Budget Breakdown: They Built a Do-It-All Backyard Shed for $281K

When Ciera Shaver and John Millick decided to purchase this 1908 farmhouse on a bluff in West Seattle, they found a string of silver linings. They were both working from home that summer of 2020, which meant the closing of the West Seattle bridge for repair work didn’t affect them—but it did thin out competition from others hoping to land in the area.

The two-bedroom property had been well cared for by previous owners, and Ciera and John fell in love with its many details—the garden beds in the front lawn, the clawfoot tub in one of two bathrooms, and the stained glass window above the stairs, to name a few—so they sealed the deal and picked up the keys.

"When we were deciding if our starter home could be our forever home," Ciera says, "we asked ourselves, ‘What would it look like to live here for another ten years?’"

Before: Exterior

After: Exterior

There was only one issue: The residence is less than 1,000 square feet. "This is our first home, but after a couple of years, it felt like we were outgrowing it," Ciera says. "It doesn’t take much for the house to feel packed."