Janice Belknap, a 28 year old pharmacist in Portland, OR, knew where she wanted to live, the Southeast area of the city, but was having a difficult time finding the house with the features she wanted at a price she could afford. A common story in a city that has not suffered from much of the downturn in real estate prices across the nation. After looking at dozens of homes, Janice found a 1,282 square foot craftsman style bungalow with an additional 982 square foot basement that she purchased for $327,000. The home was originally built in 1909 and still retained much of its charm, but also much of its original construction that had fallen into substantial disrepair. The Realtor’s ad said, “best value in the area, just bring a paintbrush.” Well, that and a few thousand dollar’s worth of tools and some friends that knew which end of a hammer to hang onto.

The bathroom had undergone some remodeling in what appeared to have been the 1950s, given the hideous pink wall covering and mysterious wainscot. The vanity cabinet was in terrible condition with an abused sink and inadequate lighting. An original built in mirror and medicine chest offered some original charm, as did the original claw-foot tub, but the vinyl floor was in awful condition as was the bathtub plumbing and the sadly hanging shower curtain frame. The single pane window rattled in the frame and the toilet float valve had a mind of its own. The five panel door was in terrible condition and opened into the vanity, posing life threatening injuries to anyone shaving at the sink. Layers upon layers of paint covered a poor condition lathe and plaster wall, the lower portion of which had a wainscot that was made of what appeared to be linoleum. The real challenge was working with a 7′ x 7′ room.

Janice brought to the task a little bit of money, a lot of energy and her family. Dad, Jim Belknap, and mom, Ardis Belknap, have owned a property management business and real estate company for 30 years in Cottage Grove, OR, about 130 miles away. Sister Jennifer and brother-in-law Jason Williamson had renovated a 60 year old home in Madison, WI a couple of years earlier and were in the middle of a renovation of another 100 year old home about two miles away from Janice’s new house in Southeast Portland. All parties were familiar with no square corners, deflecting ceiling joists and rotten wood. Jason and Jim are subscribers to Fine Homebuilding.

With a great weekend gathering of family and friends the old vanity was torn out and the bath tub was stood on end and wrestled out of the room to take up residency in the living room until it was repainted and returned to the bath following the renovation. The most arduous task was tearing off the wainscot that was attached to the wall with an adhesive that just wouldn’t give. Finally, a Sawzall and crow bars were brought in to cut out the wall and tear down the lathe and plaster, cathartic work for Janice and Jennifer. The floor was lifted along with the underlayment, and Durock was installed. Jason rewired the bathroom, replacing the pull cord light fixture over the sink with a switched contemporary fixture. A sash replacement kit allowed for a major upgrading of the window.  Janice hired Kemper Drywall to install new drywall and finish with a smooth plaster surface. Janice, Jim and Jason installed a new ceramic tile floor in a muted gray color to accent the new dark gray of the tub exterior and the wall surfaces. A new American Bath Factory claw-foot tub shower enclosure and plumbing assembly completed the shower upgrade.  The vanity was replaced along with a complete cabinet package in the kitchen. The counter was a preformed Formica top with a “new” sink from the Portland Rebuilding Center. A new custom ordered 84″ tall five panel door was installed with a left hand swing that misses the vanity and stops to protect the shower ring and tub. Glass and ceramic towel bars and toilet paper holder complement the glass handled doorknob and a vibrant blue paint sets off the white trim and white cabinets.

The Budget:

           Ceramic Tile floor                                                        $400

           Vanity and wall cabinet                                    $1200

           Preformed counter top                                                 $200

           Sink                                                                            $25

           Tub Faucet and Drain                                                  $600

           Tub Shower Curtain Support Ring                               $400

           Sash replacement window                                            $600

           Hardware                                                                    $150

           Drywall and Paint                                                        $300  

Time with family                                                          Priceless