Age in Place/Phoenix Rising

This couple is absolutely in love with their rural property and its setting yet they had a major challenge before them: How do they update their poorly constructed, poorly sited 1970’s house so that they may “age-in-place”?

Solution: Impossible.

Instead, they chose to build a new house. In order to continue living on their beautiful land, it had to be carefully built around the old house which, in turn, must be responsibly demolished when the new home was complete. We are talking about process here.

The process was greatly enhanced by the homeowners’ assembly of an effective team which included a designer whom they had worked with previously and who knew how to match their tastes with their lifestyle; a great landscape architect; a very perceptive interior designer; W. L. Construction Inc.; and most importantly, themselves – their ideas and energy seemed limitless.

Achievements

• • The house flows and blends into the same plane as the field it rests on. Having moved only 20 feet from their old location, the homeowners are enjoying a much greater awareness of the wild flora and fauna that surrounds them.
• • 90% of the house is on one level with doorways and cabinetry designed to accommodate the various stages of life, including wheelchair accessibility.
• • Exquisite wood working details - from ceiling paneling made from salvaged Columbia River boom logs, to one-of-a-kind trim detailing, to cabinetry that has the considered intricacies of a ships cabin.
• • The lighting, both inside and out, puts state-of-the-art technologies to work. It yields layers of understated illumination that can be modified to fit any mood or purpose.
• • A floor plan and a general feeling to all the rooms of comfortable perfection.
• • Finally and of great importance to the environmental sensibilities of both the homeowners and W. L. Construction, we were able to salvage 90% of the old house and recycle the remainder.

Credits
Great appreciation and credit must go to:

• • Ham / Mock & Associates, Inc. - Landscape Services, Corvallis
• • Nicholas Russo – Renaissance Remodeling, Design & Restoration, Eugene
• • Wendy Beck Nichols - Interior Designer and Owner, Corvallis Floor Covering, Inc.
• • Premier Electric, Corvallis – Rob Bloom, Owner
• • The vision and patience of the homeowners.