Services
Renovating the whole house, drawn once
Most whole-house projects here start with a house bought a few years ago and never quite right: a 1990s plan on a view lot, an Old Bend bungalow whose kitchen closes the room off, a west-side house built for a different climate than the one you live in.
We draw the whole house before we touch any of it, so the kitchen you choose in March doesn't fight the stair you move in June. Then we sequence the work so the part you live in stays livable as long as it can. Not included: furniture, appliances you buy yourself, and landscape design beyond what touches the house.
What phase one includes
Measured drawings of the house as it stands
A layout study with two or three options
Structure, mechanical and electrical planned with the trades who will build it
Window, door, tile, cabinet and lighting selections
A phasing plan if you will live in the house during the work
Cost
What changes the cost
No figures here, because the house sets them. These are the parts that move the number.
Whether walls move
Moving a bearing wall means a beam, a footing and an engineer. Opening a room inside existing framing doesn't.
What is behind the walls
Houses from the 1970s to the 90s can hide older wiring, single-pane windows or undersized framing. We open a few places in phase one so the build price isn't a guess.
Living in the house
Staying through the work means phasing, temporary kitchens and more protection. Moving out lets the work run in one pass.
The finish level, room by room
Tile, cabinets, stone, windows and lighting move the number more than square footage does. We price them as allowances you can change.
Phase one
How the design phase goes
- 01
Step 1: Walk and measure
We spend a half day in the house, measure it, and ask how you use each room.
- 02
Step 2: Layout options
Two or three plans for the same house, each with what it would involve.
- 03
Step 3: Drawings and selections
One plan is drawn in full, and you choose what goes in it.
- 04
Step 4: Build price and decision
A written price, itemized by part of the house, for you to accept, change or decline.
Permits
Permits and approvals
Inside Bend's city limits, building permits go through the City of Bend; outside them, through Deschutes County. Whole-house work usually needs several permits: building, plus separate trade permits for electrical, plumbing and mechanical. We prepare the submission in phase one and pull the permits for work we contract in phase two. If a wall comes out, expect the permit office to ask for an engineer's letter.
Examples
Examples of the work
Sample photos.
Questions
Questions about this work
Can we live in the house during the work?
Often yes, in phases. Phase one produces a phasing plan that says which rooms are out of use and when, so you can decide whether to stay or move out.
Do you renovate the whole house at once?
Only if the drawings say that is the sensible order. Some houses are better done in two stages over two building seasons, and we say so.
How is a whole-house price built?
Part by part: structure, mechanical, each room's finishes, and allowances for what you haven't chosen. The pricing page explains what is and isn't in it.
Will you work around furniture and belongings?
We move and cover what stays, and the week-one plan says what is protected and what is shut off.
Draw it first.
Book a first conversation about the house. We talk, then we look.