wind down at the end of a day with the enthralling views of the Sound and a cocktail. “It is really a neat space,” Reed agrees. “There is wonderful light and views to all sides; however, it feels quite cozy and protected and has an almost tree house-like quality.”

Located about 30 miles north of Seattle, where both Leann and Arthur carry on professional lives during the week, Whidbey Island is one of nine that comprise Island County in Washington State. Like much of the Pacific Northwest region, it is subject to a variety of climate zones. The Flemings’ home occupies a portion of the island with some weather extremes. “It’s wet in the winter and dry in July and August,” Leann, controller for the University of Washington Medical School, says. So she worked to incorporate much of the landscaping to accommodate this rainfall pattern, choosing plants that can thrive through shifts in rainfall. Arthur, a civil engineer, managed the hardscapes surrounding the home, from constructing the patio to the pergolas to the outdoor fireplace. Arthur’s sister Carol Fleming, who designs site-specific and one-of-a-kind artwork in clay from her St. Louis Studio Terra Nova, created the unique ceramic column placed near the home’s entrance along with several other pieces and figurines throughout the home, including a compass rose in the main entry. Reed says it “was cast in clay and set into the concrete floor. The compass rose idea was fun as an orienting gesture within the rotated wings of the house.”

Sustainable resources are important to the Flemings, so they selected native, locally harvested, kiln-dried fir to adorn some of the ceilings on the lower level of the home. “And,” Arthur says, “we put in a geothermal heat system.” Reed adds, “The size of the home was kept modest and durable; sustainable and low-maintenance materials were used throughout.”

The day is drawing near when the Flemings will fully realize their dream--another year and a half will see the construction of a garage and the planting of gardens and fruit trees. For now, they ferry back and forth, working on the mainland during the week and living in and working on their retirement home during weekends. “We love it,” they say. And it’s not hard to imagine why.