Over the last eight years, working nights and weekends, I have completely gutted my 1925 bungalow in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Portland, Oregon and have remodeled and added to the original structure. This project has been most interesting because of the alternative design approach resulting from tight financial constraints. Instead of the more traditional process of first defining the aesthetic, then purchasing material to construct it, I matched previously collected “scrap” material to my building needs. The reward of this design challenge was reaching the utilitarian goals while honoring the inherent beauty of the materials.

To fully realize the potential of the house and site, I reoriented the interior spaces of the main house, placing the more public parts (kitchen, dining and living) on the south side. As a result of its new arrangement, the house was able to capitalize on simple passive heating/cooling concepts. I then added a shop/garage, master bedroom, and bathroom with in-slab radiant heat. The addition formed a courtyard with the main house, and with extensive landscaping, the exterior space complemented the newly designed interior. This created a strong indoor/outdoor connection.

The house became a collection of various “green” projects, each utilizing recycled materials in uncommon ways. Kitchen cabinets, for example, were made of short scraps collected from three decks. Leftover cabinet doors became a geometrical wall treatment, and cut-offs from structural plywood and interior trim created a closet wall that is art itself. On the exterior of the house is a rain screen made from a collection of old studs that were ripped in half and planed. Most of the studs were originally cut around 1925, so once de-nailed, ripped, and planed, they revealed beautiful material.

My understanding of the built environment is the result of a degree in architecture and working in architecture and design/build firms. Though each of these experiences has been valuable, I have been most inspired by the design process of my own home. By creatively designing new uses for existing materials and by using more of our current construction waste, architects have the ability to greatly diminish our impact and expand the aesthetic of the built environment. Our ultimate challenge is to open the world’s eyes to the beauty and potential of every resource.

Designed and constructed in 2000-2001, the concept for the original house was to use traditional shapes in a more contemporary language, allowing them to seem as if they had grown out of each other and added to over time. By breaking down the building mass into its pieces, each part of the program is captured by a separate form, giving the house “transparency”. The house is long and thin in the east/west direction, 20 feet wide, offering beautiful daylighting year round. Pat and Carla wanted an open main house with kitchen, dining and living flowing into each other that would allow their whole family to be together, while occupying different spaces. A low shed to the west supports the main floor and holds bath, laundry and office spaces. Upstairs, their two children command their own floor. Finally, Pat and Carla retreat through a small bridge like space off the living room to their bedroom cottage to the east, isolated from the busy main house.

Richard Neutra originally designed this 1940’s home in Portland. Unfortunately, it was very poorly remodeled in the mid 80’s by someone who did not share Neutra’s enthusiasm for the flat roof, redwood siding and continuous walls of glass. A complicated hip roof was added, windows were altered or removed and as a result, the changes made the house unrecognizable. After purchasing the home three years ago, the current owners wanted to recapture at least some of Neutra’s intentions, where economically feasible to do so.

It was my great fortune to be able to study Neutra’s work, especially the time period in which this house was created. By working with historic photos of the Portland house, pictures of other homes built in the 40’s and attempting to humbly approach the site and existing house as Neutra may have, we came up with a list of possible fixes. We replaced as many of the removed windows as possible, resided the majority of the building and re-established the original horizontal composition. We also added the large sliding doors to the north side, giving the living room the unrestricted connection between indoors and out, which was characteristic of Neutra’s work during this period. Construction was completed by project manager Dave Lucas of Green Gables in the summer of 09’.