Hey there, you know I love a good transformation story. And this one? A total page-turner. Think vintage Portland charm, a sprinkle of Sicilian family legacy, a few design risks, and one very chaotic calendar (eight deals in contract, anyone?). Buckle up.
When my longtime friend and design co-conspirator Kate Fulford of @pinkdoorprojectpdx pitched a flip partnership, it was a no-brainer. Kate’s been flipping homes for years, and I’ve been itching for a creative outlet beyond the normal staging palettes of traditional real estate listings. So, we launched Group Project – a name that’s as cheeky as it is true, and we went all in.
Our debut property? A 1923 classic in Ladd’s Addition, owned by the same Portland family for over 100 years. (No, really – four generations deep!) The sellers were a mother-daughter duo whose family started the Pioneer Fruit Company. Kate and I took one of the sister houses; Petra Anderson of @petraspdxplaces and her partner took the other. Two flips. Three friends. Side-by-side. Full circle.
Design, But Make It Personal
Here’s the thing about flipping: a lot of folks play it safe. Resell-friendly, beige-on-beige-on-grey, lowest-common-denominator design. Not us.
With this house, we threw out the rulebook (politely). We mixed metals. Embraced color. Took thoughtful risks. And we made every design decision through a lens of respect for the home’s bones, its story, and the people who’d lived there before.
We kept what mattered:
- The original party bar in the basement? It lives on – untouched and glorious.
- A section of grapevine mural hand-painted by a family friend? Protected and preserved.
- Stained glass windows? Cleaned and glowing like new.
We weren’t aiming for trendy. We aimed for timeless, with a twist—something that felt fresh and as if it had always been there.
Some of those choices cost us – literally. There were moments where we looked at the budget and said, “Okay, this might hit the profit margin… but look at that tile.”
Numbers, Strategy, and a Lot of Spreadsheets
If you’ve ever wondered what goes into a Portland home flip (besides dust and decision fatigue), here’s a peek behind the curtain:
- We started by calculating the ARV (After Repair Value), using nearby comps.
- Then we backed into our reno budget, line by line, from there.
- And because I’ve spent the last decade pricing homes like it’s my job (because it is), we stayed pretty spot-on.
There’s a fine line between smart investment and design indulgence. We danced that line, cha-cha style. Did we make a few bold calls that shaved off some profitability? Sure. But we also got multiple offers the first weekend. Worth it.
Shout-out to the Dream Team
Behind every great flip is a cast of miracle workers. Ours included:
- Bella Vista – Ashley, Luis, and crew: the calm in our chaos. They handled endless pivots with humor and grace. They probably wanted to murder us, and honestly? Fair. But they didn’t. Legends.
- Miguel – our flooring whisperer, GC-extraordinaire, and general badass. What would we do without him?
- Suncrest Roofing – responsive, detail-oriented, and came back without hesitation when we needed a tweak. Gold stars.
The Part You Don’t See on Instagram
Now, real talk: flipping isn’t all Pinterest boards and pretty reveals. I did this while juggling eight deals in peak season. There were timeline curveballs. Contractor hiccups. Spreadsheet-induced migraines. There were days I wondered what on earth I had signed up for.
But we had a mantra: “There’s no way out but through.” And through we went.
At the end of it, I wasn’t just proud – I was moved. This wasn’t just a profitable flip. It was a tribute. A labor of love. A deeply human project.
When the family came through during the open house, the ones whose family had lived here for over a century, they cried. We cried. You could feel the weight of what this home had held, and the beauty of what it had become.
What’s Next for Group Project
We’re eyeing a Concordia home next. It’s got… quirks. (Like a catastrophically leaking oil tank. Thanks, HUD.) But we’ve got our estimates, our vendors, and our eyes on the prize.
The bigger vision? To keep creating high-end, soul-filled homes in Portland, ones that honor the past and feel incredible to live in. That’s where we’re headed.
