Gene Darco Painting has been a family-owned business for almost 30 years. They are located in the St. Johns area of Portland, Oregon.

Gene Darco started his painting company back in 1982. Before that he started studying painting in 1978 when he was in an apprenticeship program.  When he reached the level of Journeyman his wife said they were at a place where if he was going to start his own business, now was the time. So at the age of 23 and with his third child due in two months, Gene and his wife Peggy set out to begin what is known today as Gene Darco Painting.  And what is amazing is that by word of mouth only, his company grew to include both residential work and commercial – with companies like Nike, Louis Vuitton, Saks Fifth Avenue, Starbucks, Trader Joe’s and all Shari’s Restaurants for the past 15 years.

When I asked Gene about what it is like working with Hardline Design and Construction he said, “Their quality control is stellar!  We work with other contractors and the comparison isn’t the same.  We know exactly what to expect and work needing to be done prior to our arrival is always completed.”  Plus, “Adam and Sarah are really nice people that I can’t say enough good things about.”

Speaking with Gene the one thing I took away from our conversation was this guy really loves what he does. He credits his painting career to allow him to spend time with his family and how even some his children have been painters.  His mission: “To get exactly what you want done but only better” because his and his family’s name is on the line.

Painting the Louis Vuitton store window in downtown Portland.

Photos courtesy of Gene Darco Painting.

Gene Darco Painting is located at:

flatline911@comcast.net or call Gene: 503-810-3743

I had been in the Downey home before, when I went to photograph the “Before Work” photos.  I had even seen the design plans Sarah drew up and mentally knew what to expect.  I knew where the large sliding glass door would be moved, where walls would be removed and what changes would be made. Last week I went to the Downey home again to photograph the “After Construction” photos.  I was greeted at the door by Bridget, a very charming and gracious woman.  I stood in the doorway speaking with her for a moment when I stoped the conversation with a rather loud, “WOW!”  Nothing, and I mean Nothing prepared me for what I was about to see.

What I had remembered about the Downey kitchen was that it was a very small kitchen for two people who loved to cook.  I also remembered the living room was walled off from the rest of the house – but not anymore!

The new Downey-Street Kitchen!

Removing walls allow for an open flow that lets in more light.

The kitchen now has a great open concept that flows into the dining room and living room. Where there once were walls that were like a barricade, there is now space and light.

BEFORE: Behind the folding doors is the living room. Peek through the narrow doorway to find the kitchen.

The homeowners had found Hardline Design and Construction through Angie’s List and did their homework by checking references and getting bids.  I asked them what they enjoyed most about their new kitchen and the amount of space and ease of movement was a unanamous theme.

Bridget mentioned that it is worth talking with several people before settling with a contractor. They had originally found an architect that had worked on Street of Dream homes but found the combination of designer and builder made the process easier.  Bill said, “They bring the complete package and they (Sarah and Adam) understand the total picture.  The combination of the two of them made the process so much smoother.  They understood this wasn’t a Street of Dreams house and they heard me and ‘got it’.  We wanted a practical affordable kitchen and that is what we got.  Even if this was a Street of Dreams home we would still use them (Hardline Design and Construction).

Bridget’s advice for anyone venturying into a remodel project:  ”Know what you want and figure out how to get  as close as you can to it with the money you have.”  And what had to be one of the nicest compliments I have heard, ” This isn’t a Street of Dreams house but if it was we would still work with Hardline Design and Construction.  ”I can’t imagine just using a contractor or just a designer alone.  They are the complete package and excellent professionals.”

Thank you Bill and Bridget for allowing us into your home and trusting us with your dreams and ideas.  You were wonderful to work with and we are so honored to have had the chance to get to know you.  Enjoy cooking in your new kitchen and trying to use up all that new cabinet space!

Now for the tour:

AFTER: The new kitchen with the Aubergine Marmoleum floor. Alubergine is the French word for eggplant. This ended up being a wonderful shade of deep purple with darker tones of brown. The color is rich and warm especially with the wood cabinets.

BEFORE: Looking into the kitchen and the folding doors to the living room. Notice how small and confined the kitchen space is.

AFTER: Looking into the new kitchen space. The original island is now gone to make way for better flow and a better use of space. There is now an abundance of counter space for prep work.

AFTER: One thing the homeowners found was a narrower yet taller refrigerator would have all the space they needed for food and save on much needed floor space.

BEFORE: A small footprint meant very little room to move around. The kitchen really had room for no more than one person in the kitchen.

AFTER: Now open and bright thanks to a new sky light above.

BEFORE: Looking into the dining room. Much of the usable space is located on this half of the room but really is needed in the kitchen.

AFTER: View from the kitchen into the dining room. Now a long island fits into the room and there is still plenty of space to move around.

Floor to ceiling cabinets are a new addition of much needed storage.

BEFORE: Enter into the Street-Downey home. The bi-fold doors leading into the living room will be removed for a more open and welcoming feel.

BEFORE: The unfinished closet to the left will become much needed kitchen space.

Into the 1968 kitchen!

BEFORE: The homeowners are a couple who love to cook together so every inch in this tiny kitchen become precious. The new design will open up space to allow more than one person behind the counter.

BEFORE: The stove will get a new and more functional location.

BEFORE: Our clients love color. Their kitchen and dining room floors will be in an aubergine marmoleum. If you know French you can figure out the color. If not, wait for the After photos to see the changes made.

Before: The existing vinyl patio sliding door will be relocated.

BEFORE: The bi-fold doors only this time they are in the dining room. When these doors are closed one would never know a living room even existed.

Just like a good mystery novel, I am going to leave you in suspense about the changes that will happen to this kitchen.  Good changes are on the way!

Carrier Furnace

Last year during the coldest days of our Portland, Oregon winter, our furnace died.  It was a total, no resuscitation, no nine lives kind of death.  We knew it was inevitable.  We had an energy audit done on our home a couple of years before by the Energy Trust (they provide free energy audits if you live in the Portland Metro area and are serviced by  certain energy providers) and were told the end was approaching. It didn’t help us feel any better when the guy doing our energy audit stated that the furnace was older than he was, by at least five years and almost half the age of our 1947 home.   But we were hopeful because furnaces are 1) expensive and 2) not the most showy/fun of expenses someone can make around the holidays. But then she died on a cold cold winter day leaving us freezing and frustrated.

I’ve mentioned before that I do marketing for Hardline Design and Construction and have been for the past year. Sarah Cox and Adam Lucas, owners of Hardline are very knowledgeable and  gave me a contact that they used for their construction jobs but at the time he was currently serving our country in the military (Thank You!). We needed to find another company and what I discovered was what I have written about so often in these posts.  It is important to do your research in the very beginning to find a company who will work the best for you and with you.

Keep in mind it was very cold in our house.  We had purchased space heaters and borrowed others to keep warm but we were determined to find the right company that would provide quality work with a product that would last. My husband gathered a list of questions for each of the SIX companies he interviewed.  Each came to our home and inspected the site.  And of course, for us the job wasn’t a quick and easy deal.  Our old furnace was installed over a gaping hole with a dirt floor underneath and another air return needed to be installed to help remedy the Sahara Desert we had on one side of the house.

We asked question, we read reports and we checked references – not only for the different companies we were asking to give us a bid but also for the different models of furnaces. We discovered we wanted a Carrier furnace because they rated well and they would be less expensive to operate in the long run because their filters were less expensive then the other furnace manufacture we were looking at.  In the end, we went with Climate Control because their bid was fair for the amount of work they would be doing and their bid was very detailed about where all the costs were coming from.  Their crew also kept our house very clean and they were very professional but also just plain nice to work with. Plus (and a major plus at that)  their referrals and also their ratings on the Energy Trust website were very good.

What have been my lessons learned?  It has been a year now with the best heat I think I have ever had in a house in my entire life.  But what I take away from the experience is the value of checking references and comparing apples to apples when you get a bid from a contractor.  Other bids we received looked great because the dollar amount was a little smaller but what they were providing was not the same.  If you don’t know what something means, ASK and don’t be afraid to ask until you understand.  What made me even more happy was when the city inspector came for the inspection our furnace installation passed the first time.  The city inspector said that doesn’t always happen with furnace installations and that the company did a great job.

For the first six months or so after our furnace purchase my husband would take any guest to our home into the garage to see the furnace. I admit this is kind of nerdy (sorry) but it is a really great furnace and it is great to be warm.

BEFORE: Bryan and Susan's home as it was without a covered front porch.

Adam Lucas added the front porch with concrete stairs and pathway tie-in to fit the scale and period of homes in the neighborhood. The result is a front porch that makes an already charming home into something fantastic.  Amazing what one may think of as a small addition can actually do for the entire home.

AFTER: New and very improved! A porch that will give shelter from the weather and welcomes visitors.If you look closely to the roof of the porch you can notice two things: 1) the fir underside of the porch roof and 2) the continued design from the original gable end extending to the front of the new porch. This matches with the other gable end on the right side of the front of the house.

New Porch with original porthole window .

The porch style is traditional for this era of home which makes it look like it has always been part of the house and adds value to the home.

Thank you Bryan and Susan!  You were a fantastic couple to work with.  We hope you enjoy your covered porch for many, many years (especially on rainy days like today).

Choose the right team of designer and contractor and they will see to it your dream home becomes a reality. Image from the Apartment Therapy article: Best Decisions and Biggest Regrets.

As the writer and photographer for Hardline Design and Construction I come with my own set of skills.  I love interviewing clients who have begun and or completed their renovation projects.  I love sharing their photos with you and telling you their stories.

I have always been a big Do-It-Yourselfer.  I grew up in a family with 7 generations of girls – no boys except those that married in – and because of this we learned to do a lot of things on our own. I have tackled a number of home improvement projects because I thought I could.  Does that mean everything I have ever done ends up looking like the pages of magazines I so admired and so wanted to emulate? Hell No!  And I say it like that because that is how I felt after some of my projects were completed. Especially after I painted my kitchen Mango Orange.  Not only was it such a very wrong color choice but the walls couldn’t dry fast enough for me to paint over them -and that is with every fan I owned going at high speed.

That was before I worked for Hardline Design and Construction.  Since those dark days  I have learned how the right team of people do save you money and frustration because you will be completing a job the right way the first time.  I tell you this because I have been in the same situation as many of you:  torn between if you think you are up for a challenge and wondering if contractors and designers are cost effective.

The right designer will select, arrange and navagate  all the fixtures and materials in a way that will flow with your family. The right contractor will build, install, paint and plumb those materials so the function right and will last. The best contractors also make sure permits are in order and will do your construction to code to keep your family safe.

This article by Apartment Therapy is a very well thought-out review of someone’s kitchen remodel. The writer is candid about what she loved about her remodel and what she wished she had done differently.  Though this speaks specifically towards kitchen remodels, the information here applies to any remodel a homeowner may consider taking on.  An underlying theme in this blog: hiring professional and reliable contractors and designers do end up saving you money and headache. Read and learn a few tips from someone else’s experience.  Reading this article is a wise choice before heading into your own remodel or renovation.

As an adult, I am still dragging furniture home with hopes of bringing new life to a forgotten piece.  I especially seem to gravitate towards chairs.  I justify this by telling myself it is okay because chairs are easily reupholstered.

For my first upholstery project however,  I was a bit over zealous. I found an Empire sofa in Bend (my father-in-law brought back to Portland for me -Thank you, Otis!) with great lines but a little ratty on the fabic.  The fact that it was still stuffed with horse hair and straw didn’t exactly scream comfort either.   At the time we were living in a 1910 vintage home and we wanted the sofa to be compatable with the woodwork and built-ins the home already had.  While looking for fabric stores that had a wide variety of fabrics I came across Mill End.  I went to their flagship store in Portland and have been a loyal fan ever since.

Mill End Fabric Store in Portland, Oregon

Mill End Fabrics is one of the largest fabric stores in the country.  They carry everything from bridal to children’s to upholstery fabrics and every thing else you can think of.  On a recent trip for one of my other projects, I found Calvin Klein fabrics that I have seen in recent ads for some of their furnishings.  I also saw fabric that just the other week I saw in an episode of HGTV’s Color Spash. Not seeing what you like?  You can also special order fabric from high end designers like Kravet.

HGTV's Color Splash is one of my favorite shows. The owners of this home wanted a bedroom with the feel of a European cathedral. I spotted the exact same fabric that is used to make the bed spread at Mill End. It also comes in a beautiful blue and a soft and subtle yellow.

This is a display at Mill End. The retro-look fabric gives a youthful playfulness to the more traditional Victorian headboard.

Guaranteed, this is just a small section of the store.

About a month ago I discovered Mill End accepts Joanne Fabric coupons for 25% your purchase. Joanne Fabric coupons found in the Sunday paper are good for one coupon per person, per day.  If you have a larger project such as a large chair, sofa or drapes, this adds up to real savings.

Now that I am in a much more modern home (1947), I have been searching for items with a vintage vibe that I can mix with modern furnishings.  These 1940s chairs by Howell Furnishings were covered in a moth-eaten and cat hair covered wool when I purchased them. I made new cushions and covered them with this circular chenielle fabric that I found at Mill End.  I love the repitition of pattern in the fabric, the arms of the chairs and the curves of my $6 Craig’s List coffee table find.

One of my latest upholstery projects. The grey fabric gives a Mad men grey flannel suit vibe.

The two sofas were some of my early upholstery projects using Mill End fabrics.

Mill End Has two location on both the West and East sides.

Portland Flagship Store:  9701 SE McLoughlin Blvd, Portland Oregon, 97222

Beaverton Store: 4955 SW Western Avenue, Beaverton, Oregon 97005

<a href=”http://millendstore.com/”>Mill End Fabric Store</a>

Hardline Design and Construction has been in business for 20 years and over those 20 years, we have worked hard to earn our client’s business but most of all, trust.  Here are questions we suggest you ask when searching for any skilled labor.  And if you are looking for a contractor, hopefully you will give us a call and allow us the opportunity to be part of your project.

Tips for Selecting a Contractor:

1.  Collect potential contractor names:  Ask friends and family for names of contractors they have worked with.  Also, check Angie’s List.  Angie’s List provides a list of service professionals in your area that are listed with them.

2.  References, References, References!  We can’t stress this one enough.  I once knew an owner of a company who hired someone without checking references and he got what he deserved.  Don’t make the same mistake when it comes to your home. Make up a list of questions to make sure you ask reference the same questions.   Also, Angie’s List not only has a listing of contractors in your area, but referals and comments by those who had work performed by those contractors (Hardline Design and Construction has an A-listing on Angie’s List).

3. Interview the potential contractor.  Before even getting bids, meet with the contractor to see if your personalities will work together. Ask question, lots of questions.  Do you have a vintage home you want to restore to its original period charm?  Are they willing to do so?  Do you have a home you want an artisan’s touch?  Ask well ahead of time.

4.  Make sure the contractor is licenced:  Yes, your neighbor’s second cousin Vinnie may know a thing or two about construction but that doesn’t mean the job will be done right.  Working with a licenced professional will allow you recorse in case of complications.  Once you have a contractor’s licence number, actually look it up on the state contracting board’s website. Does the contractor have any complaints or disiplinary action?

5. Does the contractor do the right thing and get permits?

6.  How long has the contractor been in business?  Look for someone who has staying power – a good rule of thumb is at least 10 years.

7. Does the contractor carry insurance?  Ask to see their certificates.

The Oregon Contractor’s Board has useful information to help you find the contractor.  This link goes to a check list but look at their website for more resources or to check out a contractor’s licence.

https://ccbed.ccb.state.or.us/WebPDF/CCB/Publications/consumer_checklist.pdf

Kitchen remodel by Hardline Design and Construction. A local, family owned business serving Oregon and Washington for over 20 years.