When Clay Anderson, an architectural designer with the lauded Seattle–based firm Olson Kundig, and his partner Alex Almerico, an interior designer with NBBJ, purchased a 505-square-foot condo in Seattle’s Capitol Hill, they knew it was—to put it in their words—“in need of rethinking.”

A hip neighborhood just up the hill from the downtown business district, Capitol Hill is a mix of bars, restaurants, and boutiques—as well as a dense mix of housing that ranges from new construction, to turn-of-the-century brick buildings, to former hotels built for the city’s 1962 World’s Fair that have since been converted into apartments. There are also historic mansions that have been turned into condos—like the one Anderson and Almerico purchased and renovated for $13,050.

$2,300 Flooring	$800 Demolition	$900 Plywood
$200 Blum Drawer Hardware	$400 Ann Sacks Savoy Tiles	$550 Richlite Counters
$900 Contractor/Fabrication	$1,800 Plumbing	$600 Plumbing Contractor
$800 Electrical/Lighting	$500 Pocket Door	$350 Benjamin Moore Paint
$450 Hood	$2,500 Miscellaneous
Grand Total: $13,050

They fell in love with the character of the former mansion and could easily see its potential—and how a remodel would unfold. “We knew that this tiny condo was worth the investment but [in order to renovate] we needed to be smart with our resources,” explains Anderson. The couple set a tight $13,000 budget and selected their materials carefully. “Sweat equity and having carpenter friends helped, too,” adds Anderson.

The major goal of their renovation was to maintain some of the condo’s historic character while transforming the unit into a more efficient living space with a clean, modern aesthetic. The first step was to tear out the existing wall-to-wall carpeting and replace it with cabin-grade, oak flooring to give the house a classic feel and to help anchor the more modern walls and trim.

“We opted for hardwood floors with imperfections as an economical way to get real hardwood at an affordable price,” says Anderson. They ordered the flooring from a large company and despite it being the cheapest option offered, the total expense came to $2,300 for materials, making the wood floors—according to Anderson—their biggest splurge. (Almerico, on the other hand, gives that title to the $400 they spent on Anne Sacks tiles for the kitchen and bath). “We knew the flooring was a must to help tie the whole unit together and add warmth,” says Anderson. In addition to the cost, the floors also required significant effort to install—a process which the couple undertook themselves.

The next task was to open the kitchen to the living area to help maximize the unit’s modest footprint. “The condo had a great 9.5-foot ceiling in the living room, but the kitchen was closed off, and it made the place feel very small and dark," says Anderson. “We demo-ed the wall separating the living from the kitchen in order to make the space feel much larger.” The new, open plan also included extending the kitchen peninsula countertop into the living room and adding built-in, plywood bookshelves.

They opted to keep the existing lower oak kitchen cabinetry, painting the boxes and the doors black. To give the cabinets an updated feel, they wrapped the base cabinets with maple plywood and built open plywood box shelving on top. For the countertops, the couple placed laminated Richlite—an "eco-countertop" made from compressed paper that is an alternative to Formica or laminate—over an exposed plywood edge. They chose a ¼-inch width instead of the full countertop height to keep costs down. Says Anderson, “We loved the look and feel of Richlite. It gains its own patina over time and it’s a unique material that is somehow familiar. People always ask us what it is. Leather? Soapstone? We usually respond, ‘No, it’s just compressed paper.’”

The design of the unit had the shower and toilet set behind a pocket door; a vanity and sink were in a narrow hall leading to the bedroom. Because the vanity and sink are exposed, Anderson and Almerico chose to update them with the same materials, tying the entire unit together. Anderson built a floating vanity out of plywood with a carpenter friend, adding more Richlite countertop. For the backsplash, they used the same linear Ann Sacks tiles as in the kitchen. They added a new glass pocket door to the bathroom to give the dark shower space some borrowed light, deciding to leave the shower and toilet—which are in good condition—as is. “That’s for our next renovation,” says Anderson.

More Budget Breakdowns:

Toronto Architects Make a Historic Brick Home Whole Again For $572K

A Young Couple Turn a Termite-Infested Shack Into a Luxury Home For $46K

An Architect Builds a 14-Foot-Wide House in Atlanta For $332K

Project Credits:

Design: Clay Anderson (@claybismarc) and Alex Almerico

Carpenter: Cory Briscoe

Photographer: Luca Sforza of Lensit Studio

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Budget Breakdown: A Designer Couple Revamp a Tiny Seattle Condo For $13K