Southeast Portland old-house remodelersOld-house remodelers
Craftsman Design and Renovation designs and builds kitchens and baths that fit 1900s bungalows, Tudors and foursquares, keeping the woodwork and trim that made you buy the house.
Kitchen remodeling in Portland gets tricky when the house is a hundred years old. Rooms are small, walls hide surprises, and the trim is worth saving.
Craftsman Design and Renovation has spent over 25 years on exactly these homes, from Laurelhurst bungalows to a 1940 Tudor near Mt Tabor.
The team calls itself a group of old house nerds who geek out on original woodwork and the perfect rafter tail. On a 1902 kitchen in Northwest Portland, they replicated stained wood, v-groove wainscot and leaded glass transoms, then set a soapstone counter at the center.
The goal on every job is the same: a room that works for today and looks like it was always there.
After a design agreement, the designers draft concept drawings so you can see the layout and how your budget is spent before building starts. Most kitchens include custom cabinetry and shelving, new counters and flooring, a decorative backsplash, and new overhead and task lighting.
New fixtures, glass shower enclosures, vanities and counters, custom cabinetry, flooring, lighting, and upgrades to ventilation and plumbing. The team drafts the plans, sources unusual materials when a period look calls for them, and handles the carpentry and finish work itself.
A study of your home and nearby houses from the same era guides the design, so every room reads as one whole. Work can happen all at once or in phases, with each phase planned so it sets up the next.
Turn a laundry and storage level into a family room, office, guest suite, wine cellar or extra bathroom. The design keeps the new space in step with the rest of your older home while adding the square footage you need.
Bump-outs, sunrooms, porches, garages and full additions designed to look original to the house, with siding, trim and rooflines matched to the era. Award-winning examples include a 1935 Tudor Revival sunroom and a 1906 Craftsman addition.
NARI Contractor of the Year awards for kitchens in 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023, and the 2025 NARI Remodeler of the Year for the 1911 Modern English Kitchen.
Selections, drawings and the Health and Safety Plan are approved before you sign a fixed-cost construction agreement, so the price is set before the crew arrives.
Your lead carpenter meets with you each week on status and schedule. The work area is sealed off from the house and left broom clean every day.
Guild Quality named the firm a Guildmaster in 2017 and every year from 2019 to 2023, based on client surveys about service.
Wade Frietag started Craftsman Design and Renovation in the attic of his 1905 Craftsman home, out of a love for Portland's historic houses. The firm moved to SE Division Street in 2004, above Rejuvenation on SE Grand in 2012, and to SE Belmont in 2015.
Today Bill Myles, a Certified Remodeler, owns the company. His team includes designers Erika Rice and Stephanie Capretto, both CKBD, project manager Ryan Murphy and lead carpenters Pete Kelly and Nathan Maszy, both CLC. Clients have called them forensic architects for the way they read an old house.
Bill MylesOwner, CR (Certified Remodeler)
“Clients have called them forensic architects for the way they read an old house.”
An in-home or online consultation, then a flexible design retainer with a realistic target budget and an on-site survey with measuring and photos.
Floor plans and 3D drawings, then early fixture and finish picks, a detailed scope of work and a preliminary estimate.
A fixed-cost construction agreement, permit drawings with any needed engineering, and a prestart meeting with your project manager and lead carpenter.
The work zone is sealed off to limit dust and noise, cleaned to broom clean daily, and reviewed with you at weekly meetings.
We had a wonderful experience and plan to work with them again when we are ready to update our new home. We miss the beautiful kitchen they built for our family.
For context, we are writing this review having completed a total remodel / renovation project of our 1909 Craftsman home in Southeast Portland, completed in 2015.
Exceptional Bathroom Remodel: A Perfect Fit for Older Homes
The firm's FAQ page lists kitchen remodels in the $150,000 to $250,000 range. Your number depends on scope, structure and finishes. A flexible design retainer and a realistic target budget come first, then a preliminary estimate during design and a fixed-cost construction agreement before building starts.
That is the core of the work. On a 1902 kitchen the team replicated stained wood, v-groove wainscot and leaded glass transoms. For whole houses, they compare your home with others built in the same era to guide the design, then blend in what you need today.
Yes. Craftsman Design and Renovation is registered with the Oregon Construction Contractors Board as CCB#131520. Owner Bill Myles holds the Certified Remodeler designation, two designers are Certified Kitchen and Bath Designers, and two lead carpenters are Certified Lead Carpenters. Ask to see the registration before you sign.
Many clients do. The construction area is sealed off to cut noise and dust in the rest of the house, the site is left broom clean at the end of every workday, and staff follow a written Health and Safety Plan that you review before the contract.
Call (503) 239-6200 or request a consultation online. The first meeting can be in your home or online, and it is a chance for both sides to see if the project is a good fit before you sign a design agreement.
Book an in-home or online consultation with the Craftsman design team.
(503) 239-6200
