Over the years, somebody had done this 1910 foursquare wrong — sheathing it in asbestos siding, removing the front porch, installing an aluminum porch awning with wrought iron supports, “updating” the front door and window, and adding a sliding glass door to the rear. The clients hired Wade Freitag and Craftsman Design and Renovation, in Portland, Ore., to undo this “remuddle,” as the judges referred to it.
Freitag, who has a strong background in historic preservation, was able to restore the home in a “very competent, appropriate way,” the judges said. “It looks like it could have been built this way.”
CDR stripped the asbestos siding to reveal the original — highly damaged — wood siding. They repaired what was salvageable and replaced the rest. They also replaced windows and doors with appropriate new ones, and moved the entry from the dining room to a hall off the kitchen, which allowed for the creation of a mudroom.
The greatest challenge was replacing the off-kilter front porch. Newly installed columns were finely adjusted so everything appears level.
“It could have been plain-Jane, vanilla,” said the judges, praising the “well-done interpretive restoration.”
Category: Old-house renovation, under $150,000
Location: Portland, Ore.
Contractor: Craftsman Design and Renovation, Portland, Ore.
Designer: Wade Freitag, Craftsman Design and Renovation
