This 1906 four square home in the Sullivans Gulch neighborhood of NE Portland sat vacant for 6 months prior to Building Blocks starting the restoration.  Code violations, a failing front porch, and a general need for a top to bottom remodel made this house a perfect project.

You can read all about it in the feature article in the June/July, 2010 issue of Northwest Renovation: A home improvement magazine!

The project is 100% complete and was sold to a lucky family in less than 4 months!

Located in the Sullivans Gulch neighborhood walking distance to all the Irvington shops and restaurants on Broadway.
Every surface has been restored. All original character intact, with modern updates.
Period appropriate lighting and plumbing fixtures.
South facing, corner lot - LIGHT AND BRIGHT.
Stained glass windows in Living room, entry, stairwell, and Master bedroom.
Original wavy glass windows throughout house.
Eco-friendly. 95% efficient gas furnace, efficient 80 gallon hot water heater, new plumbing throughout, upgraded electrical throughout, non toxic finishes throughout, Super efficient spray in foam insulation in ceiling of 3rd floor and basement (this alone makes the house 30% more efficient!), everything that could be recycled, or re-purposed was.

Main Floor:
All original woodwork intact and unpainted - very rare, very beautiful.
Oak floors
Living room, formal dining room, kitchen, mudroom, 1/2 bath, and large entry room.
highlights: two pair of matching columns, pocket doors, huge windows with bays in both living and dining rooms, incredible new modern gourmet kitchen with pro jenn-air dual fuel range and cabinet faced efficient fridge and dishwasher.
Kitchen island cabinets and entry bench crafted from original butler staircase lumber.
Second Floor:
Three bedrooms. One is a master suite with an oversize walk-in shower with glass walls.
Hall bath - full period restoration. Fir wainscot, deep clawfoot tub, hex tile floor
Fir flooring throughout

Third Floor:
extra wide stairs with landing lead up to a huge newly finished bonus room. Great for kids, yoga, anything!

Lower floor: Full, dry, unfinished basement with lots of natural light.

The house sits above the street and has a stately presence.
Private fenced back and side yards.
Two car garage.
Outdoor living room with patio that opens into one side of the garage (ping pong anyone?)

Approximate total SF: 2825
lot size: 5000SF
Bedrooms: 3+
Bathrooms: 2 full, 1 partial

BEFORE PICTURES:

When the owners of this 100 year old 4-plex had a store built in their front yard, the builders built the roof too high affecting the whole entrance to the home.
We extended the covering over the entrance, and swapped the locations of the door and the window and rebuilt the interior step.

The original window was salvaged and we built a column to match the existing ones.  Cedar tongue and groove siding was used instead of the stucco to visually differentiate this area from the rest of the home.  We later added a custom designed covered seating area on the rooftop deck.

What a great project!  This started as a small modern home, built in 1947 - about 15 years ahead of it’s time.  We worked with John Cooley architect to design and build a 1400sf addition and 75% remodel after a couple of big trees fell on the house and did a bit of damage to the walls and roof.

Upstairs, the single bath was remodeled and a new bathroom/master closet was added to the master bedroom.  The kitchen and dining room were expanded.    Cabinets were all custom designed and built using black walnut.  A new open staircase was put in with a custom built railing.  All new electrical systems, plumbing, and heating systems were installed.  Large windows, skylights, and glass doors were used throughout the home to bring in natural light and allow for garden views from every room.

Green attributes: Whenever possible, FSC certified lumber was used for the framing of the house.  The entire home was insulated with no-formaldahyde blown in insulation.  Sustainably grown and harvested bamboo was used for the new flooring.  Countertops were locally made using recycled glass and concrete.  Low VOC paint.  All stains were water based.  Solar powered hot water system.  95% efficient furnace. All appliances are energy star rated highly efficient.

The homes original deck was beginning to fail and it was time for something new.  Before the decking went back on, there was a lot of rot to take care of.  One of the fun challenges on this project was making sure the end product would match the feel of the mid-century modern house.  We accomoplished this by using broad horizontal lines for the railings, and matching the facia with the lines of the house’s new belly band.  The material on this deck is sustainably harvested mahogany and will last for a long, long time with minimal maintenance.  The covered deck, now feels more like an outdoor room than a deck.  The wood is very substantial and actually has the feel of an interior floor.