A Modern-Day Homestead Brings a Family Together

Modern family life can feel like a never-ending whirlwind of conflicting schedules, work and outside activities that scatter family members hither and yon. For the Beck family of Poulsbo, Washington, bringing the family together means making the most of their 5-acre rural homestead. “We hoped to create a place where the kids would want to be home, where they would invite all their friends,” says mom Eileen. With their 2,800-square-foot home and accompanying guest home anchoring the property, the Becks went to work transforming a once relatively plain property into one that offers beauty, activities, fun and togetherness for all members of the family.



Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Lyle and Eileen Beck and 4 of their 5 children: Madeline (age 17), Abby (13), Maya (8) and Simon (7). Adam (20) is out of the home.
Location: Poulsbo, Washington
Property size: 5 acres
Year built: 1999


When the Becks moved into their home in 2004, there was much they needed — and wanted — to do. “My husband is a dentist. He says that he works on such a small scale in his job, he finds it relaxing to go home and throw himself into a huge project,” Eileen says. “He did most of the changes to the property himself. We moved into the house in 2004 and began work on the gardens right away.”



“The builders had pretty much clear-cut the acre where the buildings sit,” Eileen says. “The previous owners planted a few lilac trees between the two houses and some thundercloud plums on the hill between the house and road, but other than that, it was essentially a blank slate. The very first time we saw it, I could envision family barbecues, big dogs running across the lawn, games of badminton and croquet, egg collecting from a yet-to-be-built barn in the pasture. I could even envision our daughters’ wedding receptions.”



The first step in taking the landscaping from a simple and ordinary rural plot to a functional and sustainable outdoor living area for the family was pouring low concrete walls in front of the main house’s front porch. From there the Becks continued to add hardscaping and plants to achieve their ideal space.


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