In the summer of 2023, we moved our family across the country to Minnesota. We found a wonderful home on a quiet cul-de-sac in a southwest suburb and spent the year renovating it. In this first round of remodeling, we focused on the infrastructure. I often advise my clients to ensure the “bones” of the house are solid before embarking on the fun projects. This infrastructure isn’t glamorous, but it is imperative to address before spending money on interior finishes. 

The first oddity we encountered was the slider door to nowhere. It seemed that this was never intended for access outside, but rather served as a “picture window” for the family room. You can sort of see it here—it is blocked by the oversized shrubs we also needed to remove, as they were planted way too close to the house.

Our solution was to leave it as a door and construct a deck and hot tub area. We had to bury the overhead lines since they were so low, and then began the process of building the deck with very deep, frost upheaval-resistant footings. We had new electrical work installed for the hot tub and a slab poured. After finishing the framing, we installed Timber Tech framing using the hidden clip system.

Both the chimneys of the home were compromised and had to be repaired.  It was quite the job and it was pretty cool seeing them finish the top cap off with a torch at the end of the day.

And finally, new insulation was blown into the attic space to bring it up to code.  We refinished the white oak floors and did quite a bit of painting.  Stay tuned for our next blog post to see more!

After years of working in the Portland Metro Area, CONSTRUCT DESIGN is relocating to Minneapolis, Minnesota! We of course will finish out some projects here and hopefully will be apart of another upcoming Modern Home Tour. But, before we leave we wanted to make sure we thanked ALL of the wonderful people we have worked with for the last 18 years and showcase the opportunities we have had to create such wonderful design projects.  Below are just a few of the many projects!

THANK YOU for being wonderful clients who put your trust in us. THANK YOU to the contractors and subs who have made our design a reality. THANK YOU to the vendors and material reps that have helped us source and problem solve. And THANK YOU to the colleagues who have helped along the way and created a city that embraces modern design. Look us up when you visit the land of 10,000 Lakes!

It’s an interesting time right now in design and construction in Portland.  Some of this challenge is still due to the pandemic such as supply chain issues.  Supply chain issues directly impact the timeline of construction which, in turn, directly impacts the cost of construction.  

But inflation is starting to take its toll on construction as well.  Projects are seeing a jump in costs and, due to the every changing market, are less predictable now by just using a square footage cost number.  

People are asking me “how do we combat this?”.  One proactive thing you can do is hire a designer/architect to properly plan your project.  The more that is planned out in advance the easier it is to get accurate pricing and create a schedule based on the timeline of materials & equipment.  Planning ahead gives you the advantage of time which is a necessary partner if you are operating on a budget.  

We are always happy to discuss your project so don’t hesitate to reach out and learn more about the process!