Welp, we are back in the game; after a pandemic induced ass kicking on our last project on N Sumner we took some time off to reflect and see where the market was headed. Turns out there is less supply than ever and still robust demand, so we are back at it!
Im really excited to breathe some life into this place. Every home we have ever renovated has been completely trashed by the former owners. So you show up, and its just disgusting and disturbing and I end up feeling angry. Angry that this beautiful home got shat on, angry that these people just get to walk away and leave us their trash, and angry that they still get top dollar.
This home has been lovingly maintained and cared for. With tons of cute and lovable little touches. John is going to think Im crazy with all the things that I want to keep! Stay tuned!
Gabe and Alana are wonderful thoughtful folks and new homeowners! Their new home is not new, in fact it is a beautiful 1915 craftsman. The home is truly wonderful, just steps to Multnomah Village with a beautiful yard and has been lovingly cared for and maintained. Here is the rub, the last remodel was just before the previous owners moved in… 30 years ago. They can, and want to, remodel but a question has been posed:
Do we move in and live in the home and let our plans for a remodel develop as we grow and know the home?
Or
Do we get started with the remodel based on design concepts and our known goals?
We’ve had a fair amount of discussion on the subject and for them, the jury is still out for the time being.
Here are the sticking points:
The issues of living in a home and living through the remodel with a young family
The idea of getting to know how the house lives and what becomes your priorities after being there for some time. Does that knowledge and insight outweigh the inconvenience of living through a remodel?
I have only ever done significant remodel work on home before we moved in because I can’t stand drywall dust, I repeat, I loath drywall dust.
I’m landing at – live in the house, make plans as they develop, plan for the work to be done with a trusted contractor and take a vacation or rent while it is being done.
Ha! If only we had a budget like that!!
Congratulations on your new home and I’m super excited to see what you make of it!!
Without Sheila Boone, I would not have spent the last 10 years living in house that has brought the children and I great joy and many memories. As Sheila aged, she could no longer take care of the home she had lived in for 40 years and reached out to my ex husband and I to purchase it. That was many years ago.. Before I became single and moved into Sheila’s house on my own. After the rats, squirrels and feral cats vacated the property and extra large dumpsters of hoarded items were taken to the dump, the house was gutted. Down to the studs. Only the fir floors would be salvaged since the rest of the house was a 50-80’s hodge-podge. The house was rebuilt slowly. After the new walls went up and fresh paint covered the surfaces, the kids and I moved in. We were now a trio, rather than a family of four. It was a very sad time for me with lots of nights crying myself to sleep and pushing back against a wall of depression. 19 years of marriage and dreams with the same partner dissolves into pulling back the layers of an onion all on your own.
But as time went by, I sunk my creative energy into my little home. Collections of art overtook walls, bird nests filled the porch, plants that I dug up from vacant lots that developers were about to bulldoze were planted in my front yard. The digging, scrubbing, ripping things apart and re-doing became a way for me to channel Sheila’s hard-working-crotchety energy. She once told me that while she had been married for a short period of time (she believed her husband to be gay), she thought herself better on her own. “You make more progress being on your own. There’s no one telling you how things should be.” is what she would say. Not having Sheila’s hardened heart (she carried a chip on her shoulder about every man), I never really believed her. But looking back, I have in fact, channeled some of Sheila’s strong-willed beliefs for the last 10 years.
This week I am moving out of Sheila’s house on SE 34th and into a rental I own 10 blocks away. Saying goodbye to 1129 is bittersweet. I am moving into my rental with a fiancé’ and my children. There are perks to the move – the kids will longer have to share a room and I can see love on a daily basis and share morning coffee daily with him. Lots of big change happening as a ‘four-some’. What would Sheila say to me at this time in my life? — Oddly, I think she would probably tell me another story about growing up in the depression years and how hard it was. Her story might turn to her years as a welder in the shipping yard, but come back and settle on the garden I have planted. She liked all things green and growing and would like what I have done. Finally, with a tip of her head, she might say — You have loved this house. I see that bright and clear. Now, get back to work and pack so you can make the deadline for the new fellow. No dilly-dallying. Allowed.
Yes, I think that’s what Sheila is thinking right now. Get back to work Tracy. You don’t have time to dwell on your emotions or what the future holds. Be present.
I have a thing for emeralds. I always have. The color. The gemstone. The cut. There’s something about the deep richness of this shade of green and the geometric elegance of an emerald cut stone that makes my heart purr. An equally satisfying obsession of mine is entering a space and envisioning what it could transform into by seeing an array of colors, textures, forms, and light to completely bring about a new room. This eye to see the potential of an interior has been immensely helpful and fun in my efforts to assist my clients. While we tour homes, I love the trust my buying clients extend to me as they let me share my visions of how they could personalize a home to make it theirs, on our walks through properties together. Exploring how we can affordably and creatively enhance their homes for a modern market, while keeping the original charm, is one of my favorite aspects of working with my sellers, as we prepare for listing.
While I have been spending this season steadily at home, a number of my clients are in the middle of home remodels and have reached out to chat about their adventures of these undertakings during this time of covid 19. Our conversations have sparked my love for emerald and my recent ache for a fresh landscape to blend, leading me to peruse the internet for deep, glossy, green spaces.
If you are equally feeling a desire to find yourself far away in a world other than the location of your current quarantine, may I suggest the refuge to be found in these luxurious, calming, gem colored bathrooms. Each one swoon worthy of a mental getaway. Who knows, this just might be the inspiration you’re needing to jump start your search for a new home. If you are hoping to pair with an agent who can see beyond just the walls immediately around us and knows how to safely voyage into today’s listings, I would adore partnering with you to seek out and successfully close on that dream!
Decision making on design: 101. Learning from my personal success and failures working with contractors.
Decisions decisions. Being well prepared with plans, a plan B, and your vision for a project will keep the flow going. Often your contractor will bring up questions during a project that only you can decide and you’ll need to be quick on your feet to respond. For example:
Do you want flat or semi-gloss on your walls, trim, and ceilings?
What size and style trim do you want around your window?
What shape do you want on your handrail?
Do you want silicon or grout around the base of your free standing tub?
Where do you want your light switches?
Often a question will catch you off guard and you’ll make a decision that you wish you could take back! Having a plan keeps you on track. Here’s what happened to me for example- the light switch to the closet. There wasn’t a light switch on our plans. The electrician suggested it go on the right side. But after we were all settled in, we realized this light switch should have been inside the closet or on the left side of door. Its an eyesore(for me) having a white light switch on the black accent wall! At the time the electrical was roughed in, I didn’t even think about it. Now, every time I open the door I feel for a light switch on the left- but its not there. If you are in Australia and is looking for a trusted North Brisbane electrical contractors then JTC Electric is a trusted electrician that can provide you such electrician services in and around Brisbane.
It’s hard to imagine knowing everything in advance. We do our best! Living in the space makes it so much easier to visualize how you want everything to be. Here are some tips on preparing your decision making:
Do have a plan. Either blueprints or hand draw a room layout.
Do have a Pinterest board. Pin all your ideas, including color, furniture, light fixtures, and finishes. This may take a while, but when you have all your ideas in one place you can slowly edit your favorites and it will help you stick to your “vision” for the space.
Sometimes you have to say no. You have a lot of ideas on your vision board. You don’t have to do all of them. When it comes to a budget, you may have to say no to the more expensive windows and the skylight.
If you’re making decisions with a partner and disagree- get a third or fourth tie-breaker. Then you can at least blame it on someone else when it doesn’t work out. Ha! No, actually it’s great to have another opinion. They may see something you haven’t considered. Do get a third or fourth opinion.
Not all contractors have “an eye” for design. I always ask my contractors opinion, but refer back to my design inspo on my Pinterest board to remind me of the direction. Do show your contractor your design inspiration. Several of the ideas we had for our master bedroom, the contractor had not done before. He conceptualized it well, but it was because we stuck to our guns about the style we were going for. Both our GC and the flooring guy didn’t like the idea of transitioning the wood floor to hexagon tile. We literally cut out pieces of hexagon on paper and played with them like a puzzle until we found a good pattern. It was a group effort. It turned out great in the end! Sometimes you can’t compromise with style 🙂
When it comes to design, it’s hard making decisions. Especially when its for your own space. I really think experience is key! If the decision making gets overwhelming, hire a design consultant. When you’re in a pinch call them and they’ll help you figure out a situation. It may seem simple, but if I had called our designer about the light switch, I bet she would’ve said “put it on the left!”
I’ve said this before, but its worth saying again– Don’t make a final payment to a contractor until you are completely satisfied. I’ve made this mistake twice! Trust me, they’ll never come back to fix those final things if you’ve already paid them.
If you have real estate questions, call me!
Julia Robertson | Broker Licensed in Oregon & Washington
There’s no house I’d rather renovate than one that’s been in the same family for years. When a house is turned over from one family to the next, with each family comes new ideas, styles, and a new set of renovations. Over time there is often little of the original character left, and what is there is masked by designs from each decade and each new owner.
So when we discovered this 1945 ranch had been owned by the same family since about 1950 and they did not do updates every ten years, we jumped on it. Added bonus- it was a solid house and the family maintained it well over all of those years. Here it is: 8603 NE Dyer St, Portland, OR 97220
And here is what we did. Starting from the outside, we knew the roof needed to be replaced, but weren’t anticipating having to remove three layers first. We replaced the roof, and removed the large drop arm awnings and dated barred glass door. Any time I see bars over window and door and large awnings, I always remove them. This is a safe neighborhood, and there was a great solid wood door behind those bars which you really couldn’t see. The awnings, while they kept out some of the heat, they also kept out light which now comes shining through these great midcentury windows.
The living room had rare wooden vaulted ceilings for this era of house. We freshened up the space, replaced the carpet, got rid of the wood paneling from the walls, and added a large, new modern light fixture. This room now feels completely inviting, and one you want to hang out in.
The dining room was centered in what I would consider the walkway from the front door. We removed the chandelier, added a flush mount modern light fixture, and moved the dining area in front of the window which overlooks Rocky Butte. Under this carpet we discovered white oak hardwood floors. With some sanding and a few coats of polyurethane, they turned out better than new. What you see here is the natural color of the wood. No stain needed.
Oh this kitchen…while cute (and who can resist that horse rocker), it lacked functional space. The refrigerator was in front of the sliding glass door, and kitchen overall needed more storage. We swapped the fridge location and the coffee bar (and built a smaller one), and made room for a new large pantry. We kept and restored the solid wood cabinets and added butcher block counter tops to warm it up. With new appliances and the benefit of a dishwasher, this kitchen functions much better.
The master bedrooms, and all the bedrooms for that matter, are gleaming with the new refinished floors and a fresh coat of paint. These light fixtures were original and in good shape, so of course we kept them. You may notice wall cadet heaters were in all of the rooms. That’s how the house was heated. We opted for a major upgrade with all new ducting and a high efficient furnace. No more electric heat.
The bathroom layout worked, but it felt small and was dark. We brightened it up with white walls and wall tile, added a large mirror and some stylish, bold blue floor tile.
The exterior is one of the highlights of the house. It sits on almost a double lot, with a spacious front, side and back yard. There’s even RV parking for the adventurous spirits. The patio is inviting, and neighborhood is pretty quiet for how busy Portland has become these past several years. This house is solid and beautiful, and ready for the next family. No renovations needed.
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Design by Soho House
