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A Radiant Renovation Opens a Portland Midcentury to Its Forested Lot

Located in a rare, wooded city, this midcentury home offered great potential to create seamless indoor/outdoor living.

The homeowners bought the house in 2018 and sought out help from architect Risa Boyer to improve its connection to nature and overall flow of the home. A wall separating the kitchen and dining room from the rest of the home also segmented views to the backyard. To improve the flow and views to the backyard, Boyer and contractor Hammer and Hand removed walls and installed more glazing and skylights, opening up the yard to the home. To create a generous covered patio area, the team extended the roof at the rear of the home. The new patio is accessible through a 23-foot long glass door, pocketing into the wall, allowing for a seamless flow from indoors to outdoors.

The backyard features two new structures, which connect to the main house via the landscape plan by Lilyvilla Gardens. One is a 485-square-foot guesthouse, and the other is a 375-square-foot workshop for the owner, who’s a bike builder. They have the same exterior siding as the main house: rough-sawn tongue-and-groove cedar.

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