Oregon Remodeling Sourcebook 2007

Oregon Remodeling Sourcebook 2007
2007
Residential Interior
Residential Interior
Arciform LLC
Principals: Anne and Richard DeWolf
503-493-7344 / www.oldhomesnewlife.com
CCB License # 119917

The owners of this Prairie Style Foursquare home had recently relocated and downsized. By moving, they lost a measurable amount of square footage, as their previous home had almost double the living space of this home. Through this remodel, the homeowners wanted to improve the functionality of their new home in a way that fit their busy young family. It was also extremely important that the improvements fit within the existing footprint and respected the charming period details that made them fall in love with the home in the first place.

As was typical of many homes built at the turn of the last century, the basement was a utilitarian space with the sole purpose of storage. These homeowners say the basement as a way to increase square footage and customized it to make their home more livable. We divided the 890-square-foot area into six distinct spaces that the family enjoys daily: a media center, home office, guest room, powder room, storage area and a play area for the homeowners’ two young children. The transformation included warming up the cold concrete floors with carpeting; adding custom cabinetry, wainscoting, moldings and a new staircase with an open balustrade that match those in the rest of the house; installing a gas fireplace surrounded by an elegant mantel that matches the home’s casing details; and outfitting the new powder room with details such as period-appropriate hex floor tiles and Carrara marble countertops.

We also converted an existing second-story sun porch to a laundry center, providing easy access from the bedrooms. While the existing sun porch was spacious, it had windows on two sides of the room, a door to a small balcony and a radiator. To meet the homeowners’ need for more for more storage and counter space on which to fold and sort laundry, we created shallow storage areas that wrap around the room and extended the Carrara marble countertop over the radiator. We also installed a beautiful Schoolhouse light fixture and used glass knobs on the cabinets to replicate the original details found throughout the home. The trim molding in the laundry center was also replicated to match the rest of the home, adding detail and flawlessly integrating the old with the new.