Oregon Home | 45 CUSTOM FIT: Willco Transparency, communication and collaboration guide Willco’s design-build process. Creative Remodel Takes Irvington Cottage to New Heights BY RACHEL BUCCI WHEN RICIA GITTINS approached Willco, Inc. to remodel her 1923 cottage in Portland’s historic Irvington neighborhood, she had a vision and some very specific needs. The primary suite was on the second floor, accessed by steep, narrow stairs, and the laundry room was in the basement, down another flight of stairs. She knew when she purchased the home three years earlier that she’d need to remodel so she could age in place. When expanding the main floor — and the footprint of the home — proved cumbersome and costly, what they landed on instead was an innovative way to safely access all three levels. With the help of Willco’s co-owner James Garrett, Gittins found a design solution that will keep her in her home for many years to come. “We looked at different ideas to put all the living areas on the main floor,” recalls Garrett. “We asked what it would look like, how it would be configured and what would it cost. Then Ricia had the wild idea to see if we could fit an elevator. The idea was obviously fun, but the question was how do we make that work?”
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