Tour of Remodeled Homes 2010

Each year, the Home Builder’s Association hosts the Tour of Remodeled Homes. This year, we were honored to be one of the 18 homes open to the public for the weekend. There was a steady stream of people both days. I was impressed that some had planned to get through all 18 homes, a feat to be sure. Oddly enough, we were the only basement on the Tour.

Overall, there was twice the number of attendees as last year, but not as much as in years past. Still, 8 hours straight on your feet and schmoozing took a lot out of me. I was very flattered to hear so many compliments. By 6pm, I was ready for bed each night and slept 10 hours on Sunday.

There were a couple of nibbles, but no substantial leads. Sometimes, it takes time for an interested tour-goer to pull the trigger and become a client. The economy is still soft and people cautious. Projects tend to be smaller in scale these days.

Tune in next time for an appearance HGTV’s "Bang for Your Buck" we hope!

weeks 43-49: prepping for the Tour of Remodeled Homes

There’s nothing like a deadline to get things done. For us, the HBA’s 2010 Tour of Remodeled Homes was a great kick in the pants to try to take care of the last few construction items, or at least most of them.

In seeing the house come together, the yard was looking a little worse for wear. Knowing that several hundred people would be visiting shortly caused me to hire a landscaper to redo the front and side yards as well as the parking strip and clean up the back yard. He took out the sad-looking magnolia, ceanothus, azalea, smoke bush and mossy lawn, resculpted and moved the camellia, resodded, planted stepables and stepping stones and redesigned and installed the entire front and side yards. John Catandella of Catandella Landscaping did an excellent job, worked fast and hard, was easy to work with and was able to fit us in on short notice. He is awesome! He will return in the summer to help us revision the back yard.

Chuck of ecohaus refloated the floor where the engineered hardwood was not sitting properly. We decided to forego fixing a second section that was also giving us trouble, as it was too difficult for him to do. Chuck was able to reuse all the millwork, flooring, cabinets and threshold. Dana reinstalled them and Vitaly of Aspen Painting caulked and painted, and the Wet Bar was as good as new.




Johnny of Laurelhurst Fan Company installed the blades, nose cone and back cover for our vintage bath fan at no charge. He also camouflaged the galvanized ductwork. Now the fan really sings!

Ron of Stellar Cellars put the finishing touches on the wine cellar. It is now perfect!

The concrete guy came out and patched some of the driveway, curb cuts, egress wells and door jamb.

Erik our contractor of Ostmo Construction spent a whole day attaching various knobs and the dryer vent. It had been dumping hot, humid and dusty air into the laundry room. I was wondering why it was so muggy and linty. My husband leveled the washer and dryer as Erik was having difficulty with that task. Erik was here the day before the Tour attaching the upstairs thermostat, Rainbird (irrigation timer) and adjusting the height on the under counter refrigerator.

We finally got the door hardware back from Bliss Restoration. They had replated some existing door hardware that we had wanted to reuse. Sadly, once Dana the finish carpenter of Guillory Construction had installed them, we decided that removing the door was best. Oh well.

Shiloh of Classic Sash returned with our two screens only to discover that one was the wrong size. Looks like one screen will need to be remade. Doh! He was able to reseat the window hardware though. Pete tweaked the screen door hinge, rescreened the door and installed a closer.

The new kitchen cabinet doors finally arrived from Crestwood and were fitted in the full-height cabinet box. These were replacements for the warped ones.

Alex returned twice to do some quick aesthetic fixes on the neighbor’s garage. Yay! It no longer looks shabby chic!

Pablo and Pancho of Aspen Painting returned to paint the last few cabinetry items, touched up a couple of interior & exterior surfaces, matched the existing dark stain on the main floor and painted the neighbor’s garage. The garage faces our house, so we were happy to finally have this done.

Ben Aldred and Scott Foster of the Hollywood A-boy assisted in selecting a fan for the upstairs bath. The conundrum was whether or not we wanted to vent the adjacent powder as well using an inline fan or just stick to a regular fan venting just the main bath. We opted for the latter then realized that the former was the better decision because it would provide better ventilation and be quieter. C’est la vie!

Aaron of Portland Metro Electric returned to install the under cabinet light at the Wet Bar, sump pump receptacle, office light fixtures and an exterior outlet. He came back a second time to install a light in the master closet and a new fan for the upstairs bath and replaced some oddball receptacles and plates. He also reattached the grounding wire to the house.

Dana, our savior, reinstalled the millwork at the wet bar, installed the replated door hardware, fixed the squeaky powder room door, changed the exterior door hardware to the correct ones, installed a couple of cabinet hinges, a latch and the robe hooks, adjusted the screen door knob, fixed the door sweepers and attached the under cabinet lights at the Wet Bar with a stud gun.


There’s STILL some work to be done. The original 4 month project has taken nearly a year to finish, and now will run into the start of phase two of the remodel. Tune in next time for the last 1% of the original project, we hope!

weeks 35- 42: more furnishings

It’s been s l o o o w-going these last few weeks. In fact, this entry spans work done in the past eight weeks. Although the pace of the end of the project should not surprise those of you familiar to remodeling, nevertheless it is very agonizing to be this close and still not be done.

We already had our first house guests. They report that their accommodations were very nice and comfortable. Usually I tell my clients not to make the spare room too cozy, lest you encourage longer-than-desired visits. In our case, we needed the extra space, and thus did an all-out remodel in which the new rooms matched the detailing of the existing spaces on the main floor.




Andy of Anctil Plumbing stopped by and repaired the mysterious humming in our plumbing lines. Whenever we turned on the hot water at the kitchen faucet, new bath handheld wand or the washer, the existing pedestal sink would hum. If we turned off the pedestal’s hot water supply, the humming would stop. It was very strange. Andy determined that it was due to pressure building up whenever a fixture was turned on. The excess pressure caused the two ceramics discs in the pedestal’s hot water cartridge (handle) to vibrate very quickly, producing the humming noise. He took the cartridge apart, cleaned it out, reassembled it and voila! No humming! He also showed us how to drain our irrigation system manually. Now, we don’t have to call a professional to winterize the lines. Thanks Andy!

A big kudos to Bill Anctil of Anctil Plumbing. He was extremely proactive in taking care of the mysterious humming. It’s rare to find an owner of a company taking so much interest in a single client, and following through on the job. We love Bill!

Wendy of Bolliger Window Fashions came back to install the last bit of return on the blinds. At the time of the initial installation, one of the mitered returns was damaged. Wendy easily slipped the new piece into place.

We ordered a Chilewich floor mat for the upstairs landing from Relish. It is the perfect size, color and thickness. It also needed to be tough enough to be an entry mat but comfy under foot. We still are looking for a good entry mat at the mudroom door.




After three months, our couch finally arrived from Z Gallerie. We were very impressed by the delivery men from WDI. They were able to think through the conundrum of getting a sectional past a railing, down some stairs and through a door without damaging the furniture, door, exterior light or the house. Although we did make sure that the selected furniture would fit, one never really knows until the sofa is sitting on the lawn. I am glad we got a sectional, did not opt for the larger couch, and did not get the sleeper sofa. Whew!

I picked up an ottoman from Rejuvenation. It can store blankets and remote controls, is the perfect size and is sturdy enough on which to put a cup and saucer but soft enough on which to rest your feet. Aaron was most helpful and made the transaction so fast and easy. Who knew you could just walk into a store and come out with a furniture purchase in under 30 minutes. Thanks, Aaron. We love it!

We finally hung a print that has been just sitting on the dining room plate rail. It complements the neutral tones of the family room very well. I can't wait to get a throw pillow that will help tie all the tones together.




Lastly, I grabbed some used lateral files from this great second-hand office furniture store called Portland Office Furniture. At first I was overwhelmed at how much stuff there was, but then realized that these guys are keeping all this out of landfills. How sustainable! I am still looking for a bookshelf and desk. Used, of course.

We also populated the wet bar and are continuing to stock the cellar. Time to celebrate!




Some time recently, Pacific Power stopped by to lock the electric meter and remove the woody vines that had taken over the electrical supply mast. We are glad that the vines are no longer entwined around our electrical lines.

We finally heard from ecohaus about the mis-installed floating wood floor. The floor still deflects 1/8” or more in a couple of spots, which voids the manufacturer’s warranty. After nearly three months, we are happy that a consensus was made and that the flooring will be redone at no cost to us or the contractor. The new flooring and associated repair work should take one to two weeks to complete. Hopefully, everything will be in good working order before the home tour in early March.

Tune in next time for the last 5%, we hope!

remodeling in a down economy: how to save without skimping on design

I have been asked how we are able to do such a large remodel in a down economy. First of all, we have been planning and designing the project for several years. We also purchased the house with the intent of remodeling the basement. As we view this as a long-term investment, it really did not matter when the project took place.

But there were ways that we stretched our dollar that you can too. Below are thirteen pointers that will help you save a bundle on your next project without sacrificing the design.

1. Contain your project to the existing footprint. Additions and large dormers are expensive per square foot, especially in older homes. Adding a floor by raising the roof or building an addition means spending money on an exterior envelope and structure. Instead of building up or out, consider working with what you already have: the basement or attic. In these instances, the shell and foundation are already there, so you can concentrate your dollar on interior spaces and finishes.

It was a no-brainer to finish our full-height basement. By completing the unfinished space, we maximized the use of an under-utilized area of the house, retained the existing landscaping and size of our backyard and economized costs. If we had built out, we would have lost valuable yard space. If we had built up, we would have had to raise the roof, beef up floor and ceiling joists, strap the floors together, add new beams, posts and footings, and increase strength by adding sheathing to the perimeter walls.

2. Plan projects strategically. If you’d eventually like a new kitchen on the main floor, a family room in the basement and want to create a master suite on the second floor by dormer-ing out a new bath, make sure you do the projects in the right order. There’s nothing worse than having to undo some work that you’ve already done. In general, it’s good to work on a house from roof to foundation, and from the outside to inside. In this example, do the dormer and master suite first before working on the kitchen and the family room.

3. Keep existing plumbing fixtures where they are. If possible, maintain the locations of the sinks, tubs and toilets. Moving any of these can add unwanted cost. If the existing layout is undesirable, see if you can place the fixtures back to back or stack them between floors.

In our remodel, we created a wet zone by centralizing all the water in one sector of the house. We placed the new bathroom and laundry right under the existing kitchen and bathroom. By stacking the bathrooms, we were able to tie into the existing soil line, and minimized costs greatly.

4. Visit a store that sells a wide selection of finishes. If you select several products from one store, see if the salesperson can give you a cost reduction. Oftentimes a store can grant a lower price for a larger order. We were able to get a better deal on some of the materials because we got all of our flooring from ecohaus.

5. Ask about discontinued items. When manufacturers change their color palette or style, you can save a bundle on their old stock. The only caution here is to be certain that there is enough material for your project needs. We got our high-end carpet and pad and an incredible price from ecohaus. We also got a great deal on some discontinued lighting from Schoolhouse Electric. Appliances and electronics will have a similar price reduction on last year’s models when the newer lines are released.

6. Look at the ‘seconds’ or ‘scratch and dent’ departments and consider floor models. Rejuvenation offers lighting and hardware in their Seconds and Clearance Department. Schoolhouse Electric has a similar area; ask one of the salespeople to assist you. ecohaus offers some materials like Marmoleum and carpeting in their Seconds and Remnants area. Standard TV and Appliance has a wonderful Scratch and Dent section. Check them out and save!

7. Watch for sales and rebates. Rejuvenation has an annual housecleaning event early in the year and a spring lighting sale. During the course of the project, we took advantage of one of their coupons for our lighting and cabinet hardware, applied a rebate to some hardware and scored a vintage light fixture by using a free shipping offer. We ordered the cork tiles from ecohaus a little on the early side because it was on special. Keep an eye out during holidays as appliances often go on sale then. Some supply stores will also have anniversary sales that are too good to pass up. We waited a few weeks to take advantage of a rebate for our TV. We also took advantage of manufacturer rebates for our window treatments and furnace. Sweet!

8. Don’t forget about those tax credits! The new windows and furnace qualified us for the federal tax credit. These incentives were more than worth it to upgrade to more energy efficient, quiet models. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 includes federal tax credits that encourage homeowners to make energy efficient improvements to their homes. The credit is based on 30% of the cost of qualifying materials (not labor), with a maximum credit of $1500. So, if you spend at least $5000 on qualifying materials between 1/1/09-12/31/10, you should be eligible for the full credit.

See this IRS publication for more information on the 2009 credit.

9. Use some elbow grease. Ask your contractor if you can do some of the labor to reduce costs. If you have the skill and the time, this might be a great way to save a little. Remember to adhere to the contractor’s schedule and level of craftsmanship, and that any work you do will not fall under his warranty. Some past clients have executed demolition, insulated, laid tile, fixed window sashes, installed millwork, painted and cleaned up the jobsite daily. For us, the final cleaning and the denailing of the tongue-and-groove were where we chose to save.

10. Reuse or donate existing materials. Sometimes what is being removed during a remodel is still useable either in your own project or someone else’s. We were able to incorporate some lighting, door hardware and all three existing doors into the basement by keeping the sizes in mind and accommodating them during the design process. We also used the leftover subway tile from an earlier bath project for the backsplash at the wet bar. And because we had saved the base cap and other trim materials, we were able to match the millwork profiles. Although reusing items such as these does not necessarily save any money, it prevents more landfill.

If you are unable to use the materials in your own project, donate or sell them to a company that specializes in the reuse of building materials. Here in Portland, The ReBuilding Center, ReStore by Habitat for Humanity and Rejuvenation are havens for old house parts. The other day, I even walked right past a sink in Rejuvenation that is the exact pedestal in my bathroom. It was weird, but very cool! Although selling items on Craigslist is also an option, first consider donating to a non-profit company, like The ReBuilding Center, as your items are tax-deductible. More often than not, you can claim more on your tax return than what you can sell it second-hand. And you do not have to go through the hassle of posting an ad, arranging a meeting, bargaining and selling the items. So far, we donated lighting and plumbing fixtures, control panels, window sashes, unused tile and some vertical grain Douglas Fir TNG.

11. Talk to your contractor about using salvaged materials. Sometimes contractors and their subs have material leftover from other jobs or from a previous demolition that they are willing to let you use in your project. In these scenarios, you can save tremendously on material costs.

You can also visit those same establishments where you donated your unwanted, deconstructed materials to look for items. If you do reuse old hardware, fixtures and finishes, you will see greater savings if you search for them and buff them into shape yourself. Besides, half the fun is in the hunt. I can spend hours wandering the aisles at The ReBuilding Center looking at all the windows, doors, plumbing fixtures, lights, millwork, hardware and tile. Although you might not save a whole lot by incorporating second-hand items into your project, the more salvaged materials used, the less will go into landfills. And you will be adding to the rich history of your home.

We lucked out by finding the granite slab for the countertops at the wet bar and wine cellar. Normally, the stone itself would cost a bundle, but with our find, we essentially paid only for the labor.

12. Consider phasing your project. If you love the whole design and are unable to afford it all at once, see if you can phase out specific items or portions of the work. It’s always better to save for what you really want rather than settle for second best. After all, remodeling is an extensive use of time, energy, money and resources. It is thus wiser to phase a project into manageable segments than to regret a cost-cutting decision.

We decided to phase some finish millwork, built-in cabinetry, new roofing, some interior painting, gas conversion of the fireplace on the main floor and installation of the AC condenser, and solar water heater. We made sure that everything was pre-plumbed, pre-wired and blocked out for the future installations. By phasing the solar water heater and AC unit, the added bonus for us is that we will be able to take advantage of another round of federal and local rebates when we do the work.

13. Last, and most important, design before you build. If you make your design decisions and finish selections prior to construction, you’ll save a bundle! With a complete set of plans and specifications, there will be minimal change orders and the build-out will go a lot faster and smoother and will be less costly.

Having a clear vision of what you want even before you start designing will also save time and thus money. Write a wish list for the project and prioritize them into three categories: the "must-haves," the maybes and the "if I won the lottery." Assemble images from books and magazines of spaces that you like and—equally as important—dislike. The more ideas you have to share with your architect early on, the less time he will spend developing concepts that may not be to your taste.

We saved on the design fees as I executed the drawings, did the details and selected all the finishes, but you too can hire an architect on a budget by setting some parameters. Establish a budget, specify what kind of design services you would prefer (full or abbreviated), get the contractor involved during design and fully engage in the design process by critiquing the drawings and finish selection. Remember, in the end it is your house and you will have to live with the design, not the architect or contractor. The more feedback you give, the happier everyone will be.

For more information on why you should design before build, please see this previous post.

For information on what to expect during the design process, please see this previous post.

Tune in next time for the last 3%!

week 34: final inspection

We have been moving things from the main floor and garage into the nearly completed basement. We cleared out the basement prior to construction and lived among boxes stacked waist–high and things piled on the floor while the work was being done. After eight months, I was glad to have things finally put away in their proper places. Now, if I could only remember where I put everything!

One of the things that struck me this week was that it is key to include storage space when remodeling a basement. We saved one small corner of our basement as an unfinished storeroom. Many times, clients want all of their basement to be converted to finished space and forego storage, and then get into a bind when there is not enough places to put their belongings. I was a bit nervous during design when we made the storeroom smaller and moved the furnace and sump pump into it. I feared that we had made our storage too tiny. However, with shelving racks from Storables, we were able to maximize and make our storage room extremely efficient. We have one half-height and five ceiling-high racks, with space for one more full-sized rack.


Now that the project is mostly complete, there are a lot of blank walls. We are redistributing what little art work we have, but will soon need more art. I framed more diplomas around the corner at the neighborhood store, Pratt’s Custom Picture Frames. We also need more furniture. I hope the sectional from Z Gallerie arrives soon.



I thought some plants might help the new spaces feel warmer, lived in and less bare. I visited Garden Fever for some plants and pottery, and came away with a Christmas plant, an airplane plant and a croton. More importantly, they told me how to care for the greenery.




I also found this fabulous little table and bucket at Shogun’s Gallery. They had their warehouse clearance sale this weekend.




The big to-do this week was the final inspection. Our contractor is a member of the FIR program here in Portland. Our inspector came by the house and checked out compliance for all egress doors and windows, electrical plugs, other items pointed out earlier during construction, as well as the head height, width, and the rise and run of the stairs. After about an hour, he signed off on the final permit. Thankfully, Erik, our contractor remembered to secure the gas hose before the inspector arrived. Hooray!




Tune in next time for the last of the plumbing, cabinetry and painting!

week 33: tropical beginnings

This morning I was happy to see the port-a-potty go, as it is proof that the project is near completion.

The guest bed arrived, and I promptly put on the new linens. The room will have an island tropical theme with a little bit of kitsch. So far, we just have the linens and the one requisite hula picture.


Dana of Guillory Construction installed the linen cab chain stops, tweaked the med cab and water shut off doors and attached magnetic stops for them, fabricated one more AV shelf, made a finish piece for the laundry chute, installed the mail slot, re-sat the screen door and fine-tuned the screen door hardware. He installed a floor stop that mimics the shape of the light shade overhead. What made us happiest this week was the new adjustable shelving Dana made for some previously underutilized built-ins. With all the new cupboard space, we now have ample storage space. The finish carpentry is now done!











Daniil of Anctil Plumbing installed the spigot to the irrigation. We now have to determine how to bypass the backflow valve in order to drain the irrigation lines before winter comes.




We heard from the HBA that our house will be on the 2010 Tour of Remodeled Homes, so mark your calendars for the weekend of March 6 & 7, 2010. You too can see this project and many others in person. It should be an exciting tour.

Tune in next time for the final inspection!

week 32: the blinds are in!

Erik of Ostmo Construction took care of more punch list items. He attached the gutter elbow to the downspout, switched out couple of electrical cover plates, installed the last light shade in the cellar, replaced the filters fabrics for the vents and cleaned up the job site. We are getting there!

We are eagerly awaiting word from ecohaus about fixing the floating floor at the wet bar. The concern is that with the holidays upon us, this issue might easily fall by the wayside.

On a more positive note, we were lucky to have a stretch of good weather. Vitaly, Pablo and Pancho of Aspen Painting, LLC stained the back deck with a solid color stain. It looks like new!

Did you notice the light in the above photo? Aaron of Portland Metro Electric installed the exterior lights. Now that it gets dark earlier and earlier, we really appreciate it. I am glad that we got wet-rated fixtures, as the rain has already demonstrated that the weather can indeed reach the lights. As for the interior lights, Aaron could not install the under cabinet lights at the wet bar because the fixtures were not the best quality and were not fully functional. It looks like it’s another trip to the lighting store for me.




Peter of Classico Marmo returned to install the wine cellar counter, remove a stray glob of epoxy grout from the wet bar counter, and seal both granite counters. Peter did a fabulous job. The stonework is now finished!




Wendy of Bolliger Window Fashions and Interiors was most helpful with our window treatments. She was very knowledgeable, prompt and wonderful to work with. John Kennedy did a great job with the installation. I especially like those mitered returns on the valances. Thanks, Wendy and John, those new blinds do certainly put the finishing touch on the windows.

Tune in next time for tropical bedroom furnishings!