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Pro Spotlight: How to Refresh Your Home for Today
Update your spaces for a modern lifestyle and look using these tips from Portland contractors
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Who: Arent Wortel and Cassie Cuozzo of Right Arm Construction
Where: Portland, Oregon
In Cuozzo’s own words: “We are big fans of preserving and infilling what you already have, making your home new again to suit your current needs.”
Whether your home was built in the 1890s or the 1980s, it might just not fit your style or needs anymore. Maybe you want more space or a bright, open floor plan. Whatever the reason, consider remodeling rather than moving. “Home prices are skyrocketing, so for a lot of people, it makes more sense to put the money into making their existing house what they want,” says Arent Wortel, who owns Right Arm Construction in Portland with his wife, Cassie Cuozzo. “That way, you can tailor your home to how you live and want it to look.”
Where: Portland, Oregon
In Cuozzo’s own words: “We are big fans of preserving and infilling what you already have, making your home new again to suit your current needs.”
Whether your home was built in the 1890s or the 1980s, it might just not fit your style or needs anymore. Maybe you want more space or a bright, open floor plan. Whatever the reason, consider remodeling rather than moving. “Home prices are skyrocketing, so for a lot of people, it makes more sense to put the money into making their existing house what they want,” says Arent Wortel, who owns Right Arm Construction in Portland with his wife, Cassie Cuozzo. “That way, you can tailor your home to how you live and want it to look.”
Photos by KuDa Photography
Contracting couple. Wortel began working in construction when a friend invited him to help build high-end spiral staircases out of wood. “They were really beautiful, and that job laid the foundation for me to become interested in carpentry and building in general,” he says. Though Wortel started his firm on his own in 2003, he looped in his wife in a few years later. “We work really well together; she takes care of the business end, and I do the hands-on part,” he says.
Contracting couple. Wortel began working in construction when a friend invited him to help build high-end spiral staircases out of wood. “They were really beautiful, and that job laid the foundation for me to become interested in carpentry and building in general,” he says. Though Wortel started his firm on his own in 2003, he looped in his wife in a few years later. “We work really well together; she takes care of the business end, and I do the hands-on part,” he says.
Hometown pride. Both Wortel and Cuozzo grew up in the Portland area, so sprucing up homes in their locale especially resonates with them. “We hung out in these neighborhoods and old houses, so we get a lot of satisfaction retrofitting and remodeling them now,” Cuozzo says. “We enjoy figuring out what will best help clients, putting the pieces of the puzzle together.”
Ready to rejuvenate your home? Wortel and Cuozzo share their tips below.
Ready to rejuvenate your home? Wortel and Cuozzo share their tips below.
1. Add Square Footage
If you want more room, consider building up or out, or digging into your basement. “It just depends on the style of your house. You want an addition to look well-thought-out,” Wortel says.
In the North Portland home seen here, a young couple enjoyed living with the husband’s mother but wanted more space and privacy than the existing low-ceilinged basement provided. Wortel remade the attached garage into an accessory dwelling unit, or ADU. The unfinished garage space downstairs (not shown) became the husband’s barbershop; the upper floor and loft, both seen here, were finished out in pale wood and white walls, with the 20-foot ceiling and skylights making the space feel airy and large.
See more of this project
If you want more room, consider building up or out, or digging into your basement. “It just depends on the style of your house. You want an addition to look well-thought-out,” Wortel says.
In the North Portland home seen here, a young couple enjoyed living with the husband’s mother but wanted more space and privacy than the existing low-ceilinged basement provided. Wortel remade the attached garage into an accessory dwelling unit, or ADU. The unfinished garage space downstairs (not shown) became the husband’s barbershop; the upper floor and loft, both seen here, were finished out in pale wood and white walls, with the 20-foot ceiling and skylights making the space feel airy and large.
See more of this project
2. Update What You Already Have
Perhaps you have enough space but you want to update mechanical systems and your home’s overall aesthetic.
The owners of a Tudor in Northeast Portland loved their neighborhood, but the home’s dark, dated interiors didn’t suit their style. The team completely gutted the space, refitting it with new electrical, plumbing, heating and insulation. The arches in the kitchen, seen here, mimic period details, as does the new white oak flooring; in other parts of the house, the floors are original. The island’s Carrara marble waterfall countertop, the shiny appliances and the glass pendants are modern.
See more of this project
Perhaps you have enough space but you want to update mechanical systems and your home’s overall aesthetic.
The owners of a Tudor in Northeast Portland loved their neighborhood, but the home’s dark, dated interiors didn’t suit their style. The team completely gutted the space, refitting it with new electrical, plumbing, heating and insulation. The arches in the kitchen, seen here, mimic period details, as does the new white oak flooring; in other parts of the house, the floors are original. The island’s Carrara marble waterfall countertop, the shiny appliances and the glass pendants are modern.
See more of this project
3. Take Down Walls
Open spaces are desirable now, Wortel says: “People don’t want to be sequestered in their kitchens by themselves; they want things open and airy and light.”
For the Southwest Portland home seen here, the team took out the traditional ranch’s flat 7-foot ceilings and put up new ones, slanted to 16 feet, then added a skylight to make it extra bright. They removed a wall in the prior galley kitchen to merge cooking and living spaces, then pushed out the exterior wall by 8 feet, adding a wall of windows to enhance the capacious feel.
See more of this project
More: For more information on Arent Wortel and Cassie Cuozzo and examples of their work, visit Right Arm Construction’s Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
Open spaces are desirable now, Wortel says: “People don’t want to be sequestered in their kitchens by themselves; they want things open and airy and light.”
For the Southwest Portland home seen here, the team took out the traditional ranch’s flat 7-foot ceilings and put up new ones, slanted to 16 feet, then added a skylight to make it extra bright. They removed a wall in the prior galley kitchen to merge cooking and living spaces, then pushed out the exterior wall by 8 feet, adding a wall of windows to enhance the capacious feel.
See more of this project
More: For more information on Arent Wortel and Cassie Cuozzo and examples of their work, visit Right Arm Construction’s Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
Right Arm Construction is a Portland Metro area builder specializing in:
-Home Building
-ADUs
-House Lifts
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Review by Meredith Malnick:
Right Arm took an original 1924 bungalow, where nothing had been touched since 1924, and beautifully restored and renovated it into a gorgeous, energy efficient, dream bungalow.
The project manageme...More
Thanks Houzz for the Spotlight article! It was fun to be interviewed and share our ideas on Remodeling in Portland.