Home & Garden Fall 2010

HOMEGARDEN&

PUBLISHED AS A SUPPLEMENT OF THE WHIDBEY NEWS-TIMES & SOUTH WHIDBEY RECORD

FALL 2010

Roughing it at the lodgeLow impact living in stylePreserving Whidbey’s bounty

Custom wood beauty that lasts generations

H&G | FALL 2010Pg 2 |

FALL 2010 | H&G | Pg 3

SUSTAINABLE INSPIRATION: Low-impact features highlight couple’s dream home.

LEAFING THROUGH HARD CHOICES

ROUGHING IT: The Cook’s lodge-style home has a cozy feel.

A CAN-DO: A great way to beat the recession.

BUILT TO LAST: Furniture for the next generation.

FLOORING COMPANY GAINS TRACTION

{CAPTURING WHIDBEY’S ISLAND STYLE}

CONTENTS

HOMEGARDEN& 4

68 12

1410Publisher

Marcia Van DykeEditors

Brian Kelly, Jim Larsen& Jessie Stensland

Design & Layout Nathan Whalen, Katie McVicker

& Michelle WolfenspargerCopy & Photos

Justin Burnett, Dennis Connolly, Roy Jacobson, Katie McVicker, Jessie Stensland & Ben Watanabe

Advertising Manager Terri Tinker

Marketing SalesRobyn Bainbridge, Sarah Felger,

Pam Heathers & Patrick ShanahanAdvertising Services

Ginny Tomasko Production ManagerMichelle Wolfensparger Advertising Design

Rebecca Collins, Holly Rinne& Leslie Vance

H&Gstaff

Additional copies of this publication, subscriptions and advertising information can be obtained by contacting:

WHIDBEY NEWS-TIMES | 360-675-6611PO Box 1200, 107 S. Main Street, Ste. E101

Coupeville, WA 98239

See how one local Greenbank artist got inspired by his garden’s bounty, and turned an ordinary vegetable’s abundant foliage into beautiful out-door adornments, and cast himself into a new business venture.

inside

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PAGE 6

H&G | FALL 2010Pg 4 |

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Sustainable inspirationLow-impact features highlight couple’s dream homeBY DENNIS CONNOLLY | STAFF REPORTER

Some homes are collaborative efforts — the husband, the wife, the architect and builder

all working together to achieve a vi-sion.

Such is the case for Donna Keeler and Mark Varlgen, a Coupeville cou-ple who wanted to build a house of recycled material and to maintain as much water on site as possible by us-ing low-impact development features.

Varlgen is a hydrologist and civil en-gineer and Keeler is a regional trans-portation planner for Island County, so they had strong ideas about what they wanted. Ultimately, their house re� ects their ideas as well as the contributions of many others.

Varlgen loves Craftsman-style houses and Keeler loves Spanish colonial. Their home incorporates the two styles, with handcrafted wood features and � tted furniture, but also a semi-cir-cular balcony coming off the upstairs bedroom over the living room.

They both credit their architect with listening to them and even driving around their Coupeville neighborhood to see what would work and what might not.

It also had to have room for Alexie, who just left for college, and Mie, who at 4 years old will be around for a while.

Looking at the house from the front, one can see river rock around the

SEE DREAM HOME, PAGE 5

The kitchen combines modern Viking range and classic counters with stately cherry cabinets and an old chopping table in the center.

FALL 2010 | H&G | Pg 5

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foundation, cedar shingles siding it, a wrap-around porch with a deck of ipe, also known as ironwood, plenty of glass windows and a large river-rock � replace rising up on the right side of the house. A veritable army worked on constructing the house which took about two years to design and build.

They include architect Phil Kallsen, builder Dan Miranda, lead carpen-ter John Thompson, furniture maker Rob Hetler, glass artist Mary Ellen O’Connor, blacksmith Jeff Holtby, cabinet maker Larry Mikunais, as well as Keeler and Varlgen.

Varlgen said one of the best parts of building a new house is that the own-ers can go in and do things, saving money in the process. So he went in before drywall was installed and ran Category 5 internet cable and speak-er wire. He installed a 3,000-gallon rainwater tank, and plumbed the pump, pressure tank, waterlines and sprayers so all the irrigation is sup-plied by rainwater. And he built a � replace upstairs.

They couldn’t get everything they wanted when they built the four-bed-room, three-and-a-half bathroom house seven years ago. They wanted to use

green water for toilets but the town wouldn’t endorse it, then. They also wanted to use recycled material, such as blown-in insulation, but were talked out of it.

“Now it’s different,” says Varlgen. “Seven years ago the green build-ing industry wasn’t as far along as it is now and we didn’t has a many choices.”

But they found environmental home centers in Seattle and Port Townsend. They were able to get ipe for the deck, Brazilian cherry for the � oor and American cherry for the cabinets. A custom-made separator between the entry hall and the living room was made from a Whidbey Island Paci� c yew tree.

It all comes together and it all � ts: The balcony over the living room where the blacksmith made the railing using heat and hammers instead of a welding torch; the kitchen that incor-porates cherry and hand-built tables and bars; the suite upstairs that has a balcony and laundry cabinet that pulls out to become a chute for dirty clothes.

Keeler, who had lived in � ve house since 1994, is happy with her new house and the collaboration.

“We went into the home thinking it might be our last home,” she said.

And so far it is.

DREAM HOMECONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

A Pacific yew carved separator from entry to liv-ing room is built by Rob Hetler so that it completely pulls apart by re-moving its pegs.

A river rock fire-place, recycled beams and a cherry electronic cabinet makes for a warm living room.

ABOVE: A Spanish colonial influenced balcony goes out over the living room. RIGHT: A stylish cabinet that opens to become a laundry chute.

H&G | FALL 2010Pg 6 |

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SEE FOUNTAINS, PAGE 7

Greenbank artist provides gardeners with foliage-based fountainsBY ROY JACOBSON | STAFF REPORTER

The foliage in Kevin Pardue’s backyard is made to last a life-time, but don’t drop it on your

foot.Pardue casts decorative leaves in

concrete to be used in garden water features, birdbaths, planting pots and other outdoor adornments.

“I make a lot of one-of-a-kind things, a lot of custom work,” Pardue said. “I take people’s ideas and come up with them.”

In the small rear yard of his Lagoon Point house near Greenbank, Pardue starts with nature’s inspiration and ends with something, well, concrete.

He selects a perfectly shaped leaf and lays it on top of a pile of sand. Then the wet concrete goes on top of the leaf and is allowed to set.

“It gives you a reverse image,” Pardue said. “It turns out exactly the same.”

The � nished leaves are then crafted into the garden feature to complete an individualistic work of art.

Pardue also casts concrete spheres for use as garden decoration. Many of them resemble cracked eggs with garden � gurines inside.

He said many of his custom-made pieces are larger and more complex than the leaves he sells at the Saturday farmers market.

Pardue said he works with leaves ranging from small tree foliage to specimens three or four feet wide — the larger the better.

Pardue’s preferred raw materials are the large leaves of dinosaur plants, elephant’s ear and Hostas. But he said his favorite is rhubarb.

“Rhubarb leaves have great veins,” he said. “They’re really nice.”

Most of the plants he uses, he grows himself. The � nished product may have color stain, but much of his work is basic gray.

Pardue, 59, who said he’s had an artistic bent most of his life, has been casting concrete leaves for about six years. He said he got into it by watch-ing television.

“I was � ipping through the channels, and saw a Martha Stewart episode,” he said. “Two guys from Bainbridge Is-land were demonstrating leaf casting. It was something I’d never tried.”

He said he took up the craft with enthusiasm. His business card reads: “Crete Man’s Garden Art.”

“It got so I had so many concrete leaves around my backyard, a neigh-bor suggested I take them to the farm-ers market and sell them,” Pardue said. “That’s how I got started.”

Pardue and his concrete leaves are � xtures at the Bayview Farmers Market. He said most of his customers these days are tourists.

“Almost everybody on the island knows who I am,” he said. “If people on the South End want one of my piec-es, chances are they already have it.”

These days, Pardue is attempting to build the custom-work side of the busi-ness, because of the limited display space on his property. He said he has received orders from several customers from Bellevue, Seattle and Redmond.

Purdue’s pieces range in price from $99 to $129 for most of the pedestal birdbaths, and $140 for the larger ones. His custom-made water features go for around $500, and a cascading water feature made of cast leaves is about $700.

Pardue has lived on Whidbey for the past 10 years. Before that, he lived in the Bay Area of San Fran-cisco, where he was a haircutter. He’s

single, and has four grown children.He said he turned to art in grade

school and never looked back. At one point, he was heavily into painting, but has done less of that since he took up leaf casting.

“I’ve tried just about everything artis-tic,” he said.

For the past three years, Pardue also has been teaching beginning and advanced leaf-casting classes in Oak Harbor. He said he has taught more than 100 students so far, ranging from grade school children to people in their 80s.

“They love it,” he said. “They actu-ally make a leaf and take it home.”

“The best part of the class is the sec-ond day, when they take the leaf out and see what they have,” he added. “It’s pretty exciting.”

Pardue can be reached at 360-678-9266, or by e-mailing [email protected].

FALL 2010 | H&G | Pg 7

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‘‘ ‘‘“The best part of the class is the second day, when they take the leaf out and see what they have.”

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H&G | FALL 2010Pg 8 |

BY JUSTIN BURNETT | STAFF REPORTER

For Darin and Erin Cook, no saying has ever been truer than the old adage “home is where the heart is.”

All it takes is one step through their front door to understand why they feel the way they do. The hom-ey, earth-toned decor of the home’s mammoth living room feels like a warm ski lodge on a cold winter day, while the sweeping view afforded by an entire wall of picture windows takes your breath away.

Most people simply gawk with their mouths open for a few seconds then say, “Wow,” Erin said.

The Cooks moved into their home in 2007 shortly after it was built by one of North Whidbey’s longest-standing contractors, Waldron Construction. The company was named one of the island’s best build-ers in the 2010 Best of Whidbey contest.

It’s no surprise considering the masterpiece that owner Steve Waldron built for the Cooks. Including a grand total of 12 rooms— that doesn’t include the “man’s room” and mother-in-law suite in the 2,600 square-foot pole barn next door— the home over-looks 16 acres of farm and wetland off Heller Road.

Even after three years, their little slice of heaven continues to overwhelm.

“We’re still getting used to it,” Erin said.The home was purposely designed to feel “lodgy,”

like a secluded mountain cabin or ski lodge. The overall effect is accomplished through innovative architectural techniques, along with the use of warm colors and dark-wood furniture.

For example, one of the more unusual aspects of the home is its � oors. They are made entirely of concrete. Their coffee-colored marble stain not only adds to the “lodgy” design goal, but the concrete � oors are utilitarian as they are the house’s primary temperature regulator.

Internally warmed, the � oors heat the home during

the winter months. Fireplaces in the master bedroom and living room, or “great area,” can assist but they are mainly a luxury. Keeping the house cool is as simple as turning the system off, Darin said.

“They are great in the summer,” he said.

Roughingit in the Cook lodge

Erin and Darin Cook enjoy a light-hearted moment in the kitchen of their lodge-style home.

With its granite countertops and modern amenities, the Cooks’ kitchen is as utilitarian as it is beautiful.

SEE LODGE, PAGE 9

Other luxuries you might not � nd in your average Whidbey Island home include a large bar complete with a karaoke machine, a dedicated workout room � lled with equipment, and a grand total of � ve � at-screened televisions.

But it’s the little things that leave the biggest im-

pression. One can’t leave the living room without marveling at the � ower-shaped fan that dominates the ceiling and the kitchen’s broad granite topped island quickly gives way to amenities, such as the dishwasher disguised as a cupboard or the massive refrigerator/freezer.

But for the Cooks, their favorite room by far is the master bedroom. While large, the room feels exceptionally spacious due to its limited furnishings, which include two chairs in front of a � replace and

television. The large windows which overlook the property’s wetlands is perhaps the room’s de� ning characteristic.

“It’s geese and frogs in the spring and ducks in the winter,” Darin said of the wetlands. “There’s al-ways something going on.”

The bathroom isn’t half bad either, complete with its Titanic-sized bathtub, accompanying but separate two-headed shower, and the “his” and “hers” cop-per sinks.

The Cooks may still be getting used to their new home, but it seems they’ve been their long enough to fall in love. The couple once loved to travel, but the lure of foreign places has de� nitely begun to fade.

“It’s hard to go anywhere because where ever we go it’s not as comfortable as home,” Erin said.

FALL 2010 | H&G | Pg 9

The master bathroom is complete with a massive tub and two-headed shower.

LODGECONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

Disguised as a cupboard, the dishwasher reduces kitchen appliance clutter.

H&G | FALL 2010Pg 10 |

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BY JESSIE STENSLAND | STAFF REPORTER

Home canning is nothing new on Whidbey Island. As a bounty of fruit and veg-

etables are harvested from island gar-dens each year, people pull glass jars down from shelves and boil water in giant pots in an effort to the capture a bit of summertime to brighten the gray-ness of winter.

But since the recession hit, canning has become more popular than ever across the nation. The maker of Ball jars reported that sales increased by 30 percent in one year as folks try to save money by lining the pantry with jars of jam, tomatoes and pickles.

Central Whidbey resident Mary Leonard, owner and operator of Island Tree Ranch Houston Road, is the con-summate canner. She teaches fun-� lled classes about the art and techniques of canning, focusing — among other things — on food safety.

Leonard warns that home canning isn’t an immediate way to save money because of the up-front cost of the equipment, though people can de� -nitely save some cash over the long

run. Still, she sees many bene� ts be-yond � nancial considerations.

“You know where it came from. You know it’s locally grown. You know you’re helping your neighbor and you know you’ll have quality food year round,” she said.

Leonard said she started canning when she was just about 9 years old. She was the oldest of 10 kids in “a very, very poor” family. When Good Samaritans gave food to the family, she would can the extras to eat later.

“My father was a child of the De-pression and that’s how his family survived,” she said.

Life has changed a lot for Leonard since she was 9 years old. Today she cooks for herself and her husband in a beautiful, modern kitchen in a big, beautiful home on the 30-acre tree ranch. She may not can food in order to be thrifty anymore, but she still feels it’s well worth her time.

Leonard said it makes a lot of sense for families with gardens to can the ex-tra produce they can’t consume. She said there’s no comparison between store-bought canned food and her canned food, though she emphasizes

the importance of canning right after the fruit or vegetables are picked.

“It’s fresher, better color and de� nitely better qual-ity,” she said.

Canning your own food, she said, means you know exactly what you’re eating when you pop the jar open later on. Her orchard is organic, so her cra-bapple butter — her favorite — is also organic.

“If you’re canning good stuff, you’re going to get good stuff,” she said.

There’s also the philosophy of “eat-

ing local” to consider. Buying direct from local farmers and producers

helps the local economy and reduces the amount of fuel used — and greenhouse grasses emit-ted — to get food to the table. Leonard simply likes to know where her food came from and to support local producers and friends.

Canning food can be dangerous because of the risk of botulism, a deadly form of food poisoning. People can avoid the

A can-do way to beat the recession

Central Whidbey resident Mary Leonard’s chutney is prepared to be canned..

SEE CANNING, PAGE 11

FALL 2010 | H&G | Pg 11

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risk by following simple rules, Leonard said, but she urges canning neophytes to either take a class or learn from someone who knows what he or she is doing.

According to Leonard, the “Ball

Blue Book Guide to Preserving” is the essential canning bible. She has a lot of other tips for people who want to join the canning club. She said the metal bands should be removed during storage so they don’t rust. After a jar is open, she places a plastic lid on it to remind her it’s open. She adds a little bit of vitamin C crystals to fruits and vegetables to help maintain colors.

Whidbey Farmers Markets

For prospective home canners — or just eaters — a great place to find high-quality produce that was grown by your neighbors on Whidbey Island are farmers markets. You’ll also find plants, organically-grown produce, flowers, prepared foods, honey, teas, arts and crafts and more. Here’s a list of the markets on the island:

BAYVIEW FARMERS MARKET

Runs until Oct. 30: Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bayview Road at Highway 525360-321-4302www.bayviewfarmersmarket.com

COUPEVILLE FARMERS MARKET

Runs until Oct. 9: Sat 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.Alexander Street by the [email protected]

GREENBANK SUNDAY MARKET

Runs until Sept. 26: Sundays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.Highway 525 and Wonn Rd360-678-7710www.greenbankfarm.com

OAK HARBOR PUBLIC MARKET

Runs until Sept. 30: Thursdays 4 to 7 p.m.Highway 20 by Visitor [email protected]

S. WHIDBEY TILTH FARMERS’ MAR-KET & FARM STAND

Market runs until Oct. 9 on Sat. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.Farm runs until Nov. from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sun.–Fri.Watch for OPEN sign at Thompson and SR 525, [email protected] 360-678-3569www.southwhidbeytilth.org/market

Learn to can food at home

Do you want to learn how to can? Central Whidbey resident Mary Leonard offers classes about the art of home canning for both groups or individuals in her beautiful kitchen. Call her at 360-678-1680.

CANNINGCONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

H&G | FALL 2010Pg 12 |

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anufactured furniture is all too appealing when it’s sitting in the showroom of a department store or warehouse. It’s cheap, ready to be shipped and usually donned with adorable

throw pillows. But what happens when you take it home and � nd it doesn’t quite � t in its designated corner? Or you real-ize a few vital screws are missing from the cardboard box? Or, horror of horrors, you discover that you’re neighbor has ordered the exact same couch.

Frustrations such as these are leading some people to look into ordering custom furniture, and thanks to the dozens of talented craftsmen on the island, they’re not having to look very far.

“Everything that I do is custom made to order, so you’re getting a really good service,” Rob Hetler, a Greenbank woodworker said. “You’re getting somebody who’s interested in what your particular needs are and you’re usually getting a better quality of material and hardware.”

Hetler has been building furniture on Whidbey since 1987 and makes aesthetic value a priority in his work. He points out that most commercial operations randomly pick pieces off piles and throw them together making things as cheaply and quickly as possible. Woodworkers on the other hand pay attention to the color and grain patterns found in the wood and make something that can be handed down through generations.

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Greenbank woodworker Rob Hetler explains how he created a symmetrical wood pattern in the back of a China hutch.

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FALL 2010 | H&G | Pg 13

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uilDesign, Plansand Detailed

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Rob Hetler’s workshop is

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Greenbank. Hetler serves

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Guild.

“I make sure there’s a really harmo-nious look to everything,” Hetler said. “It’s the difference between going to Home Depot and buying something to ful� ll a function and being able to live with art everyday. Customers are typi-cally ecstatic about getting something unique that speaks to them in a way commercial work doesn’t. There’s a sense that is was handmade.”

Furthermore, if a customer is un-happy with a piece, local woodwork-ers can make necessary tweaks — no reshipping or endless customer service calls needed.

Fine furniture and cabinetmaker Randy Sco� eld said he goes to great lengths to ensure that his customers will be pleased with the � nal product the � rst time. Sco� eld owns Island Cot-tage Furniture in Freeland.

“I’ll go through several sets of draw-ings until both the clients and I are satis� ed that we’ve worked out all the details,” he said.

Woodworker Craig Yamaoto has been in the business seven years. He draws inspritation from Japanese and Shaker craftsmen and said he tries to used wood that has a distinct per-sonality. He believes client needs are important.

“I work to their speci� cations,” Ya-mamoto said. “That’s something they can’t really get off a shelf.”

find an artistMany local craftsmen have

ordering and contact information on the Whidbey Island

Woodworkers Guild website:www.whidbeywoodworkers.com

Woodworker Robert Bennett prepares pieces for a cabinet in his Clinton workshop.

H&G | FALL 2010Pg 14 |

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Experience.That’s the one attribute Ward Jens-

en, owner and manager of Jensen’s Floor Coverings, reiterated as his busi-ness’ best quality.

“I’ve lost track,” Jensen said. “But it’s over 36,000 homes, condos and apartments that I’ve put the entire inte-rior, � oor coverings and tile, in.”

Ward clari� ed his statement.“Not all of them personally, but my

subcontractors,” Ward added. Ward speaks plainly and directly.

He lays out the pros and cons of situ-ations as skillfully as he lays out � oor-ings. He named � ve different jobs he recently worked on where he brought his experience and expertise to the customer to help them choose the best material for their needs and how best to install it.

Ward has been in the � ooring busi-ness for 40 years. His co-owner and manager, and wife, Carolyn Jensen, has the eye for design. Together, they know how to solve pesky problems when picking � ooring and tiling.

“I spend the time going over the choices with people so then they can decide how it should be,” Ward said.

The showroom in Langley Village opened in January. Jensen’s offers carpet, hardwood, laminate, stone, tile and vinyl and slab countertops. They also have “green” materials and worked on LEED-certi� ed or “green” buildings. Jensen’s also boasts it is the only supplier of United Tile on Whid-bey.

“It’s really like our retirement loca-tion,” Carolyn said. “Plus we’re still raising a family, which is really nice to be part of the community that way.”

Prior to the move they commuted to the warehouse in south Everett to offer

their business to the greater Seattle area. After living on Whidbey Island for 18 years, the Freeland residents decided to bring their business closer to home.

“Our hope is to do less and less over there, and more over here,” Ward said.

“It would be really nice to have our main focus be near where we live,” Carolyn added.

Like most of the construction busi-ness, Jensen’s Floor Coverings was not immune. When the housing market declined, the business shifted from new construction to remodeling, re� n-ishing and refurbishing. So it’s � tting the Jensens returned home to � nd a different market for their business.

“I always worked off my reputa-tion,” Ward said.

The business license is under KW Jensen Company, named for the owner, Kenneth Ward Jensen, but he prefers to go by Ward. In over 40 years, only one complaint was � led against his bond in 1979. According to Ward, every 10 years 90 out of 100 construction companies are out of business.

“Now, I’m in my fourth decade,” Ward said.

Examples of their work can be seen at Whidbey’s Lighthouse Cafe and the dental of� ces of Dr. David Goodwin in Freeland.

Christine Goodwin, David’s wife, praised the Jensens’ ef� ciency and reliability.

“Other companies can’t guide you like they guide you,” she said.

The Goodwins also had Jensen’s Floor Coverings work on their home. Jensen’s products and consultation

tractionFlooring company gains

SEE FLOORING, PAGE 15Carolyn and Ward Jensen show some of the merchandise sold in their Langley Village showroom.

FALL 2010 | H&G | Pg 15

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was used for their hardwoods, car-peting, tiles, bath, jacuzzi, shower and countertops.

“There’s no service that we’ve not had them do,” Goodwin said. “What’s so great about them is their attention to detail and artistry. Their installation has an artistic � air to it.”

Jensens also worked on the Good-wins’ commercial properties and in-stalled carpets and hard surfaces.

“I can’t say enough,” she said. “They’re great.”

As new construction continues to slow, more homeowners update and remodel. The Jensens saw Whidbey’s older homes as ripe for their ser-vices.

“He can go into a ‘50s home, a ‘60s home, and knows what can be done,” Carolyn said. “He has those years of experience to do a good job.”

Both owners consider it a family business, but Ward started the com-pany after he worked for his grandfa-ther at 14 years old, installing show-ers in Ellensburg.

“He learned from a Danish master, so to speak,” Carolyn said.

When he started his company in 1970, he installed the materials for 14 years before utilizing subcontrac-

tors. Ward explained how he can walk through the entire process with a customer, from picking the material to how it should be installed.

“I’m hands-on and installers can’t fool me with their antics,” Ward said. “I enjoy doing tile work.”

Ward described a scenario with tile where installers need to choose between starting with a full tile and working down to a small piece at the end, or centering the tile with equal sized pieces on the ends. He illus-trated the importance of how the ma-terials go in being equally important to what materials go in.

“This business is full of details and judgement calls,” he said. “There’s a lot of ways to put up tile.”

Subcontractors aren’t always welcomed by general contractors, according to Ward. The Jensens de-fend and value their subcontractors because they worked with them for so long and trust the quality and ef-� ciency of their work.

“We want to work with people we know have skills,” Ward said. “And I gear up and gear down when I need to.”

One of their subcontractors worked on Bill and Melinda Gates’ home and has installed $1,000 per yard silk carpet, and can hand stitch car-pet.

“This is where we want to be,” Ward said.

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Home & Garden Fall 2010

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