NEW ADDITION
This is our house in SE Portland after the project was complete. We added the large covered porch, attached garage with half bath and office/laundry room, and a substantial bump-out kitchen addition.
The original 1950 house was 600 sq. ft. with no garage, no basement, and no usable attic. What the house did have (and still does have) was a really great location and neighborhood and a fantastic backyard. The "bones" were also good: of all the houses I've worked on, this modest little structure was one of the most level, plumb, and square I've seen. Other aspects were not so great. For example, zero overhang on the gable ends is a terrible idea in the Pacific NW climate. I added eaves before the new roof went on.
Adding on...
The garage...
Fresh slab! Thanks to Mich Powell for the excellent finishing.
New pass-through, and new arch detail between kitchen and living room.
Looking back into the kitchen near the final stages of the project.
The pass-through, with new kitchen window beyond.
Many materials for this project were recycled and salvaged from old Portland homes that I was working on for my "day job," or from retail salvage shops. This quarter-sawn oak flooring is a good example. It was headed for the landfill! A little extra effort turned it into this beautiful finished floor.
The bulk of the kitchen cabinets were recycled, which meant I had to build the remaining pieces that made them fit the space.
Porcelain tile with impervious epoxy grout makes a super-durable, easy to clean counter top. Thanks to Barrett Reiner for his help and great work trade. (I built the Bamboo Vanity as a trade for his labor. Check it out on the Cabinet Work page.)
Turning the corner. This detail is aesthetic as well as functional. A ninety degree miter here would jut out sharply, and be a hazard, especially with kids in the house.
A work in progress gets a whole lot nicer to live in with finished counters!
Here you see a mix of salvaged cabinets and new cabinets that I built to make the salvaged pieces fit the space. The unit on the far right contained our recycling slide-out, a feature that functioned so well that I would recommend including it in any kitchen layout.
The new blends with the old in the finished kitchen.
Salvaged and recycled old-growth Douglas fir with clear finish.
This kitchen window was one feature that I knew I wanted to include from the very beginning of the design process. Living with it was truly a pleasure. Letting the outside in, we could watch the kids play in the yard, or gaze out at the garden and flowers, etc., not to mention awesome natural light and ventilation.
The finished kitchen in use.
The finished front porch got lots of use, especially the kids' swing. The relatively low deck height (under 30") means that code doesn't require a railing. You can sit on the edge and step up or down at any point, making the space feel bigger.
Stained cedar shingles, fir beams, and cedar porch trim contrast with painted trim and add warmth.
