Welcome to the Powell Construction Remodeling Blog! Look below to see projects as they are being built, step-by-step. We’re based in Corvallis, Oregon. To learn more about Powell Construction and view our extensive Portfolio collection with before and after photos of kitchens, bathrooms, additions, and whole-house remodels, click on the “Powell Construction Webpage” link to the right. We hope you enjoy your visit!
Share on FacebookWe had a wonderful day out on the water with In His Wakes, a non-profit organization that helps provide area youth with “A Day to Remember.” It’s the opportunity of a lifetime for predominately at-risk youth, giving them an unforgettable day on the water.
Participants engage in various water sports such as swimming, boat riding, knee boarding, water skiing and wake boarding.
These activities break through walls of fear, distrust, and low self-esteem and expose the joy and smiles that have been suppressed by a life time of challenges.
Through the on-water activities, the time invested in the participant’s life, and the life changing message of Jesus Christ, “A Day to Remember” becomes a starting point for a new life for the participants as they gain confidence, self esteem, and new found hope to face the challenges of life.
This is the second year in a row that Powell Construction has sponsored the event, held at a local lake. Thanks to all the volunteers who came out to help and thanks to Mark and Lynn for the use of the lake.
Share on FacebookInterior Remodel and Furniture Installation
NIRSA is a national sports and recreation organization based in Corvallis, Oregon. They came to Powell Construction for the design and construction of their new, expanded office space. The original scope of work was to convert a large and under-used storage space into new offices for management level staff and additional open-office cubicles. This soon evolved into a larger renovation involving the consolidation of IT, a copy center and fully renovated break room. The drawings below show the open space and the new layout.
Existing and New Floor Plans
As with most projects, the final layout was achieved after several variations were discussed and modified. Many hours were spent talking to the staff of various departments to determine what was and was not working. Powell Construction took an assortment of ideas to create a cohesive plan that accomplishes all of the work and storage needs of all departments.
Downstairs, the space has been completely transformed from storage to office cubicles for accounting and two additional offices were constructed for management. New cabinetry was designed and built for filing and general storage. A copy area has also been incorporated for the convenience of the staff. A larger bank of base cabinets and uppers was installed outside the new offices for general copy, fax and mailing needs.
Upstairs, the server room was made directly accessible by the technical staff through the addition of a pocket door. A complete copy / mail / ship center has been created with a large island in the middle to facilitate layout of large copy jobs and plenty of storage for paper, boxes and office supplies.
The break room is now open and spacious. It can also be closed off from the rest of the space so the sounds and smells of lunch activities are not disruptive to meetings and work in the adjacent offices.
Additional lighting was installed for two display areas which showcase past and present directors of the organization.
Check out the Home and Garden section of the Oregonian to see an article on a whole house remodel that Powell Construction did for the Rose family in North Albany.
http://www.oregonlive.com/hg/index.ssf/2010/07/farmhouse_flavor_a_whole-house.html
ALBANY — The old farmhouse tucked off the road was the change the Rose family was looking for.
The house was the right size, the property spacious, the barn perfect for the horses, and the view of Mount Jefferson wasn’t bad. The view, however, was best enjoyed while folding laundry in the utility room tucked into a corner off the kitchen, which was a tad tight with a small island, limited counter space and an eating area Mark Rose despised.
“It really was not very well thought-out,” says Mona Rose of the kitchen she endured for four years. “But it was livable.” Not quite as livable as it is now, after a major remodel kicked down some walls, re-sited the dining area, utility room and powder room, and resulted in an airy great room with an ample kitchen flanked with generous windows and anchored with an impressive, granite-topped island.
In fact, the project turned into an entire house remodel.
BEFORE: The kitchen was a classic U-shape with the cooktop taking up the entire island, leaving no room to set anything down. The banister, which didn’t move, is just barely noticeable to the right of the fridge. Photo courtesy of Powell Construction
While Mona and Mark and daughter Caitlin moved into a rental in Albany, the folks from Powell Construction took over, touching every inch of the house and making a jewel of a new kitchen.
Mona Rose says they’d talked about remodeling the house in stages, but then wondered why drag it out.
With a lists of ideas, the Roses met with Tom Powell and Martine Ayers from Powell Construction. In turn, Ayers came back with three plans, open ears, shopping stamina and direction, Mona Rose says.
“We spent hours and hours together,” she says, adding that she had a general idea of the look she wanted but was unsure about styles and didn’t want the kitchen to end up looking out-of-line from its farmhouse roots.
Rose’s No. 1 goal was to get an open kitchen that better connected to the nearby family room.
With a large family — five of their six kids are grown and out of the house but often return for family gatherings — Rose wanted room. Relocating the powder room that was next to the kitchen, and the laundry room that was next to that, would greatly expand the footprint. Going one step further and grabbing the space taken up by a porch just off the laundry room would allow for a roomy, inviting dining area complete with built-ins. This was a jackpot of an idea. Mark Rose so disliked where the old dining table was, Mona Rose says he never sat there to eat.
Both she and Ayers agree that choosing the materials and finishes went pretty smoothly. Despite the endless variety of everything from flooring to countertops to lightings, Rose knew what she liked and Ayers skillfully edited the selections.
Although Rose says she’s not a huge fan of wood, she did want hardwood flooring. Both women agreed it was a strong “farm” look, but Rose wanted to contrast that with the cabinets, opting for creamy white painted maple. For the island, however, darker sapele wood (a tropical African tree reminiscent of mahogany) was used and it was designed to look more like a piece of furniture than cabinetry.
The layout and cabinet configuration works perfectly, Rose says. Her planning and measuring of utensils, pots, pans and plates paid off with everything fitting its assigned space.
Glass tiles in the backsplash add just the right touch of sparkle to the clean traditional lines of the white subway tile and reflect the colors sprinkled through the dark, Uba Tuba granite (a type of igneous rock that has a quartz and mica composition).
Two sinks, two dishwashers, two ovens and ample counter space allow for four or five people to be working in the kitchen at once, Rose says.
After a year in her new kitchen, she says there isn’t a thing she’d change.
Heidi Powell, business manager of Corvallis-based Powell Construction, credits the Roses for the success. They had their priorities and knew their budget but remained open to ideas.
“That’s the ideal,” Powell says.
THE PROJECT: Change a cramped kitchen/disconnected family room into one great room while also capitalizing on the property’s view.
GETTING THE LOOK: Several material selections were driven by the fact that this home — although revamped over the years — dates back to 1911 and sits on 26 acres of farmland in the Willamette Valley. Owner Mona Rose says she wanted to guard against the kitchen’s looking like it dropped in from a different region.
Flooring: Heidi Powell, business manager of Powell Construction, liked the traditional look hardwoods brought to the room. She felt it was in keeping with what you’d find in an older farm home. Powell, Rose and designer Martine Ayers agreed that using one flooring throughout the new great room unified the space.
Cabinets: Simple, creamy white cabinets with old-fashioned pulls and a touch of bead board created a bright, welcoming kitchen with a nod to the past.
Faith Cathcart/The OregonianWindows: Adding several windows to the new kitchen space not only embraced the pastoral views — and the vista of Mount Jefferson — but also brought the farm-feel indoors.
A FAVORITE: Formerly, when you entered the kitchen from the garage, the first stop was the dining table, which became a collection zone for everything, Rose said. Now, that area has been transformed into a mud room with hooks for coats, a place for shoes and a storage cabinet and countertop to drop keys and purses and charge cell phones.
THE PROS: Powell Construction, 2025 S.E. Third, Corvallis; 541-752-0805.
THE WIN: This project won the 2010 regional Contractor of the Year Award from the National Association of the Remodeling Industry for a kitchen in the $80,000 to $120,000 category and the Outstanding Remodeling Achievement Award from the Oregon Remodeling Association in the same category.
Share on FacebookOne of Powell Construction’s projects is pictured on the Oregon Remodeling Association’s (ORA) home page next to “Looking for Quality Professionals?” To see more of the award winning project including a before picture go to Photo Gallery and then Award Entry Photos.
http://www.oregonremodelers.com/
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Having recently moved from San Francisco to Corvallis, Angela Strickland brings 8 dynamic years of experience in Interior Architecture and Design to the Powell Construction team. Educated at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, the Universitario di Lingue Moderna in Milan, and the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, Angela has worked on a wide range of projects from homes to hotels to spa facilities. Angela specializes in creating a cohesive, total design experience for her clients, and in so doing offers a full range of design services for all aspects of home renovation. Angela aspires to remain true to herself by producing quality, inspirational and life-enhancing design. She passionately believes good design can support well-being, and her use of color theory and sustainable materials enriches her projects with beauty, intelligence, structure and flow, appealing to all the human senses.
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