when describing my reaction to lisa and todd’s portland home makeover, the words “shocked”, “overwhelmed” and “amazed” definitely apply. prior to purchasing their new home, lisa and todd’s bungalow was occupied by various squatters and approximately 50 cats. lisa said, “…the smell was so bad people had to cross to the other side of the street when they came near the house.” when they foreclosed on the house and it was time to gut everything, it took 10 industrial sized dumpsters to clean out all the trash and junk (there was so much garbage that there was only a small walkway to each room just big enough for a body to fit). to look at these before pictures is to truly appreciate the incredible amount of love and hard work that lisa and todd put into this home. i don’t think i could have seen past that bathtub (eek!) but this creative couple took what was once a terrifying building and turned it into a beautiful home. lisa and todd hope their bungalow makeover will inspire people to perhaps not buy something ‘turn-key’ and instead consider a diy makeover like this that allows a house to feel like home because of all the personal decisions you’ll make along the way. let me be the first to say “bravo!” to todd and lisa on an job done incredibly well. click here to see full sized photos of lisa and todd’s home before and after.
Last summer my boyfriend and I were looking to buy our first house together. Portland hasn’t been hit quite as hard as other markets affected by the housing crash, which is both good and bad for those of us that live here. I’m a self-employed graphic designer and my boyfriend Todd is a social worker, so we had limitations financially that pushed our search farther from the heart of the city than we preferred to live. After looking at dozens of houses that were wrong in one way or another (me being a designer may have caused the bar to be set a little high and we needed 2 bedrooms for my home office), we stumbled across Swing Set Development- who specializes in acquiring foreclosures and condemned homes with historically significant features. That is how we found our house - which at the time of foreclosure was home to many, many cats using the house as a litter box and 10 industrial sized dumpsters of trash. Neighbors later told me that the smell was so bad that you had to cross to the other side of the street in the summer just to get down the block.
[image above: kitchen before]
[image above: kitchen after]
Our home has been lovingly and carefully restored to its original 1905 Bungalow features - including the original molding, new hardwoods, vintage light fixtures, and subway tile in the kitchen and bath. Best of all, we’re in an amazing up and coming area of Portland that is 5 minutes from downtown and 3 blocks from my favorite coffee shop. We’ve been living here since last year and I’ve since added my own mid-century/ modern aesthetic to the home while keeping in mind its historical roots. It’s a constantly evolving process — we have plans to put in French doors in the nook and build out a teak patio in the backyard this coming summer. What’s most important is that it feels like home, and one that I can be proud to say is all mine.
[image above: bathroom before]
[image above: bathroom after]
[image above: kitchen nook before]
[image above: kitchen nook after]
