Fond Memories
April 10, 2005
Contributed by Anne DeWolf, Co-owner & Designer, Arciform LLC

The final days of this 5 month remodel were wonderful. Everything fell into place so well and the house looks absolutely perfect.

The neighborhood event** that Melissa organized was my favorite day during this project. Everybody that was involved was there, the weather was perfect, the food was great and we planted a new tree in front of the house with Commissioner Dan Saltzman.

The night before the Tour of Remodeled Homes, after we put the final touches on, Melissa, Richard and I sat in the den for awhile. We enjoyed looking out into the neighborhood, at the fireplace in the living room and at the beautifully furnished space we were in. It felt great.

The tour was a great opportunity to show the project to our clients and to people that had not seen it at all. We talked for two days straight. The volunteers from the Home Builders Association were very nice and helpful and it was so much fun to hang out in the house.

As the designer, everybody asks me what my favorite part of the house is and I am not quite sure. I always say the dining room, but then I think of the kitchen, the living room, the bath rooms and the den and I can not prioritize. Ultimately, I guess it is the cabinetry and the colors.

Again, I want to thank our crew, the subs, the suppliers, Adam - our videographer extraordinaire and the neighbors for all their hard work. We could have never done this in such a short time if everybody had not worked so well together.

I especially thank Melissa Fryback for an extraordinary job. I can not put into words how impressed I am with her creativity, enthusiasm and organizational skills. Thank you.

** A sidebar to the 1909 House Project:
Contributed by Melissa Fryback

Who says Portland isn't a small community? At the 1909 House neighborhood event, at my suggestion, neighbors that reside on this street presented Commissioner Saltzman with a formal letter requesting that something be done to help slow traffic along their well traveled street. Many of them had tried to wade through the bureaucracy individually to instigate the action of getting stop signs erected, but after months of trying, made no headway. This event seemed the ideal catalyst to get things started and channel them through to the right people. Hence, in just a few weeks time, this street is now the proud location of two new stop signs! A GIANT thank you to Commissioner Dan Saltzman for his instrumental hand at making this part of the Portland community safer for children, residents and motorists alike! It is this kind of spirit that makes us all proud to call Portland home.

Drum roll please... The wait is over!
March 30, 2005
Contributed by Melissa Fryback, Writing on behalf of Arciform LLC

I finally have the first AFTER images of the home to share. They can't capture the feeling of walking on the level floors or the purity of air quality or the comfort of room by room temperature control the house now possesses, or even the satisfaction of having used many green/sustainable/historically appropriate materials, but they certainly show the craftsmanship and attention to detail the house received.

I think it's an interesting emotion for all of those involved. The 1909 House is now up for sale, and the final moments to capture the final memories of an incredible restorative journey are winding down. Happy to have our personal Saturday's back? Yes. Sad to see it end? Unbelievably so.

Arciform's designers and craftsman are back to the regular schedule of servicing just client driven projects and meeting with potential new clients excitedly discussing and their own Pre World War II projects.

In many ways the Earth Advantage 1909 House was like having a baby. We planned and dreamed what it would be like to have "it", worked through it's development with the Saturday sessions and a laborious five month gestational period (a new beam added here... a new floor installed there...), and birthed it in the presence of all who loyally followed it. Now we've dressed it up and taken it's first photos like proud parents.

The people who came through have probably returned to their Saturday routines. We miss them too. So many in the neighborhood have become close to us... what a gift that's been. In fact, drop us an email sometime if you can, and let us know, if and how the 1909 House touched you and how you are
getting along on your own "1909 Homes". If you give us permission, we'll post it here.

AND if you still want MORE... there are 2 ways left to get your Saturday fix! This Saturday, April 2nd on Fox 12 between 10-11 a short segment on the project will be airing. And then more spectacularly, beginning Saturday, April 9th, on KGW 8 at 7 pm, the Earth Advantage 1909 House will
command a 6 week segment run. And I'm told it will repeat for another 6 weeks following that, in case you miss one. So enjoy the new photos (We've even got the virtual AFTER up as well!) in the gallery and anticipate even more during and after ones to be added in the weeks to come - and some more diary entries as well.

More to Come
March 15, 2005
Contributed by Melissa Fryback, Writing on behalf of Arciform LLC

This last weekend was the official Tour of Remodeled Homes. I estimate nearly 500 people passed over the threshold of this sweet little bungalow in Grant Park that began its restorative journey 5 months ago.

By my count, that means that nearly 1500 people in 23 weeks filtered through its doors! I truly hope that we were able to amuse, educate and inspire some of these visitors on their own projects.

This is just a "short" entry to tell you that the story isn't over yet, and as soon as we've all had a chance to catch our breaths, we will post MANY more pictures of the process (stacks of photo cds line my already overcrowded desk!) and of course final images, virtual tours, etc. along with final thoughts from Richard and Anne DeWolf and perhaps even a sub or supplier or two will weigh in.

Then after that's all done, we will retool the site to become more of an informational piece sectioned in their respective categories so it's easier to find information you may be looking for. If you have something that just can't wait to be asked, feel free to email me in the meantime.

Just as a morsel of what the finished home looks like, adjacent to this entry is a picture taken when the kitchen was almost done... by the "wow" factor I witnessed on faces when they came through the front door last Saturday and Sunday, you will enjoy the upcoming images!

Thoughts Forgotten
February 28, 2005
Contributed by Melissa Fryback, Writing on behalf of Arciform LLC

It was with a mixture of sadness and elation, that we concluded the Saturday Sessions last weekend. The house is nearly completed, but the small details seemingly feel infinite right now. I'm trying to stay out of the way of the crew. I sense the heightened energy and speed of their work given the impending deadline that exists in order to have the house "tour ready" for March 12th & 13th. I have no doubt that the house will be ready to go.

Before I mention what's happening currently, I want to revisit some thoughts I may have forgotten to include in past entries.

I apologize if I am repeating myself, but I don't want to leave anything out. Of course it's good to reflect where you've been in order to better appreciate the present I think.

The porch ceiling is painted a lovely sky blue. This is a commonly done practices of Pre World War II homes.

The linoleum remnant found underneath the carpet in the bedroom on the South side has been repaired and remains in place. Only the fir floors around it have been given a fresh coat of gray paint.

Anne chose a beautiful shade of off-white (more of a parchment white as opposed to a bright white for all of the painted trim in the house.

The odor that used to greet you at the front door when deconstruction/construction started as been replaced by NO smell. It's incredible how a home can smell so good without the use of VOC paints and floor refinishers! It used to be the hardest part about going into the house on Saturday mornings.

The trim in the parlor that used to be so uneven and awkward looking turned out beautiful - I never could imagine how they would make it look so straight, but they did!

The upstairs room next to the 1/2 bath that is now part of the bath suite,was my most unfavorite room - and now is my favorite! It had lowered ceilings, dark blue shag carpet, dark brown paneling and a little Holy Mary light switch plate... it just had a "bad vibe" in my opinion.

There is now an arch built by Arciform in the hall upstairs that matches the arch in the adjacent master bath suite.

Additional ventilation with vents and duct work was put in the attic.

I know there's probably more I'm forgetting to mention, but I'll save that for later entries.

Right now the floors in the downstairs are being refinished. We are using a Danish Oil through Environmental Building Supplies called Osmo on the unique 1" strip oak floors. If they turnout anything like how they did upstair on fir - they'll be beautiful!

The Arciform Team is currently installing fixtures, painting trim and cabinetry, finishing staining the stain-grade trim and woodwork. Plus a lot more than I can list!

The yard has spray paint all over it as preparations are underway for the landscaping to begin. Lee Stevenson, our landscape contractor begins on Wednesday with it.

Last weekend the new Jeld-Wen carriage-style garage door went in - it's so beautiful and so perfectly matches the home. No architectural detail from the outside is missing now besides the treads on the front stairs and the new front door. Even the new period house numbers have been installed.

It's really something to have given birth to a project like this in 5 months. We have met many very nice people at the Saturday Sessions and fielded a lot of great questions and comments about the home and remodeling in general. It really is wonderful to see how much people care about restoring old homes and their thirst for learning about new materials and techniques that support a sustainable future.

We will continue to add diary entries as they are relevant to the project, beyond the end of the Saturday Sessions. And after it's conclusion, we will work at provided material lists and details that help breakdown all of the different things that occurred on the home. The site will be revamped a bit to take on more of a categorical feel as opposed to a chronological one - so
stay tuned!

So, even though we may not see some of you out at the site anymore (sniff, sniff), it's just see you later and not goodbye for now...

Monster Garage
February 17, 2005
Contributed by Melissa Fryback, Writing on behalf of Arciform LLC

With the project on time, Arciform decided that it had time to overhaul the look of the garage. Up till this point, it was a day by day consideration if time would be available to give it a cosmetic facelift before the Tour March 12 & 13th.

We had heard many neighbors asked with baited breath "Will the garage be getting a makeover as well?" Thankfully the answer was yes!

The garage, not original to the house, had an interesting story as told to us by the long time neighbor across the street. It seems that when his son was still a teenager, the previous homeowner of the 1909 House had asked him to construct a garage that would help accommodate his RV. After looking over the drawings, and dubious of it's "design", the teenage boy looking for dollars and project experience took it on.

It was indeed a well-built LARGE structure. Solid, with a foundation thick enough to support a structure twice it's size. Two plastic amber windows brought light into the paneled garage painted a shocking mint green to match the vinyl clad house... albeit in the opinion of many, not attractively. It was definitely form over function.

Under Arciform's own guidelines of reduce, reuse, recycle on job sites, it was not their intent to rip the whole thing down and start over, but instead it wrapped in Tyvek and had it's unusual style masked with James Hardie's Shingle at the gables and James Hardie's Board and Bat Siding around the remaining exterior. A new roof line was created to make it more harmonious with the home and corbels were added to compliment the ones on the 1909 House. The shining touch, when completed in the next couple of weeks, will be the Jeld-Wen Carriage-Style Garage Door constructed completely of no-waste recycled wood fiber and built right here in Oregon! The perfectly operating metal garage door will find it's way to the Rebuilding Center for reuse on another project.

A nice touch on the garage that the previous owners did was create a lovely shaded covered area that is incorporated into the back yard. Nothing about the footprint of the garage was changed except that larger columns supporting the covered area were built to be more in perspective with the scale of the garage itself and the roof line is now gabled instead of steeply sloped. Once the landscape is in, which starts next week, it will be a nice shady oasis for the backyard.

A Professional Painters Perspective.
February 6, 2005
Contributed by John Huckfeldt, Owner, Heritage Painting

The Heritage Painting crew has been hard at work the last few weeks dodging mother nature, construction delays, a bit of the flu, an opportunistic pair of thieves, and our constant friends - sawdust and mud. Everything considered we've been fairly lucky with the weather. Although it's only rained intermittently it hasn't exactly been ideal painting conditions. Nearly every morning has been shrouded in fog making it difficult to start work at a decent hour. Even scraping and sanding the eaves and facia boards becomes difficult when it's so moist. Needless to say we had limited hours to work with, slippery ladders and planks, and very dark colors. This last point is especially relevant to anyone trying to complete an exterior this time of year. Darker colors tend to have more pigment and dry more slowly. You're pressing your luck if you paint much past 3:30 in the afternoon. Detergents in the paint designed to help it dry uniformly tend to rise to the surface and discolor the film if temperatures drop too low. This phenomenon, known in the industry as surfactant bleed, is not permanent and eventually washes away but it can leave a bad impression with a client, especially one looking to place the home on the market right away. Another problem with cool, moist weather is runs in the paint from condensation. The general rule is make sure the substrate ( the surface to be prepped and painted ) is dry before you start, be sure to finish on time, warm the paint inside the house the previous night so it is more workable, always recheck your masking to make sure it hasn't lifted from moisture or wind and be sure to add about 10% combination of water and a little floetrol, especially when brushing, to avoid pull marks. Millers Evolution exterior paint is a great product, they offer a lifetime warranty for as long as you own your home, but it is very thick and under these conditions, difficult to work with. Remember, two thin coats trumps one thick coat every time. Be prudent. Check the weather. Check it again. If it looks like a go get a move on. This time of year you don't get many opportunities.

We were given 8 weeks to complete the exterior, assuming it would be a typical rainy winter. Instead we were able to complete the majority of the job in less than 4 weeks despite the fact that on our second day on the job we discovered all of our prep tools (worth just over my deductible of $500 ) had been pilfered by a midnight marauder. God bless America. Nonetheless, the Heritage crew kept their smiles and soldiered on. It has been a pleasure working with lead foreman Eddie and the Arciform crew and the many subs on this project. We are thankful for the opportunity and welcome everyone to check out Adams video footage of our progress. We still have some touchup and cleanup to complete on the main house before we're done and in a week or so the garage roof and siding will be completed and available to paint. Until then we bid thee adieu. Remember, there are no shortcuts to quality. Hire a professional. Best regards, John Huckfeldt / Heritage Painting.

Almost Home...
February 3, 2005
Contributed by Melissa Fryback, Writing on behalf of Arciform LLC

I went out to the house yesterday... it's like a swarm of bees out there. There was the most beautiful period-appropriate trim being meticulously put on by Trevor all over the place, painting of that trim going on by Scott, Danielle was keeping the job site cleaner than clean and supporting the crew, Gracen was cutting boards for the garage roof while Project Manager Eddy was quickly putting them up, Marc with Nu-Art was installing the new "green" Slatescape countertops. (beautiful I might add!) and our videographer, Adam Henry was recording it all.

I just have to digress and say that early on we decided that it would be a great idea to record the whole process and create an interactive dvd with a documentary format. It wasn't sure how or who would do that, but through a great support system, Adam came to us via the Art Institute of Portland. He's been phenomenal! And if anyone reading this wants really professional work by a dedicated videographer, then he is your guy!!! Adam started out when it comes to construction, figuratively not really knowing which way to hold a hammer, and now when I go out to the house (and I believe he's living there because he's ALWAYS there!) He breaks out the construction lingo on me! It's great! I know Eddy's barked a time or two about him needing to step back a bit, but he's just like one of the Arciform crew now. I can't contain my immense satisfaction in having pursued doing this.

Everywhere you look, things are happening. It's no longer slow and every element really shouts "See! The bungalow IS really here!" Schoolhouse Electric's period lighting fixtures are almost all in upstairs. The beautiful curved arch into the living room from the newly created entry is just being started, Arciform's cabinetry including the medicine cabinets are installed, and Christian our master plasterer is almost in the homestretch with his colored plastering... I love the palette that Anne's chosen.

On the exterior, the deep slate blue, warm brown and deep terra-cotta red, applied by Heritage Painting blend harmoniously to fit the home. Many have asked "why such a dark palette"? Well one doesn't need to look any further than the following link below to understand why it's extremely appropriate for a home of the Craftsman Era. Sure, Eterne's Michael Tunson the color consultant on the project, could have suggested a more trendy palette, but in terms of what WOULD have been on a bungalow like this back in 1909, he's dead on. Read the following on the Historic Preservation League of Oregon's website for an explanation.

Every day, I get a little more excited about the final reveal on March 12th & 13th during the Tour of Remodeled Homes. Living way out near Hillsboro, it's quite a feat to get over to Northeast Portland as frequently as I do, but I so look forward to taking in the work of the day making every nasty, traffic snarled minute on Highway 26 well worth it!

Before I forget to mention it in a later entry, be sure to get your tickets so you can be a part of the final reveal of this awesome restoration.