Garth Stein bought a 1924 Seattle house in 2001 and spent 25 years restoring and updating it while raising three children; with the family now downsizing, the 3,970-sq-ft ‘forever house’ is asking $2.45 million

Pic credit: Luca Sforza of Lensit Studio

Bestselling author Garth Stein has listed his ‘forever house’ in Seattle. Stein is best known for his 2008 bestseller The Art of Racing in the Rain, which was adapted into a film in 2019. Seven years before the fame, Stein and his wife, filmmaker Andrea Perlbinder Stein, bought this Seattle home, and now it’s back on the market. The brick Colonial Revival in Seattle’s Mount Baker neighbourhood is asking $2,450,000, Realtor.com reports. Amy Sajer of Windermere Real Estate/Luxury Portfolio International is handling the sale.

A forever house in Seattle

Pic credit: Luca Sforza of Lensit Studio

Stein and his wife bought the place in 2001, seven years before the novel came out. They called it their forever house. They wanted to raise their kids there. Three kids later, the youngest has gone to college, and the couple is ready to downsize.“They were there 25 years. Their last kid has gone to college. It’s time to focus their energy elsewhere. Garth said, ‘We always considered this our forever house, and we made our decisions about the renovations accordingly.’ You really feel that when you’re in the house,” Amy Sajer, the listing agent, said.

The house was originally built in the 1920s

Pic credit: Luca Sforza of Lensit Studio

The Stein family’s Seattle house has more history than they could remember. The house was built in 1924. The Steins started improving the brick Colonial home almost at once and never really stopped.“The improvements started right away, in 2001, and they have done things all along their ownership. They’ve always maintained it and did whatever they needed to update it,” Sajer told the outlet.In 2009, the couple gave the home a major renovation. Rocky Rochon reworked the traditional layout to let in light and open up sightlines. The home’s original character survived, including a Batchelder tile fireplace in the living room. The new additions they made were air conditioning and all-new bathrooms. The house spans 3,970 sq ft and has four bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms. All the bedrooms are located in the corners of the home, providing privacy as well as breathtaking views. The primary suite has a lake view and a sunroom. There is a lower-level space that can be used as an office, guest room or creative studio.

Pic credit: Luca Sforza of Lensit Studio

Two of the bathrooms, designed by Marianne Simon Design in marble, glass and brass, won a Luxe Design Award in 2018. The kitchen has a Viking range, two sinks, custom cabinetry and countertops in both marble and butcher block.Steel-and-glass French doors in the living and dining rooms open onto bluestone terraces. Outside, there is a gas firepit and a built-in kitchen. There is also a detached two-car garage.According to the agent, it is a house that has been fully redone without announcing it. “It’s an old house with soul, and you’ve got these wonderful materials, but literally everything’s been done and you don’t necessarily see that,” says Sajer. “It’s all new, but it doesn’t scream ‘new’, and it has all this warmth.”The lake is a block away. Mount Baker itself was laid out by the Olmsted brothers, and the street plan still follows the land.“Mount Baker was laid out by the Olmsted brothers … according to the topography of the area. You see these beautiful curved streets that take in the view and the gracious surroundings. Lake Park Drive runs through Mount Baker Park. You have trails, tennis courts and a playground, and it spills right into the lakefront,” the agent told the outlet.

Pic credit: Luca Sforza of Lensit Studio

The house has no historical designation. But this neighbourhood draws buyers who care about preserving old architecture anyway, and here the hard part is finished.“People really want to be in these older established neighbourhoods where you have the wonderful architecture and the brick legacy, but not everyone wants to redo the plumbing and the electrical. This house did all that,” Sajer explains.Mount Baker is often in high demand, as homes here rarely come up for sale. Sajer has seen it through her career. “I sell a lot in that neighbourhood. All of my sellers have been there either 30, 40, or 60 years. It’s that vibe of a neighbourhood where people stay forever.”