Remodeling a house in Irvington
Remodels for Irvington's 1900 to 1930 houses, drawn for Portland's historic resource review.
Talk to Don about your projectHe comes out and prices it himself
- Oregon CCB
- #208048
- Washington L&I
- #DWVCOCL7540W
- Coverage
- Bonded and insured
- Established
- 2008
A streetcar suburb built from 1900 to 1930.
The plat of Irvington was filed in October 1887 with 129 blocks, on a claim settled in 1851 by riverboat captain William Irving and his wife Elizabeth. An 1899 streetcar line set off lot sales, and the 1905 Lewis and Clark Exposition started a building boom that ran through 1913.
Eighty four percent of the district's roughly 2,800 buildings were built between 1900 and 1930, and the 1920s were the biggest decade. The city names the styles as Queen Anne, Period Revival, Bungalow and Craftsman, and Prairie School. Ellis Lawrence, A.E. Doyle and Joseph Jacobberger all designed houses here.
What is behind the walls of your house.
The age of the house moves the price more than anything you can see. This is what is typical for a Portland house of that age. The site walk confirms what yours has.
8 of 8 are likely on a 1915 house.
Knob and tube or early cloth wrapped wiring is common in houses of this age, and it is live in more rooms than the panel suggests.
Electrical service and panel: $2,000 to $12,000
What DWV does: Full electrical replacement with a service upgrade, as on the Foster-Powell bungalow.
Ask Don about thisGalvanized steel supply lines narrow with age. On the Foster-Powell bungalow they were replaced from the meter through every fixture.
Part of the electrical, plumbing and heating line
What DWV does: New plumbing from the meter through every fixture.
Ask Don about thisThe waste lines in these houses are often the original cast iron, out of sight under the floors.
Part of the electrical, plumbing and heating line
What DWV does: Replaced with the plumbing where they have failed.
Ask Don about thisBrick chimneys of this age are unreinforced masonry, which matters as soon as the structure around them changes.
Priced on the estimate after the site walk
What DWV does: Looked at with the structure before any wall around it moves.
Ask Don about thisThe walls are usually uninsulated and the windows are single pane wood. Insulation comes up to energy code once the walls are open.
Part of the structure and envelope line
What DWV does: Insulation to current energy code while the walls are open.
Ask Don about thisMany of these houses were first heated with oil, and the tank can still be under the yard. A tank taken out of use is decommissioned by a DEQ licensed service provider.
What is behind the walls: $8,000 to $60,000
What DWV does: Decommissioned by a DEQ licensed service provider.
Ask Don about thisPaint applied before 1978 is treated as lead paint under the renovation rule, and work that disturbs it follows lead safe practices.
A line item, priced before demolition
What DWV does: Lead safe practices, priced before demolition.
Ask Don about thisOregon DEQ requires a survey by an accredited inspector before a house built before 2004 is renovated. Older duct wrap and sheet flooring get tested before anything is disturbed.
A line item, priced before demolition
What DWV does: Surveyed first, then handled the way the survey says.
Ask Don about this
Same spot, before and after.
Siding, trim and facade restoration on a Portland bungalow.
Drag to compare.
A 1924 bungalow with an addition on the back.
“Don Vedaa was our contractor for the huge remodel and addition that we had done on our 1924 Portland bungalow. The work consisted of adding an extension to the back of the house for a bedroom/bath, new kitchen and laundry. Along with these, a dining room was created, existing bathroom remodeled, topped off with a new roof and paint all around. We hired Don based upon the recommendation by our architect that designed the work that we had done, and we could not have been happier with Don's service. From the very beginning Don was responsive and worked hard to get us all of the information needed to make the ultimate decision to have the work done. The COVID-19 pandemic did create some significant challenges between the increased costs and the supply issues, but Don managed to find options that would work when those problems arose.
As always happens with construction, unanticipated issues occurred. We were very pleased with Don's communication with us when these issues arose and his responsiveness in working with his subcontractors to resolve the problems.
The quality of the workmanship and materials
he chose were excellent. Don's expertise shines in the bathroom and kitchen remodeling we had done. We are thrilled to be living in our much improved homed and appreciate all of Don's hard work.”
Jennifer L'HommedieuGoogle reviewThe work Irvington houses ask for.
The photographs are from our own jobs, two of them Southeast Portland bungalows of the same years.
Kitchens, with the exterior left alone
Historic resource review covers the outside of the house. A kitchen rebuilt inside it goes through the building, plumbing and electrical permits and no historic review.
Behind the plaster of a 1910s house
Houses of this age commonly have knob and tube wiring and galvanized water lines. On the Foster-Powell bungalow both were replaced while the original framing stayed.
Additions and the 25 foot setback
Most properties keep the 25 foot setback from the original deed restrictions, and lots were platted 55 feet wide by 100 feet long. An addition is an exterior alteration and goes through historic resource review.
Bathrooms
A tiled shower goes on a new pan, with the waterproofing photographed before the tile. A hall bath takes three to four weeks and a primary bath four to six.
The Irvington Historic District.
Irvington went on the National Register in 2010, and the city began regulating the district on November 2 of that year. Exterior alterations and new structures need historic resource review unless the zoning code exempts them.
Irvington has no design guidelines of its own, so reviews use the approval criteria in the zoning code. Repair and maintenance, storm windows, fences that meet the zoning standards and decks no more than two and a half feet high are exempt.
About 85 percent of the district's buildings are contributing, and many carriage houses and single car garages count too. The Irvington Community Association's land use committee offers help to owners preparing an application. Permits and the review both run through Portland Permitting & Development.
Check which permits your job needsOur jobs near Irvington.
Our closest jobs are the two bungalows in Southeast Portland. Tap a pin to see the job.
Creston-Kenilworth
A Portland bungalow with a rear addition matched to its roof pitch.
See this jobNext door: Alameda, Grant Park, NE Portland
Questions from Irvington homeowners.
About 85 percent of the buildings in the district are, and many carriage houses and single car garages count as contributing too. We confirm the status of yours before anything is drawn.
Storm windows need no review. Rear facing windows on a contributing house in a single dwelling zone can be replaced without review if the new ones are wood, metal clad wood or fiberglass in the existing openings. Vinyl or aluminum windows on a house built before 1940 can be swapped for wood or metal clad wood that fits exactly. Anything else goes through review.
Smaller changes get a simpler process. In the house zones, exterior alterations touching less than 150 square feet of facade or roof are reviewed through the Type I procedure, and so is window replacement that is not exempt.
A deck no more than two and a half feet above the ground is exempt from historic review. So is a detached structure of 200 square feet or less that sits at least 40 feet from the front lot line. Larger ones are reviewed.
Talk directly to Don about your project.
Or pick a time for Don's site walk
“With his good communication comes efficiency and punctuality, he creates a timeline and amazingly sticks to it.”
Kevin Duran · Google review