Wire fence with wood frame

 Here is a really cool fence I saw in Northeast Portland when we went out for dinner last Saturday. Light and airy. It gives some separtation to the front yard without closing it off to the rest of the neighborhood. Could maybe keep small kids in and miniature deer with a bum leg out so they won't eat your fresh veggies.

Concrete Retaining Wall with Visual Interest

When adding a retaining wall, you can create a pattern to add visual interest. On this wall, when the concrete form was being built, the contractor added the pattern by cutting out rectangles in 3/4 inch plywood and attaching them to the forms.

Changing a ranch style home to a cute bungalow

 By adding a proch to this 1950's plain Jane  home, it went from ordinary to WOW! The large cedar shigles were replaced by board and batten siding with smaller shigles above the door. The open post and beam construction adds to the bungalow look. A new wood porch deck was added above the existing concrete stoop. A new wood panel door completes the makeover. Now the home looks bigger and has major street appeal. Great job! Nice way to add value to a home.

Fence with wood and corrugated sheet metal

Here is a really cool fence in the neighborhood. Panels of wood slats mixed with panels of corrugated metal. And I love the gate and triangle arch. Haven't seen this before.

No Grass! Parking strip plantings

Are you tired of cutting grass in your parking strip? Plantings can change all of that for you and make your landscaping more dramatic. Here are two great examples using flowers, ground cover, and decorative grass to create the wow factor. (I'm thinking someone should get a teenager out of bed, get a broom, and sweep the gutter in the first photo to spiff it up.)

New Corian Kitchen Countertops

 This kitchen was updated in 1990 with white tile countertops, backsplash, and oak trim. It looked good for the times and was very functional. However the grout did not hold up well and after 22 years it was looking a little tired.

The home owner's removed the tile and countertops and prepared the cabinets for new Corian counters. In removing the backsplash, the sheetrock ripped off with the tile adhesive. This made for easy access to fish electrical cable through the wall to add under cabinet lighting.

The lights were installed, the sheetrock repaired, and the new Corian installed. With a solid surface, coved backsplash, and seamless Corain sink, cleanup is a breeze.

Dining Room- before and after

 This 1914 bungalow had been updated in the 1960's but was looking mighty tired. Some changes to this dining room add a lot of value to the home. The old wallpaper was removed. Tall wainscoting with a plate rail on top was added. The doors and wood trim were all painted white. Warm paint colors were added to the walls giving the dining room and  hall a sunny feel. The wood floors were refinished. Some art, a piece of furniture, and a table lamp were added. What a transformation!




What may look like wainscoting in the before photo was really just a piece of painted wood trim at chair rail height with two types of wallpaper above and below. The tall wainscoting in the after photo is vertical trim boards approximately 18 inches apart with trim molding on top forming a plate rail. The main part of the wainscoting is not made of wood panels. It is just the existing wall plaster, smoothed, and painted with semigloss white. All fairly inexpensive.