Virtual Tour of the nearly completed remodel!!

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Back Porch

The back yard looking at the corner of the living room on a typical rainy July day. We planted tomatoes in our built in planters. You can see the different paint colors we are testing on the top above the windows.

Nursery

I am 7+ months pregnant and nesting like a maniac. My girlfriend Erin Barnes is a former bedding designer and currently works as an interior decorator. She helped me sew the Marimekko birch tree curtains that my mother in law brought back from Finland. She also designed the baby's quilt. My friend Megan helped me do the rest of the sewing for the baby bedding and helped pick the wall color. The bedding is all organic cotton and the prints on the blanket and bumpers are by designer Amy Butler. The crib is a "Sahara" crib it is made with environmentally friendly and sustainable materials. All materials, glues, stains and finishes are 100% non-toxic.

Master Bath

Master Bath with original turquoise sinks and bathtub. Pegboard slider built ins above and below sinks. The shower is not pictured but is a large walk in to the left. We will update the bath floor eventually and keep going back and forth on the rest of the bath because the fixtures are gorgeous and streamline and the turquoise keeps growing on us. However the shower has some rot issues that you can not see but you can smell. Our tile guy thought it was most likely rotten sheet rock behind the tile.

Master Bedroom

Floor to ceiling windows overlooking back yard. The wool carpet replaced the original wool carpet that still looked pretty good but was smoked damaged beyond repair. The best features of this room include the built in bed frame, all house light switch control panel and original Pella slide closet doors and dressing room not visible from this angle.

Kitchen

The laminate counters, mosaic tile back splash, lighting, Frigidaire custom imperial pull out cook top and oven, Hobart dishwasher, and cabinets are all original and in perfect condition. The new additions are a cement terrazzo tile floor made here in Portland and a Fisher Paykel fridge that fit perfectly in the small space. The cabinets are like the European kitchens you see in design magazines where shelves pull out and double lazy Susan's are in every corner to maximize storage space in a compact space. It is the most efficient kitchen we have ever had the pleasure of being in. We are still in the process of covering the fluorescent ceiling lighting. The old covers had severe smoke damage from cigarettes.

Dining Room

I love this room. On the right hand side are floor to ceiling windows like the living room and the left hand side and ceiling are redwood tongue and groove panelling. The original parquet floors were refinished with water based finish. The pass through to the kitchen has copper handles and a brass lattice screen that gives the house a NW Asian flair. Original fixture. The shelves are a EBay score, made in Norway they are brass and teak and look like they where built with the house.

Living Room

Original refinished oak parquet floors, floor to ceiling windows, Redwood panelling, rainbow stone fireplace with built in planter with outside drainage, ceiling has built in lights and speakers.

Entry Way

Entry way facing to living room. Rock walls and redwood tongue and groove siding along 1/2 stair way to living room, built in tile top shoe cabinet on the back side and TV/stereo console on front, clere story windows, copper light fixture and cork floor. All original.

We finally picked a floor for the kitchen after a long search. I was determined to do a material that would work well with radiant floor heat, be something similar to what you may have found in a 1950's house and be a green as possible. Terrazzo was what we first had in mind. We used the Bisazza terrazzo that Pratt and Larson carries in our last kitchen on the counters but I wanted something continuous and the largest tiles they have come in 24x24. They are also really thin and we both worried about them holding up to major traffic, and pots falling on the floor. I am a clumsy cook. Searching for a terrazzo layer here in Portland Oregon was much more challenging that I had expected. I must have called a dozen different tile stores and no one knew of anyone doing poured terrazzo floors. I worked on a major Art commission 6 or 7 years ago that Marybeth Llorens of Eugene Oregon did with poured terrazzo benches like Gaudi's in Spain. She gave me the name the guy here in town that made the benches but he was elusive. I called another guy with the same name and he asked me if I was looking for the Terrazzo guy and went on to tell me he wasn't sure where he was now and that he had gotten a few calls like mine over the past looking for this "lost artist". I made a last desperate attempt to find a terrazzo person before having to start looking into Washington or California contractors and called my friend and all time favorite tile person Alyssa at Pratt and Larson. Alyssa knows everyone in town and she also has an awesome eye. She is also witty and dry which I love. She put me in touch with Stephen Sedler of Counter Endeavors at 503.438.0766. Stephen's work is on display at Pratt and Larson, he does gorgeous custom concrete counters unlike any one's I have seen before. He gave me a short education on terrazzo. There are epoxy based terrazzo's that have a chemical base and have toxic off gas. (oh yummy!) There is also cement based but according to Stephen the cement base has to be thicker. 1.25 inches is what he figured my kitchen floor would need to be. That puts a load of 20-21 pounds per square foot of dispersed weight on the floor boards. The epoxy based bisazza tiles are hardly 1/3 inch high. The epoxy tiles I ruled out because of the chemical base. The worst off gassing is the 10 hours following the pour, however I didn't want a tile made off site that was a chemical mess someone else had to deal with either. The cement based terrazzo was appealing but the load on the floor as well as the cost and mess sent me back to the drawing board. The product I finally settled with is a cement base terrazzo tile actually made right here in Portland that I found at the Environmental building supply. The cost was expensive and it turns out to be one of the few products they don't give a contractors discount on so there were no breaks. The total expense for 120 square feet was just under $3000. Cheaper than the poured floors but double the Bisazza terrazzo or a natural stone tile. It is a white cement with agates ground down in it giving it a subtle color variance and hides stains and dirt beautifully. I didn't get my continuous surface but I feel really great about the decision and the fact that its made locally was a huge selling point. The best part is that it reminds me of Zoltan's favorite beach, Smelt Sands near Yachats where he will lay on his belly for hours combing the small agate beach for the prettiest nuggets and gems. Once my friend Leslie and her husband Aaron, Zoltan and I spent an entire day just laying on the smelt sands combing for treasure. Now that its installed it looks like it has always been there and that was the design goal in the beggining.

"Green" Paints

More than ever using a low/no VOC paint is really important to both Zoltan and I. I am pregnant so the obvious health issues are a huge factor. I also plan on helping with the painting because I am a perfectionist when it comes to paint and I cant stand the idea of trusting someone else to cut in the trim in a few key areas I know I will look at everyday. If I am going to have my nose to the wall Zoltan insists its safe for me and the nugget. I started my search with the YOLO paints. They are a local company that does no VOC paint. I splurged and spent the $20 bucks on the color samples so I could see what inspired Zoltan and I and would accompany the multi colored flagstone and woodwork that repeats in the house. Too be honest I found the palette a bit blah. I did like that they have few choices because who really needs a million to choose from?? The children's collection Sprout was too bubble gummy and for my tastes I found the others too be a little too earthy. I felt the same about the Devine line that Miller carries. The colors are specifically formultaed for the NW but they have been around awhile and I feel like the palette is becoming a bit dated. However I did use their paint color Reef in my last house and it was anawesome compliment to some bedding I got at Design within reach and it looked great with anything stark and white giving it a very modern look. The names of the Devine colors are so great too its easy to just fall in love with the idea of Horizon walls and Skyline trim. I must have splurged on their sample pack a few houses back when I painted my dining room 3 times (a red and 2 different yellows) before settling on a calm and beautiful grey "divine frost". Luckily my fellow mid-century enthusiast friend and fellow agent Shannon Baird was coming by the next day to see the house. Shannon does interior design work as well as real estate and she lives in one of the most incredible MCM (mid century modern) homes in West Linn. I can count on her to have great taste and really creative ideas even on a small budget. She turned me on to Benjamin Moore's Aura paints. She had the palette in the car and we looked at them together for ideas. I loved the subtle modern colors they have. Luckily for those of us who arent as gifted when in comes to choosing colors, every color in the pallette matches each other. Really quiet remarkable when you consider there are hundreds of colors. The paint is thick and even the flat paint is washable. They will also give you huge color swatches for free- much better than the small business card size swatches from YOLO I paid &20 bucks for. I went to Powell paint and got more info on the line. First off the people at Powell paint on SE Powell are the friendliest, most helpful people ever. There is a Powell paint in Tigard too. The guys at the counter could not stop gushing about how great a product the Aura stuff was. They said they have had contractors say they aren't using primer underneath because the paint is so thick and consistent it coats in 1 coat. We had pink walls with years of smoke damage and for the most part they were right. The paint is double the cost of the cheap stuff but my time was cut in more than 1/2 not having to do a second or third coat in places and skipping the priming. I choose "deep in thought" on Shannon's suggestion to go with a bone color that would create a soothing backdrop for the woodwork and architectural features of the home. The color is gorgeous and very soft with the light. There is a ton of built in lighting, some of it flood and fluorescent and it really softens those areas where the light might be harsh otherwise. The nursery I did "celestial" a soft blue that hardly looks like much color at all until you fill a room with it. What blows my mind is why paint manufacturers don't make all paints VOC free. This paint blew all the other paints I have ever used out of the water. There doesn't seem to be any reason to keep the nasty VOC's in there.

Refacing Cabinets

One of the pure joys of living in this house is the sheer volume of storage space. Zoltan and I for the first time ever have a place for everything. The master bedroom has built in dwarers, closets and cabinets as well as more storage in the headboard and side tables of the built in bed. The bed almost doubles as a command center because all of the lights can be controlled from the headboard. I have always been a weenie when it comes to the dark so imagine my glee that I can leave every light blazing on the way to bed from one end to the other and quickly turn everything off with a touch of the button. The relay system the lights are on are totally groovy and feel absolutely futuristic. (60 years later!) Back to the storage... All of the cabinets in the master are beautifully framed plywood boxes that were faced with burlap as the decorative facing. Faced with the mind boggling decision of what to replace the worn out burlap that had suffered plenty at the claws of the former owners cats I started searching the wall paper books at Miller paint. Wallpaper seems to be everywhere right now in all the design magazines and the prints are totally hot. I have drooled over the Marimekko lines and Orla Keily's new wall paper line but they seemed to pop-rock for the house. With most decisions so far I keep deferring back to what was all ready there as inspiration. The brown burlap seemed dull and a little dark so I wanted to see if there was a grass cloth that might give a little something to the room without overpowering it with a print or design. Miller paint on Grand ave has a guy who works the desk who has been there forever and knows everything about wall paper. His personal design sense leans towards the craftsman era homes but with a little enthusiasm and conviction I need something mid-century he pulled out some awesome suggestions. (I can only imagine the characters he must get in that design center and the hideous orders he must have to fulfill.)He gave me a book that had cork, silk, grass cloth and burlap. The cork was tempting, lots of metallics, designs and colors. Same with the grass cloth. The tactile yummieness of the silk and grass cloth as well as the colors and sheen are gorgeous. I wound up picking a burlap after much daydreaming because it was the original choice of the previous builder, the price point was good and I thought the organic look of the cotton really shows off the woodwork. I did go with a natural colored cotton that is off white vs. the brown burlap that I replaced. The glue that I purchased, Suregrip border adhesive, was water based and had low VOC's. It was easy to use, just thick enough that it didn't run off the paper but not too thick I couldn't spread it with a small paint brush easily. With most projects that deal with existing framing it is rare to have square corners and sides. For the most part these cabinet doors were right on. The tools I used for the project where a : straight edge, quick square, bone folder, lots of razor blades, scraper, pencil and my fingernails to squeeze the edges of the burlap under the framing. It took me about a full day, my goal was to finish before 5:30 to have dinner with my grandma but I wound up leaving 3 cabinets for the following day to complete. Like all good projects I picked a Sunday because you cant beat the radio programming on NPR. It makes any task fly by as you listen to This American Life. The project brightened the entire room and I love how classy and understated the finished project turned out.

Exterior Photos

Pictures of the Interior

Report from Jenelle

Zoltan and I met with Mike O’Brien at the house on Tuesday for our Green Consultation. Mike is a Green Building Specialist with the Portland Office of Sustainable Development. Together we discussed our heating system, our water heater, our appliances and other energy saving ideas. Needless to say Mike was a great resource. The following were his suggestion to minimize the amount of energy consumed while also preserving the historic beauty of the home.

Heating Systems: Due to the era in which the home was built, Mike told us that there really was no one way of making the house totally energy efficient. At the time the home was built, energy conservation was not a concern to buyers and little to no insulation was installed. In addition, only single paned windows were used.

The heating system in the home is currently a steam boiler which is no longer working and virtually obsolete. Mike believes that the best way to heat the home now would be a hydronic system that combines radiant floor heat with slim-line heat radiators.

Radiant heat is created by hot water running below the floors. Because you are heating not only the rooms air, the living space maintains and even warmth with no air currents or cold pockets. In addition radiant heat is silent, doesn’t dry out the air, allows you to keep the thermostat at a lower temperature and requires minimal maintenance. Zoltan and I are very much looking forward to stepping out from the shower and having our feet warm! Plus, this heating style is going to be ideal for our baby to be through infanthood!

In addition to the radiant floor heat, Mike suggested slime line radiators. As he explained, humans respond to direct warmth on the skin. He used the example of how being next to a bon fire on a cold night heats the body by penetrating though the cells in their entirety leaving the body feeling comfortable. Slim line radiators produce this same effect, plus they are energy savers because they allow you to create different temperature environments around the house. Combing these two systems we will be set! Bring on the cold temps and we will be ready!

With the windows being single paned we know that we are loosing heat. We have considered upgrading the thermal envelope but we are then at risk for loosing the historic character. Mike agrees that leaving the home with historic elements remaining is important part of this remodel project. As of now, we have decided to leave the windows as they are.

The Water Heater: Currently it is our plan to install a high efficiency sealed combustion gas water heater. We will have the temperature set at no more than 120 F and will add an insulation blanket to surround the tank. All of the exposed copper pipes will also be insulated.

John Patterson from Mr. Sun will be coming out to the home to do a solar evaluation to see if a rooftop water heater is possible. Results of this evaluation will follow.

Appliances: You will never believe the original dishwasher we have in this house! It is a classic from the early 50s and is a centerpiece in the kitchen that runs perfectly. Zoltan and I love it and have decided to keep it although not totally energy efficient. Mike has assured us that the biggest water wasters are out door sprinklers that are supporting un native plants and that although energy inefficient the dish washer is small in comparison. We have also been told due to its age that the unit would not be able to be reused and that keeping and running our existing unit would consume a lot less energy than having to build a new one. The history gets to stay!

New Energy efficient washer and dryer units and a new energy efficient refrigerator are changes we will be making to the home. These appliances are not the 1950’s originals, but are in good working condition and can be passed on and reused. Low Flow Shower Heads and Faucet Aerators are also some of the additions we are excited to make.

Thank you to Mike O’Brian at the Portland Office of Sustainable Development. It was awesome to hear that we are on the right track and that our house is on the way to being green!

Report from Jenelle

Working on some tree removal at the new property.... There has been wind storm damage that needs to be taken care of as well as some unhealthy trees that should be taken down. I am working with Phil Snell to make the property as beautiful as possible and am learning a lot from his expertise. His number is: 503- 282-7030, should you also need some tree removal.

Report from Jenelle

Carpet Shopping! There are so many green carpet choices to choose from that it is exciting. It is frustrating though at how many carpets are blends of polyester and wool. Zoltan and I want to have 100% wool carpet, which is looking like it is going to cost us 3 to 4 times more than the blends. After looking through the samples and feeling them though we are confident in our choice to upgrade.

Carpet shopping has reminded me of my college days when I majored in weaving. I fondly remember carding and cleaning, spinning and weaving raw wool from local farms. Knowing that my feet are touching a grass product grown into wool by peaceful animals makes me feel emotionally and spiritually invested the products I am looking at. I want my home to be an environment where I surround myself in natural materials that I connect with.

I have chosen the 2 carpets that I like best and I am now waiting for Nanette from Generic Carpet to research the availability and price estimates for these samples. Nanette works extensively with contractors and rehabbers and is an excellent resource for specialized carpets at wholesale and below market rates. I have worked with Nanette before and am looking forward to working with her again.Her contact number is 503-297-8123.

Report from Jenelle

Zoltan and I are investigating the option of a green roof for our new home. We saw an article in the March issue of Sunset Magazine and think that it would be an awesome addition to our green remodel.We know that this project, if it is even possible, will cost us 3 to 4 times the price of a conventional roof but that the life expectancy will be between 40 and 50 years if installed correctly, which we think will offset the initial added investment.

The first person who we contacted was Greg Hains from Eco Roof. He is a facilitator/consultant who specializes in feasibility studies and material research. Greg instructed us that we would need to get blue prints to the house as our first step. Our second step would be to have the blue prints and the property checked out by a structural engineer. These steps need to be taken in order to see if the structure is strong enough to support the 15 pounds per square foot that a green roof requires. These 15 pounds are made up of the combined weight of sod, plants and water absorption.

We don’t have the blue prints for the house available to us, so have left a message with the City of Portland Bureau of Development services are waiting to hear back.

Greg Hains is available for site visits for a $50 fee.

Report fron Jenelle

Started making some phone calls today. So many avenues to explore, which ones to target first?!? Call number one was to Energy Trust. I was hoping to have a Home Energy Review completed for the new house, but quickly learned that in order to be helped by this company you must first be a customer of electric or gas heat. Zolton and I are not at that point yet in the house so it was time for call number two. Mike O'Brian at the City of Portland was an excellent contact. He works in the office of Sustainable Development and has an incredible wealth of knowledge to share about Green building. His department has the name G/Rated and offers free technical assistance for Portland wide Green projects, holds educational tours and classes, puts on the Build-It-Green Tour of Homes and publishes the Green Home Remodel Guide. It is an awesome program that the City is offering! Check out the web site: www.green-rated.org

After speaking with Brian in length about Zolton's and my aspirations for the house, we set up a time for the following week for us to meet and for him to see the property. Not bad for just two phone calls. The ball on our green remodel is already rolling!

Jenelle Isaacson, real estate broker, and her husband Zoltan have just purchased an amazing mid century home. The house was custom built by the original owner in 1954, Jerold Nesbaum, and is currently in the same untouched mid 50's condition. Having a passion for mid century architecture, Jenelle and Zoltan knew that this was the house for them, a perfect foundation with endless possibility.Knowing that the home would need some updates, Jenelle and Zoltan brainstormed their possibilities. It became apparent immediately that the two wanted to do a green remodel. Jenelle and Zoltan both have a love of the environment, an enthusiasm for recycling and reuse and the desire to be on the cutting edge of sustainability.This Blog will be written in diary form and will track all of the steps and efforts made to complete the green remodel. Please write in with any comments, questions or suggestions. It is the intention of this blog to be an educational and informative resource and also have it be as interactive as possible.Thank you for be being part of the journey. Let the green remodel begin!