Oh, the places we'll go. Throw a dart at a map of the greater Puget Sound region and you'll likely snag a bit of topography encompassing a Master Builders Association member-built home. It happens with an association as influential and widespread as the MBA. Today the dart has pierced a cozy little neighborhood on the Seattle side of Lake Washington.

Bullseye.

The home, dubbed Bookhouse (you'll soon find out why), was built—or I should say rebuilt—by Prestige Residential Construction, with design done by DeForest Architects, and it is absolutely breathtaking. The entire narrative of this home is understated elegance; no gaudiness, no look-at-me features or unwieldy excess.

Here, lakeside charms blow in with the onshore winds, light and refreshing with a strong hint of history. This spot of land and its brick Tudor house in different forms has been around for a while—87 years, I learn. I wonder what the original owners would think of the estate as it stands now. From what little I see so far, I think they'd approve.

"The renovation," continues Jeff Santerre, founder and principal of Prestige, "was done so as to keep the home's original soul intact, creating a seamless juxtaposition between old and new."

Preserving Seattle's rich architectural past is key and Prestige is leading the charge to keep our city looking as emerald as ever. Within the mix includes a few personalized "Oh would you look at that" features, both big and small. It's important that there's a "word wall" (a big feature) just past the de-emphasized front entrance inside the home, where the owners were able to stencil in words and phrases close to their heart. Some are book passages; others look to be more personal, family names and the like. Out by the front sidewalk, the entry gate has a horizontal slit cut in about a foot off the ground that acts as a lookout for the dogs that roam the grounds (small feature).

One Book, Two Books, Three Books, More…

About the name Bookhouse—inside I find many floor-to-ceiling shelves containing works like Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman, a book on the history of Asia, and many other titles I don't pretend to know anything about. It's safe to say the homeowners love to read. Touring Bookhouse is like opening an unknown book, with each page, or each corner of the home, offering something new and exciting to experience. This place allows you to dream, and so I do.

Like the most vivid dreams, a signature Prestige project contains significant parts you just can't shake—bold, well-crafted details like a wall made of retractable steel windows, an exposed brick exterior, and minimal interior trim. Some of these features you notice right away, some are pointed out and then become instantly recognizable, but all help to define the home in their own way.

The home is perfect for the people it was built for; of that, Jeff and the talented team at Prestige make certain. Before any project begins, a thorough discussion takes place, involving what is wanted, what is expected, and what is best for the property, the home, and the homeowners. Neighbors are thrown into the mix, too, because Prestige wants to "play nice in the neighborhood," as Jeff puts it. He and his team are careful not to infringe on "zip code violations," or anything that wouldn't fly within a particular neighborhood, plus their unrelenting commitment to keeping their sites clean and tidy or as Jeff says "protect and respect." After all, they "build communities, not (individual) projects." It's important to note that these preliminary conversations are called negotiations and that they form the foundation for building an estimate.

The best part of a build or renovation project, of course, comes at the end when Jeff can "toss the keys" to the owners. Before the team leaves, high-fives are exchanged and many thanks are given. Sounds like a good gig. What makes the gig groove is a focus on excellent communication, superior craftsmanship, and high-quality execution, the core values of Prestige.

Hop on Top

The phrase "some folks just have it all" is thrown around in and out of context and it could easily be said about Prestige today. Mostly it conveys some sort of supernatural luck, which diminishes the hard work behind the achievement. Jeff and his company weren't always blessed with everything. He and his crew worked hard over 35 years to get where they are. And it didn't happen overnight. In movies, when the young, yet-to-be-famous person is shown not being famous, the wait is short. A few frames about how hard it was to get to the top, and suddenly they're there.

Reality says differently.

There are days, weeks, months, years where nothing happens. Success isn't a few scenes in a two-hour biopic; it's sometimes a decade or more in the making. This isn't fun or exciting, and it's not something people would likely pay to see, but it's reality. And 99.99% of the time there's no way around it.

Prestige wasn't one of the .01%. Jeff Santerre worked hard, and smart, to get to where he is today. He grew his small 20-person crew slowly and deliberately, ensuring that each candidate first learns how to do things "the Prestige way" before becoming an official team member. Maybe this cohesive philosophy has something to do with his past as tenor sax player in an R&B band, I suggest. He doesn't seem to think so.

When he traded his band gigs for ones in the residential homebuilding arena, he admittedly carried with him a fair amount of naivety. Helped in part by a strong sense of getting things done right and a natural ability to connect with people on a personal level, he eventually found success playing a new tune.

Of course, a steady backbeat in the form of the MBA helped keep the groove going strong. In the 90s, Jeff found mentorship and friendship as part of the Remodelers Council and proudly acknowledges his winning entries in the Remodeling Excellence (REX) Awards over the years. He continues his partnership with the Association today, frequently participating in volunteer efforts like Rampathon and Painting a Better Tomorrow. In fact, his wife Teresa worked on the very first Rampathon in 1993. Not to put him on the spot, but Jeff seems like the ideal mentor for someone up and coming in the industry; someone who is where he once was.

You're Only Boss Once

For all his accomplishments—Prestige just celebrated 35 years in business—Jeff isn't ready to give it all up tomorrow. He's energetic, obviously loves his clients and his job, and is very good at taking care of both.

When asked about retirement, he brushes off the question. It's obviously not something he has put a lot of thought into. For now, Jeff and crew are happy to continue the journey begun 35 years ago—a journey, Jeff says, that is shared by "great clients" and what sounds like a lot of great moments.

When done right, like Bookhouse, a project becomes a "piece of art that's priceless," says Alex Steele, director of marketing and business development at Prestige. She has the "Prestige way" down. Doing things right also means avoiding projects that are treated simply as "transactions." There's no build and bail; these homes are as much a home for Prestige as they are for the owners, only the team doesn't get to live there.

You get the feeling, however, that most clients-turned-family would welcome any member of Prestige into their home. Don't believe me? Take it from a real-life client, who, in the cadence of casual conversation, warmly stated, "I would do anything for Jeff!"

To a general contractor, that's like winning an Oscar.

Somewhere not far away, the Prestige team is at work building or remodeling another dream home for someone. The first time this someone experiences the transformative environment that has been created for them, it will be amazing. When they realize this transformation is theirs, it will be defining. After that, who knows? The steel-made windows, personalized wall art, and other unique intricacies that make the home home will take its owners wherever they please.

Doesn't that excite you? It should.

This week, Leah Missik, Built Green program manager, shares the results of the latest Built Green® white paper, featuring a two-year analysis of Dwell Development's Emerald Star home.

Check out the study

Halting development to slow growth? It’s a bold strategy, Cotton, let’s see if it pays off for ‘em.  

If a building clad in a color you didn’t think fit your city’s personality suddenly popped up overnight, would you take action? 

That’s what the City of Issaquah did in 2016 when a multi-hued apartment complex started gaining attention for all the wrong reasons. The building in question, the Atlas Apartments, featured colors (including a brazen blue) that many residents deemed unacceptable to their city’s persona. The outcry resulted in an emergency ordinance at the Sept. 6, 2017 council meeting that paused development in the area, the reasoning being that new construction was not meeting the standards of the 2012 Central Issaquah Plan. 

On the moratorium, which was extended an additional six months after the original verdict last September, Issaquah Economic Development and Development Services Director Keith Niven stated that the decision was made not to deter future growth but to ensure the right kind of growth for the city. 

Critics claimed the Atlas complex served as an example of what the city didn’t want or need, citing its lack of mixed-use ground floor space and unsightly “Orlando architecture.” City leaders instead wanted to see denser projects fit for growth and which add vibrancy to the central Issaquah area. Twenty-one months after the original moratorium, city staff had revamped code to solidify areas such as parking requirements for new development and introduced a design and architectural manual to streamline future project aesthetics—including acceptable colors. 

Development changes also included a plan to help diversify the city’s available housing, including reducing hurdles for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and experimenting with a tax exemption for multifamily housing. 

The moratorium officially ended May 21, and so its effects are yet to be determined. But the underlying question is this: Are moratoriums like the one instituted in Issaquah ultimately beneficial or an unnecessary hindrance to providing much-needed housing? MBAKS Senior Policy Analyst Allison Butcher states the latter, calling halts to facilitate growth a “drastic measure” that won’t do anything but put our region even more behind the effort to give residents the shelter they demand. 

“We are obviously continuing to grow at a fast pace and instituting a building moratorium isn’t going to stop that,” says Butcher. “The growth is coming whether there’s a moratorium in place or not.” 

That sentiment hasn’t stopped other cities from following suit, however, as cities such as Federal Way, Duvall, North Bend, and Newcastle have all recently adopted moratoriums for a variety of reasons, from reworking zoning standards to policy updates and more. 

But the question remains, are these sudden stoppages ultimately preventing the very thing we need in this unprecedented time of growth and home prices? 

Butcher further explains the potential backfire our cities could see while instituting construction stoppages, saying, “While a moratorium is legal, it does not mean it is good policy. At a time when demand for housing is far outpacing housing supply, which drives up both home prices and rents and makes housing less attainable, building moratoria certainly are not good for housing. They also are not good for our economy or the families and workers looking for a home closer to job centers. Furthermore, they potentially could run counter to our region’s transportation investments that contemplate the need for more transit-oriented development in certain areas.” 

Butcher goes on to address housing affordability and how it relates to moratoriums, stating that “perhaps the biggest problem with building moratoria is that they are counterproductive to solving our housing affordability crisis. Simply put, moratoria are a bad deal for anyone looking for housing—they only make it harder for current and future residents to find a home they can afford.”

Butcher also says that stoppages also lose significant revenue from new construction, as participating cities become devoid of local income, taxes, and other benefits to new housing. Her solution? “Instead of enacting policies designed to slow or halt housing, local governments should work within their communities to expand housing supply and choices for families. Housing goes hand in hand with a strong economy and vibrant community.” 

Those looking for affordable housing options might not care about a wild blue tint outside their window. Cities must look out for their residents but must also be willing to let growth flourish because, as Butcher points out, the people are coming, and it shouldn’t be our self-imposed lack of available housing that leaves them feeling blue.