As a designer working in the residential remodel industry, my primary goals are to transform existing spaces into rooms that are functional, beautiful, and better serve the needs of my clients. I believe that integral to a designer’s creative role is an advocacy for the client. This advocacy lays the groundwork for overarching criteria during the design phase that helps me to educate my client about their choices. Most of the time, the choices relate to aesthetics, efficiency, and comfort, but... more

Why wait for HGTV’s reality show “Takeover My Makeover” or TLC’s “While You Were Out” home remodeling surprise to call you? Now the new paradigm in home remodeling is here in the Portland/Vancouver area. It is Harvest Construction’s WOW or Week of Wonder. This system provides its clients with a complete floor-to-ceiling professional design and renovation, completed in a week or less, using any finish materials that clients might select. How do they do that, you ask? Northwest Renovation... more

A home remodel is one of those things that can breed procrastination. Everyone wants to make the most of his or her home, but many, especially the uninitiated, put off making it happen. Perhaps, like a long-delayed trip to the dentist, this anxiety results from outdated perceptions and a lack of good information. But good things, like a bright, healthy smile, can result from overcoming fears and make us wonder why we waited so long to get started. Step One: Do Your Homework Prioritize your projects.... more

Nearly half of all investigations for childhood lead poisoning in Oregon found that remodeling or repainting was the source of exposure. Common renovation and painting activities such as sanding, cutting, scraping, removal of plumbing, replacing windows and any work that disturbs painted surfaces can create and spread hazardous lead dust, which can cause lead poisoning. To protect against this risk, on April 22, 2008, EPA issued a rule requiring the use of lead-safe practices and other actions aimed... more

This issue’s musings ponders how to be sure a contractor’s competitive bid is fair, accurate, and complete. Not only is comparing apples to apples important, getting to the apple core is equally essential. The Seed for a Shiny Apple Place yourself in the contractor’s position. How would you determine how much a project is going to cost before you actually do the work, and also be certain it is exactly what the homeowner wants? You would need a very clear description of every aspect of the... more

His own nightmarish experience as a client inspired Wade Freitag to found one of Portland’s most respected design/build firms, Craftsman Design and Renovation. An architectural designer at the time in 1994, Freitag hired a general contractor to restore his 1907 dream “fixer” home but ultimately finished the job himself. Arts and Crafts kitchen integrates period style cabinets with the latest appliances for a timeless design. Mid-Century kitchen combines restored and new cabinets... more

When you want to “renovate” an old home, sometimes stuff happens, and you just have to roll with the punches. When Noel Larson’s house suffered a house fire, the first thought was to do the usual fire restoration, such as remove the charred wood and alleviate the smoke damage and smell. This would have been tough enough, on this noble 1914 French Provincial stucco home right on Alameda ridge in Portland; but things were bound to get more complicated. And then, more complicated still. Fortunately,... more

In the world of “Do It Yourself,” there are the wannabes and the masters. Fred Smith is one of the masters. I have been involved in construction all my life, and have seen good jobs and not-so-good jobs. A lot of time, when people want to do part of the project themselves, I cringe, because I know that their workmanship will reflect on the overall job…and it usually isn’t very good. So when Smith said he was going to do “every-thing” except install the cabinets, I was a little skeptical.... more