While the building industry continues to boom in Central Oregon, with new homes being built all across the tri-county area, it’s the remodeling scene that grabbed our interest at The Bulletin’s Special Projects earlier this year. Many homes and neighborhoods around the region are reaching a point where they are due for updates.

Whether homeowners are looking to sell on the hot real estate market and need their older home to compete with all the latest in styles and trends, or they want to stay in their home but find it doesn’t suit their needs and styles anymore, remodeling projects abound.

A remodel, however, is nothing to take lightly. Recognizing that remodeling is likely on the minds of many of our readers — whether they’re contemplating it for themselves or are simply intrigued by the process and how it works — The Bulletin partnered with Central Oregon Builders Association and three local builders to present a special real estate editorial series. Our featured builders, Neil Kelly DBR, PGC Building + Design and Sun Forest Construction, shared their professional insight on each stage of a home remodel through an inside look at one of their own projects over the past seven months.

The series, which began in February and ran on the front of the real estate section every second Saturday since, followed along on these three remodeling projects and explained to our readers through story and photos what happens at every stage of an extensive renovation.

This special series was similar to the popular television programs that show viewers the inside workings of major remodeling projects, but this is print media, and therefore presented unique challenges.

Remodeling projects, we quickly learned, aren’t a seamless process. Despite the very best planning, as with any construction undertaking, things don’t always happen as planned. The reality of that realization came to us early in this series.

Schedules are continuously being shifted to accommodate for challenges, such as materials not arriving on site in a timely manner, or the wrong materials being delivered. While a slight schedule adjustment might not seem like a big deal, every piece of the schedule affects everything that comes after it.

“When the construction industry becomes extremely busy, as it currently is, two things tend to occur that affect quality and service, and these two obstacles created our biggest challenges,” said Nate Ewen, design consultant for Neil Kelly DBR. “The first is quality, or correctness, of products delivered to the job. Though material orders and paperwork are accurate, the wrong product, in some fashion, is delivered to the job, and this occurrence is largely due to the busy times.”

Whether it’s a case of manufacturers missing parts in a box (or including incorrect parts), products being damaged during delivery, distributors misplacing items, or products being made incorrectly, when the construction demand is high, quality control can slip, Ewen explained.

Another big challenge when the construction industry is busy, is the lack of workforce.

“The trade base here in Central Oregon has not grown in proportion with the construction demand since we have come out of the recent recession,” said Ewen. “So the trades and vendors have schedules that are weeks and months full before their next availability.”

Any hiccup that causes a scheduling delay, whether it’s on their own or another builder’s job, causes a ripple effect, Ewen continued.

“As well as we plan and schedule our projects we still faced this struggle several times over the four months of the project schedule,” Ewen said, reflecting on Neil Kelly’s featured remodel of a 2-story home in Tumalo that was originally built in the ‘90s.

The impact of schedule modifications to our covering the remodeling process also quickly became a reality as coordinating photos of each project as the homes entered the different phases of a remodel became its own challenge.

Just as the builders and construction crews have to adapt, we also adapted and captured what we could each month, offering a true reflection of the status of progress on the projects. It wasn’t always awe inspiring, but then, the process of a remodel really is not the part that takes your breath away.

Some of the challenges that arise during a remodel have less to do with the industry and everything to do with the structure that is being redone, particularly in older homes.

“Most of the challenges were pretty typical to just about any remodel, like weird framing issues in the existing house, poor existing plumbing and we found some rot,” said Ed Busch, owner of PGC Building + Design, whose featured remodel was a 1970s home in West Bend. “We also had a cat and a skunk move into under the house during the framing stages!”

Another aspect that comes into play during any remodel is the human element. People are complex, and ideas and visions shift and evolve, even after plans have been made, which can also cause delays and create challenges.

“Of course the homeowners also changed their minds through the process,” said Busch. “But that is OK — we are trying to make something to be enjoyed and last for a long time, so it’s better to take a little extra time and make it right.”

Even in the face of various challenges — those that can be foreseen and those that are completely unexpected — progress continues and eventually the remodel project is complete. There may be last-minute changes that have to be addressed, whether as a result of a homeowner being less than pleased with how something turned out or something simply not working as it was envisioned in the beginning; that is simply reality. But in the end, the finished product brings with it a sense of satisfaction — that awe inspiring moment when the before and after show just how a home can be transformed.

The overall effect is ultimately the most impressive aspect, but certain elements of a home renovation tend to stand out.

For Sam Houston, who was the project manager for Sun Forest Construction’s featured remodel — an early ‘90s home in the Broken Top neighborhood — the entire project was special, making it difficult to say what stood out the most in the end.

“I can’t be certain if I prefer the master bath transformation from a dark and dated feel to the light, luxurious spa-like space that the owners now enjoy, or maybe some of the intricate and expertly applied wood work details such as the burl wood inlays or the curved cabinet doors,” said Houston.

For Mike Brown, Sun Forest sales manager, the home’s new accent lighting stands out as a favorite feature.

“Cabinetry, valences, and art lighting create a glow throughout that is spectacular,” explained Brown.

The structural changes to Neil Kelly’s featured remodel stand out most in Ewen’s eyes.

“The layout, or openness, of the kitchen to the adjacent spaces is my favorite feature of this remodel because the before and after difference is drastic and dramatic,” said Ewen. “The original kitchen was closed to all surrounding spaces and disconnected from the living and entertaining spaces. Now the kitchen is open and connected.”

While most remodels follow the latest trends, sometimes what a homeowner wants and what is structurally possible takes a different turn, and results in something exceptional and unexpected. For the PGC remodel, the addition of a master suite above the existing garage turned out to be a favorite feature.

“I love the layout and the overall feel,” said Busch. “I know that most people these days want a master on the main floor, but having it up on the second floor, by itself, really helps give it a feel of a personal retreat or oasis.”

Remodels are as diverse as the people who own the homes undergoing construction. When it comes to upgrading or updating a space, the options are limitless and stretch as far as the imagination goes. In fact, as Brown pointed out, it can be overwhelming to finalize selections and details prior to demolition. But allowances can be made, he added, for things such as tile, fixtures and finishes as long as adjustments during the project are clear.

Each of these builders emphasized that it’s important when embarking on a major remodel to know your priorities and your budget, to plan ahead and to work with, trust and rely on the professional designers and builders you hire to see your project through. It’s also important, they noted, not to rush the process, because it’s the process that ultimately determines the results.

“It’s the creative journey which I really like,” said Busch. “I really love the fact that we were able to take something old and make it new and exciting. Remodels like this also make me feel like we are able to preserve some of the feeling of an older neighborhood, while being as socially responsible as possible.”

Now that each of these three featured remodels is complete, we are excited to bring you the grand reveal within the pages of our fall edition of Central Oregon Living, which you will find inserted within The Bulletin today. Each project is shown with before and after photos and descriptions of some of the major updates that were made to the homes.

While the pages of the magazine illustrate the dramatic transformation of the featured remodels, there’s nothing quite like seeing the homes in person. To that end, the public is invited to the COBA Tour of Remodeled Homes, a ticketed event scheduled for next Saturday, Sept. 17 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Details about the tour and how to purchase tickets can be found in the feature pages of Central Oregon Living.

If you missed any part of this monthly series, full copies of each month’s feature is available online at ee.bendbulletin.com. Scroll to the bottom and click on “Events and Guides.”