Hammer & Hand’s Stephanie Lynch discusses her remodel of this historic home.
I sat down this morning with Hammer & Hand’s lead carpenter and craftsperson extraordinaire Stephanie Lynch to discuss her work creating a cool second floor addition in Portland’s Mt. Tabor neighborhood.
The Portland remodel project, designed by Emerick Architects and built by Stephanie and her team, transformed a single story Craftsman home into a two-story jewel.
“The whole idea was to make the addition look like it’s always been there,” said Steph.
How was this accomplished? Close attention to detail, exacting craft, and excellent design.
The detail of the exterior siding, with its short-short-long pattern was carefully recreated, as was the unique flaring trim detail of the window casings. This casing was also applied to the custom dog entrance accessed from the back deck.
“We built this little exterior doggy door with a water trough right outside the door,” Steph explained. “The dogs walk through the water to rinse their feet off, walk through the door into the mud room, dry their feet while walking across the mud room rug, and then enter the house.”
The new back deck and planter box were crafted with ipe, creating a within-arm’s-reach space for part of the owners’ plant collection.
This staircase was built with clear vertical grain (CVG) fir in the classic Craftsman style.
The unique exterior window casing detail was carried indoors and used throughout the addition. Groovy historic light fixtures grace the bedrooms and hall.
The bathroom features a classic floor and vanity as well as more contemporary touches like a wall-mounted toilet and “apple martini” countertop. “Our clients wanted to stay true to the house, but also added touches of the modern,” said Steph.
Whenever I get the chance to chat with Hammer & Hand’s craftspeople about projects like this one, I’m struck by the passion that folks like Steph bring to the work. This is a company of stewards – building professionals who care about preserving the narrative contained within each building by crafting work that is, in Steph’s words, “true to the house”. It’s a fire in the belly that can’t be faked … and it shines through in the beautiful results of each job.
-Zack
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