Kitchen Projects
Contemporary Kitchen and Addition for Portland Home

Modern Pacific Northwest Remodel and Second Story Buildout

This charming craftsman-style home sits in a lush green neighborhood near Custer Park in southwest Portland. With a sizable living room, four bedrooms, and a primary/master suite, the house had many of the qualities the family was looking for. However, it lacked a few key elements that would make it more functional and comfortable for everyday living and hosting guests.

Find out how Neil Kelly’s veteran design consultant Byron Kellar helped our clients reimagine their space with a renovated kitchen and partial second story addition.

Design Objectives and Client Wishlist

“What the house lacked was a formal dining room and the space to entertain large groups, a master bedroom that would comfortably accommodate a king-size bed, adequate closet space, and a mudroom to bring in the large dog from the yard,” says Kellar.

Second Story Expansion

  • Larger primary/master bedroom
  • More closet space

“Additionally, with the cooktop on the island and no serving space, the kitchen was unappealing and not suited for more than one cook or entertaining,” Kellar adds.

Kitchen Upgrade and Dining Room Expansion

  • More cooking space
  • Room for entertaining guests
  • More counter space for serving
  • Formal dining area
  • A place to bring dog inside

Design Challenges

Like all home renovations, Kellar and the Neil Kelly team faced a few obstacles with this project. “The challenges were structural in nature,” he explains. The dining room addition needed something to support the egress, and the existing rear gable roof lacked enough support for the upstairs expansion. Also, the design needed to allow for ample lighting in the second story bedrooms.

Design Solutions

With decades of experience in whole-house projects and complex structural designs, Kellar was able to come up with solutions for these challenges. A hip roof was added to the dining room, and the lateral loads were modified to support the new walls. A window was added to the front upstairs bedroom as well, which created more natural lighting while making the house more symmetrical.

Structural Support and Expansions

  • 175-square-foot buildout on ground level
  • Dining room addition with hip roof
  • Downstairs mudroom
  • 82-square-foot addition to primary/master bedroom
  • Modified lateral loads to support new exterior walls

“The dining room addition allowed the kitchen island size to increase, and moving the cooktop to the kitchen perimeter allowed both an informal seating area at the island, as well as a wonderful buffet setting,” says Kellar.

Lighting and Functionality

  • Additional upstairs window
  • Dining room accessible from kitchen and living room

“We designed a single-story 175-square-foot addition on the ground level that would accommodate a large dining room accessible from both the kitchen and living room,” he notes. Additionally, a mudroom was added to the bottom story, and 82 square feet of space was added to the primary/master bedroom.

Special Features and Customizations

Kellar worked closely with the homeowners to develop a design that worked for their unique needs, lifestyle, and taste. To accommodate their desire for an enhanced entertaining space, the fireplace was moved into the living room, which made it feel more formal.

Originally, the primary/master bedroom had a small closet and seating nook. “The addition and window relocation allowed us to capture the nook space for a second closet while making the original closet both wider and deeper,” Kellar adds. “This also allowed much more space around the bed while maintaining a seating area near the bedroom door.”

A half-wall at the top of the stairs was replaced with balustrades and newel posts for a more open feel. The team also widened the hall between the front bedrooms on the second story by five inches.

Additionally, the existing carpet and laminate flooring throughout the house was replaced with elegant oak planks to match the entryway and kitchen. Other special features include a stained oak stairwell and quartz countertops in the kitchen, both of which complemented the style and character of the home.

Portland Metro Area Additions and Remodels

With offices in Seattle, Bend, Eugene, and Portland, Neil Kelly is proud to serve homeowners throughout the Pacific Northwest. If you’re inspired by this contemporary home renovation or want to speak with an expert about second story addition ideas, we encourage you to get in touch with our design/build experts today.