Skip to main content Skip to content Open-concept layouts, structural reconfiguration, period-sensitive kitchens and baths, and modern systems behind original walls. Woodland Construction Group renovates Portland’s older homes top to bottom, one accountable team from first sketch to final walkthrough.
Planning a whole-home renovation in Portland, Oregon? Most of Portland’s close-in housing was built before 1940, with the character buyers love and the wiring, plumbing, and compartmentalized layouts they do not. A full renovation reworks layout, structure, and systems across the whole house: kitchens, baths, living spaces, electrical, plumbing, insulation, and finishes, while protecting the trim and proportions that make an older Portland home worth keeping.
It modernizes a pre-war Portland home for the way your family lives today and adds lasting value, all without giving up the inner-city neighborhood, schools, and connections you love. Because the work spans every trade, original wiring and plumbing, and strict code, the contractor you choose controls the outcome.
The right partner protects your budget, holds your phase-by-phase schedule, and delivers a cohesive home that honors a Portland Craftsman’s character and stands up to daily life for decades.
A whole-home renovation in Portland typically runs $100,000 to $500,000+ in 2026, with older inner-city homes landing higher once original knob-and-tube wiring, galvanized plumbing, and structural changes are in scope. As a rule of thumb expect $100 to $300 per square foot, and a full gut of a pre-war home sits at the upper end of that range.
For many Portland homeowners, a full renovation costs less than buying and moving into a comparable updated home in the same close-in neighborhood once agent fees, moving costs, and the premium on move-in-ready listings are factored in, making it one of the smartest long-term decisions in a market that prizes original character done right.
Construction & design experience in Portland
Portland-area homes transformed
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Craftsmanship warranty on every project
A full renovation lets you keep the close-in location, the lot, and the original character while bringing a pre-war Portland home up to modern standards across every room. Buyers in Portland’s character-driven market read a carefully renovated period home as turnkey, which protects resale value, but the bigger return is daily: a house that finally fits how your family lives.
The 2026 Portland whole-home renovation leans on connection and efficiency. The walls that closed off a bungalow kitchen come down for open kitchen-living-dining flow, knob-and-tube and single-pane drafts are replaced for comfort and lower energy bills, and a single design language ties the house together instead of decades of one-off projects.
Woodland Construction Group – 18 Years Experience – Portland, Oregon
Our team of licensed contractors specializes in full-home renovations across the Portland metro area, coordinating structural, systems, and finish work under one accountable design-build contract.
A whole-home renovation in Portland modernizes every room and system at once while protecting a pre-war home’s character, often for less than buying and moving into a comparable move-in-ready home in the same close-in neighborhood.
Six capabilities show up in almost every whole-home renovation we build in Portland’s older homes. Each one is engineered for how a pre-war house actually works together once it is opened up and updated, not just how a single room photographs.
Removing the walls that close off a bungalow kitchen and reworking flow to connect kitchen, living, and dining, with the engineering to do it safely in an older home and the design to make it feel original.
Load-bearing changes, new beams, raised ceilings, and reframing handled with licensed structural partners and full City of Portland Bureau of Development Services engineering review.
Period-sensitive kitchen and bathroom renovations designed as part of the whole-home plan, so finishes, fixtures, and flow stay consistent room to room and true to the home’s era.
Replacing knob-and-tube wiring, galvanized plumbing, and missing insulation, and adding modern HVAC, to make a drafty pre-war Portland home safe, comfortable, and efficient throughout.
A single design language across the whole house that respects the original trim, casing, and proportions, so materials, color, and lighting feel cohesive instead of a patchwork of decades of separate projects.
Aging-in-place options, flexible spaces, and durable finishes built to serve your family through the next stage of life in a home you intend to keep, not just the next few years.
One team, one contract, from the first measurement to the final walkthrough. Here is exactly how a Portland whole-home renovation moves from idea to finished home.
We start with an in-depth conversation about how your family lives, your priorities, and your budget, then visit your Portland home to assess the structure and take measurements. This complimentary consult covers feasibility, big-picture layout ideas, and realistic investment ranges for the Portland market.
Our in-house design team builds detailed 3D renderings and full-home floor plans, brings in structural engineering where needed, and refines the design with your feedback. Material boards show real samples across every room so the whole house reads as one cohesive project.
We guide you through finishes, fixtures, cabinetry, and surfaces for every space, drawing on established relationships with premium Portland suppliers. Showroom visits let you see and test selections, with guidance on durability and how each material performs across the home.
With permits secured and materials ordered, we remove dated finishes and open up the structure behind containment systems that protect the rest of the home. This phase reveals the bones and surfaces any hidden framing, plumbing, electrical, or moisture issues before we rebuild.
Structural changes go in first, then licensed plumbers, electricians, and HVAC crews update systems throughout the house. Framing, insulation, and drywall follow, and we coordinate every City of Portland inspection across each phase of the work.
Cabinetry, countertops, tile, flooring, fixtures, lighting, trim, and paint are completed room by room with the same standard across the whole home, until every surface is pristine and every space reads as part of one design.
We walk the finished home with you, demonstrate how every system works, and hand over maintenance guidance and warranty documentation. The project is not complete until you are fully satisfied, and our 2-year craftsmanship warranty carries on from there.
A look at how we transform dated, compartmentalized pre-war homes across Portland into open, cohesive spaces that keep their character.
Walk through every line that shapes the number, from the rewiring, replumbing, and structural work older Portland homes need to kitchens, baths, and finishes, with a calculator built on real Portland-area project data.
Woodland completed a full home remodel for us, a complete kitchen renovation, two bathroom remodels, new flooring, fresh paint, and all new doors and trim. They paid close attention to detail, kept the worksite clean, and stayed on schedule, delivering beyond our expectations.
Engaging with Woodland for our home extension was a great decision. They were attentive to our vision, offered valuable insights, and completed the project on time. Their commitment to quality and craftsmanship is truly impressive.
A huge thank you to Woodland Construction Group for the beautiful job they did on our home extension. High-quality craftsmanship throughout.
Timelines, permits, cost, and what a full renovation of an older Portland home involves in 2026. If your question is not here, call us. We would rather answer it directly.
A typical Portland whole-home renovation takes 4 to 9 months from demolition to final walkthrough, depending on square footage and scope. A focused multi-room renovation can finish in 3 to 5 months, while a full foundation-to-finish transformation of an older home, with rewiring, replumbing, and structural work, can run 9 to 12 months. We set a detailed phase-by-phase timeline during design and hold to it.
In Portland, whole-home renovations run $100,000 to $500,000+ in 2026 depending on square footage, structural scope, and finish level, with older inner-city homes landing higher once original wiring and plumbing are replaced. As a rule of thumb, expect $100 to $300 per square foot, with full gut renovations and luxury finishes at the top of that range. You get an itemized, phase-by-phase estimate during the consultation phase.
Yes. Whole-home renovations almost always require multiple permits covering structural, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and sometimes zoning when you change the footprint, plus design review in Portland’s historic and conservation districts. We manage every application, inspection, and coordination through the City of Portland Bureau of Development Services, which keeps the schedule on track and the work fully code-compliant.
For many Portland homeowners, a full renovation costs less than buying and moving into a comparable updated home in the same close-in neighborhood once you factor in agent fees, moving costs, and the premium on move-in-ready listings, which run high in inner Portland. It also lets you stay in the neighborhood, schools, and community you love while tailoring every room to how your family lives. We help you weigh the numbers honestly during the consultation.
Our in-house design team handles layouts, 3D renderings, and material selection, and we bring in structural engineering and architectural partners, including ones experienced with Portland’s older and historic homes, when a project calls for it. You do not need to assemble your own team. The design-build approach keeps design, engineering, planning, and construction under one contract, removing the handoffs where most large renovations go wrong.
Sometimes. For phased renovations we can often keep part of an older Portland home livable while we work section by section, with containment to control dust and noise. For full gut renovations, most families relocate temporarily because the electrical, plumbing, and heating are offline while we replace them. We talk through the realistic options during planning and phase the work to minimize disruption either way.
Yes. A well-planned renovation modernizes layout, systems, and finishes while protecting the character of a pre-war Portland home, often for less than the cost of relocating in the same close-in neighborhood. Beyond resale value, it transforms daily livability and energy efficiency across the whole house, which is why many Portland homeowners choose to renovate and stay rather than start over somewhere new.
Built for Portland
A whole-home renovation in Portland is almost always a renovation of an older home. The bungalows, four-squares, and Tudors of Irvington, Laurelhurst, Alameda, Eastmoreland, and Mt. Tabor have character no new build can match and floor plans no modern family enjoys: walled-off kitchens, knob-and-tube wiring, galvanized supply lines, and one small bathroom for the whole house. We bring those homes up to current standards across every room while keeping the trim, proportions, and street presence that make them worth renovating.
A few Portland realities shape a full renovation. Structural, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical work routes through the City of Portland Bureau of Development Services, and homes in conservation and historic districts such as Irvington, Alameda, and Ladd’s Addition can trigger design review. We confirm those requirements for your address up front, phase the work around an occupied or vacated home, and manage every permit and inspection so a project this large never stalls on paperwork.
Family-owned and based in Northwest Portland, we renovate homes across the city and the west-side suburbs.
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Book a free in-home consultation. We will assess the home, talk through layout, systems, and budget, and give you an itemized estimate, with no pressure and no handoffs.
