Mid-Century Inspired Vancouver Whole House Remodel
Project Overview
A 1971 home in Vancouver, Washington had been through years of substandard DIY renovations and five years of vacancy before its owners brought it back. Designer Fabian Genovesi led this whole-house remodel and ADU conversion, undoing the damage and restoring the home’s original mid-century character while adding the modern systems and finishes it needed to function as a rental property.
Key Facts
- Scope Level
- Reimagine
- Service
- Whole House Remodeling
- Size
- 3,000 sq ft
- Location
- Evergreen Highlands, Vancouver, WA
The Challenge
The homeowners wanted to restore a childhood home that had been neglected, then altered by a series of DIY renovations that worked against the home’s original architecture rather than with it. After sitting vacant for five years, the house needed functional upgrades throughout — not just cosmetic ones.
One of the most visible losses was the sunken living room, a defining feature of the original design that had been framed over at some point during the DIY years. The kitchen and both bathrooms had been gutted or modified in ways that didn’t hold up, and the basement needed to be converted into a fully separate ADU rental unit.
Budget was the central constraint. This wasn’t a renovation funded by equity extraction or a luxury budget. The owners needed the finished home to perform as a rental, which meant every dollar had to go toward durability and function, not just aesthetics. We had to find materials that could take renter wear while still honoring the home’s architectural period.
The Solution
We approached the budget constraint by standardizing materials across the house, selecting durable, low-maintenance finishes that could be used consistently in multiple rooms rather than specifying one-off selections for each space. That decision kept costs down without sacrificing the cohesion of the finished project.
Restoring the sunken living room was one of the most impactful moves of the project. Removing the framing that had obscured it brought the home’s original spatial character back. Once exposed, the ceiling beams that define the room read exactly as they were meant to. New drywall, solid oak hardwood floors, and fresh window and door casings throughout gave every room a clean, consistent foundation. We added period-appropriate wood slat walls to separate the living room, dining room, and entryway. New Milgard windows and Simpson fir doors were installed throughout, with flat black Emtek hardware tying the hardware selections together across the home.
The kitchen and bathrooms were fully gutted and rebuilt with sleek flat-panel cabinets, mixed metals in the hardware and fixtures, polished quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances, and clean white tile. The lighting selections were deliberately chosen to reference the home’s mid-century origins: bright, clean, and detailed in a way that feels period-appropriate without being a direct replica.
The basement was finished as a fully code-compliant ADU with its own dedicated systems throughout: a separate electrical subpanel, an independent water heater, its own kitchen, bathroom, laundry, and bedroom. The unit is self-contained and rental-ready, built to meet the owners’ long-term investment goals.
- Removed framing added by previous DIY renovations to restore the original sunken living room
- Exposed and highlighted original ceiling beams in the living room
- Re-framed numerous spaces and replaced drywall throughout
- Installed new solid oak hardwood floors and carpeting
- Installed new windows and doors throughout with flat black hardware
- Completed full kitchen gut and rebuild with flat-panel cabinets, polished quartz countertops, white tile, and stainless steel appliances
- Gutted and rebuilt both main floor bathrooms with new fixtures, tile, and vanity details
- Added period-appropriate wood slat walls to separate the living room, dining room, and entryway
- Selected lighting throughout to reference the home's mid-century origins
- Standardized durable, low-maintenance finishes across the home to control budget without sacrificing cohesion
- Finished basement as a fully code-compliant, self-contained ADU with its own electrical subpanel, water heater, kitchen, bathroom, laundry, and bedroom
Materials & Features
Every material was selected for longevity, beauty, and fit with the home — here is what was used and why.
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01
Cabinets
Zonavita — Warm walnut cabinetry throughout, flat panel door style
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02
Cabinet pulls
Top Knobs — Square bar pulls from the Nouveau collection in flat black
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03
Countertops
Pental Quartz — Polished "Cotton White" quartz throughout
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04
Tile
Daltile — Large and small format rectangular tile selections in "Alabaster" and "Exhibition White" set in stacked and brick patterns
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05
Flooring
Crestwood Flooring and Shaw Floors — Solid oak hardwood in "Urban Barn" throughout main living areas; soft carpet in bedrooms and primary suite
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06
Lighting fixtures
Destination Lighting and Hinkley — Matte and brushed black fixtures throughout, including pendants in the kitchen, living room, and stairwell and a chandelier in the dining room
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07
Plumbing fixtures and bath accessories
Hansgrohe and Kohler — Brushed nickel fixtures throughout; Delta Trinsic bath accessories in brilliance stainless
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08
Windows
Milgard — V400 Tuscany Vinyl in white throughout
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09
Doors and hardware
Simpson and Emtek — Fir interior doors in a shaker profile with flat black lever hardware; custom fir entry door to match
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