Owning a home in 98125 — Lake City, Maple Leaf, Wedgwood, Pinehurst, Olympic Hills, or Cedar Park means living with four very distinct Pacific Northwest seasons. Seattle averages roughly 168 cloudy days a year, long dry summers, and a tree canopy that shifts the way your home feels every few months. Smart NE Seattle homeowners design for the calendar, not against it.
Winter (Nov–Feb). Pull blinds open by 8 a.m. and trim limbs shadowing south-facing windows — NE Seattle’s canopy eats daylight. Many 98125 craftsmans and mid-century homes sit on uninsulated crawl spaces, so wool rugs, door weather-stripping, and a 68°F programmable setpoint protect comfort and your PSE bill.
Spring (Mar–May). Clear gutters before the last atmospheric river. Lake City and Olympic Hills lots often slope toward foundations — re-grade soil away from the house and check sump pumps now, not in November.
Summer (Jun–Sep). With heat domes now a regular guest, shade west-facing windows, run ceiling fans counterclockwise, and water established Wedgwood and Maple Leaf landscaping deeply but infrequently. A single mature Douglas fir is worth two AC units.
Fall (Oct). Service the furnace, sweep the chimney, and clean moss off north-facing roofs — Pinehurst and Cedar Park homes lose shingles to moss faster than to rain.
Seasonal living in 98125 isn’t about fighting the weather. It’s about reading it and designing for it.
