Mark and Robin Pederson pose on the new deck that complements their 1873 farmhouse, which has recently undergone major reconstruction to its foundation.
Marcus Larson/News-Register

The 4-inch-wide boards on the porch deck are made from recycled plastics.
Marcus Larson/News-Register

Homeowner Mark Pederson works on wiring some lights in his newly constructed basement, as required by the building inspector.
Marcus Larson/News-Register

Prev Next Enlarge

Ten weeks after it was lifted seven feet off the ground, a historic First Street house has settled onto a sturdy new foundation. And owners Mark and Robin Pederson have settled onto a new wrap-around porch that gives them a squirrel's eye view of their neighborhood.

The project was a prime example of sustainable building: A 136-year-old home was given new life, green materials were used in the process and both old fixtures and construction forms were recycled rather than thrown away.

When the Pedersons moved into the 1873 farmhouse six years ago, inspectors estimated the structure had no more than 15 years of life left in it. Now, Mark Pederson said, it's sturdy enough to last another century.

Located at 540 S.E. First St., the house was originally built as a parsonage for the Methodist Church across the street. Coincidentally, Trinity Lutheran Church, where Pederson is the pastor, now shares the Methodist Church's quarters under the banner of McMinnville Cooperative Ministries.

"What feels best is keeping this house alive," he said. "Everything that was wrong has been fixed. Everything is stable."

Another thing that feels great, Pederson said, is knowing that the project produced so little waste, his regular weekly garbage can was able to handle it.

"We're so pleased there was never a Dumpster here," he said. "They recycled everything. It's so cool that it all gets reused, instead of filling up a landfill."

Cellar Ridge Custom Homes is just winding up its part of the remodel. The Pedersons, who worked out their remodeling loan through First Federal, plan to continue with some of the finish work, such as fitting out the basement space and adding decorative railings around the deck.

The family had long wanted to renovate the basement, which featured electrical wiring and plumbing hanging from an already inordinately low ceiling. But a failing foundation made the work a necessity, rather than a dream, since the southwest corner of the house was sinking.

Pederson said he described the multi-faceted project to six contractors - "scared them off," is how he put it - before finding Cellar Ridge. "They were the first ones that came back, and they kept coming back until they figured it out," he said.

Carson Benner and John Mead of Cellar Ridge took a good look at the house before saying yes. "It was intimidating at that stage, but we just had to break it down into bite-size pieces," Benner said.

They also had to take a good look at the homeowners, to make sure they would be flexible enough to consider different ways of doing things.

"The most important piece of a project is developing a good relationship," he said. "We talked daily, and it was always, 'What are WE going to do about this?'"

As it turned out, the Pedersons not only were willing to work as a team with the contractors, they also were delighted to stay in their house throughout the project - even when it was seven feet off the ground and accessible only via a temporary staircase.

It was like being in a treehouse, Robin Pederson said.

Although the structure didn't sway in the breeze, it did tremble when people walked from room to room, she said. And the washing machine triggered noticeable movement.

Before the lift could take place, Benner said, workers needed to install major support joists - in this case, large engineered beams made from recycled wood. They replaced much smaller beams.

But first, all those hanging wires and pipes had to be tucked up against the floor. Pederson handled that himself to cut costs.

Benner joked it was helpful to have the homeowner, living in the house throughout the project, do part of the work. "He was on-call to us 24-hours a day," Benner said.

Pederson said his construction skills may have impressed Benner, but haven't fooled anyone else.

"The problem is, now that we've had Cellar Ridge do this, my wife has seen what real contractors can do. Now I can't get away with taking my time and not getting things done," he said.

The house was lifted off its crumbling foundation April 3. It remained propped up on blocks, seven feet in the air, for the rest of the month. That gave workers time to dig out the basement, build forms and pour 67 yards of concrete for the foundation floor and walls.

More than a mile of rebar reinforces the concrete. The rebar is a recycled product made at Cascade Steel Rolling Mills.

The day before it arrived, Benner said, the Pedersons broke up an old steel furnace that had served the basement and hauled the pieces off for recycling into someone else's rebar.

After the concrete cured for 10 days, the house was lowered onto the new foundation.

Now the ceiling in the basement is 32 inches higher than before. Even the tallest person can walk through without striking his head against the beams, which range from 7.5 feet to 9.5 feet off the floor.

"Oh, my goodness, that's nice," said Pederson, who had plenty of encounters with beams at the old six-foot level.

Around the foundation, workers backfilled with drainage rock, pipe and a sump pump, to make sure water didn't leak into the 1,000 square feet of newly usable space. Once the insulation is applied, Benner said, the basement should stay an even 55 to 60 degrees year-around.

Outside, Cellar Ridge poured more concrete to define the edge of the property and create space for the drought-resistant landscaping. The contractor also created a curving walkway that leads to the front and basement entries.

Less obvious, but a key to the energy efficiency incorporated into the remodel, are new windows throughout. And instead of the tacked-on, Federalist-style porch that previously welcomed visitors, the house now features a wrap-around version.

Benner said the Pedersons stipulated four-inch boards for the decking, just right for the vintage style.

The boards look like cedar, but are actually fashioned of recycled plastic. "They will last forever," he said.

The underside of the porch roof is lined with beadboard rather than plywood, also for that period look. "We've been porch shopping all over town," Robin Pederson said.

She and her husband, who just celebrated their 30th anniversary, ended up with a style that is just right for their farmhouse-style dwelling.

It's a great place for sitting in the evening and watching downtown traffic. "We sit out there and people walking by stop to talk," he said.