Olde Town, Issaquah · 2024
A 1928 cottage brought up to the present
Knob-and-tube removal, a new foundation section, lead-safe practices throughout and a finish package that respects a 1928 house.
How it went
Pre-1978 houses come with obligations. Lead-safe renovation practice applied to every surface we disturbed, which means containment, wet methods, HEPA vacuums and a cleaning verification at the end of each work area.
The original knob-and-tube wiring was still live in two circuits. It all came out, along with a fuse panel that had been bypassed at some point with a bolt.
Part of the foundation was a cedar post-and-pier system sitting directly on soil. It was replaced with a poured stem wall in two sections, shoring the house in between.
The finishes are deliberately restrained. New casing profiles were milled to match the originals, the fir floors were saved and refinished, and nothing pretends the house is newer than it is.
By the numbers
- 2Knob-and-tube circuits removed
- 38 linear ftFoundation replaced
- 72%Original flooring saved
- 9Lead-safe work areas
They saved three quarters of the original fir. Everyone else quoted ripping it out because it was faster.
Next step
Start with a walk-through, not a price
Ninety minutes in your house. We look at the crawlspace, the attic and the panel before we look at the kitchen, and you leave with a budget band you can plan around.