9219 5th Avenue NESeattle, WA 98115Price: $840,000

A majestic Western Red Cedar shades the level entry boardwalk to the front door, setting the tone for a studs-out transformation by the architect owners of this 1939 Maple Leaf home. Professional-grade design instincts apply right down to the open great room which links living, dining, and a gourmet kitchen -- a beautiful island, custom cabinets, never-used appliances -- to a huge territorial-view deck and those glorious Pacific NW sunsets just out the kitchen door. The main floor also features two bedrooms and a modernized bath with heated towel bars, all new windows, minisplits for year-round comfort, a gas fireplace, clear fir doors, refinished oak floors, and a walk-in closet. Downstairs is your blank canvas, European style egress windows are already installed throughout for a huge code-compliant 3rd bedroom, plus laundry, office/workshop space, and a literal root cellar. A second bathroom is already planned, and the finishing touches are up to you: make it exactly the way you want, on your own timeline. Outside, fertile soil, plum and cherry trees in a fully fenced backyard await your green thumb, your pup, or your ideas. All this with an easy walk to the Northgate light rail into Seattle, and an elementary school just down the block. Welcome home.