When Kathy Lang and her husband, Greg, relocated to Bend from Spokane in 2022, they started out looking on the west side of town. But Greg bike commutes to his job at Summit Health near St. Charles’ main east side campus, so they settled in a temporary Hidden Hills rental in southeast Bend and soon saw the perks of that part of town, including a flatter terrain for a safer commute and no HOA to object to their Sprinter van in the driveway.
Bend has plenty of older homes with potential, often in established neighborhoods with larger lots. “Taking on the remodel of an older home is not for the faint of heart,” said Tyson Gillard, architect, general contractor and founder of Life Design Build, who worked with the Langs to make the couple’s dream house a reality. “But with the right team, you can end up with an incredible, fully customized home at a great value.”
Transforming a Dark Interior with Natural Light and Open Floor Plans
The Langs found a 1979 home on King David Avenue in the Kings Forest neighborhood. Yet, the four-bedroom, three-bath, 2,500-square-foot home on a half-acre lot was dark and choppy, like many ‘70s and ‘80s homes.
As a real estate agent, Kathy sees a lot of homes and floor plans. “I can relate to how a space flows,” she said. “I can envision what it can be instead of getting caught up in what it is. We walked into this house, and it was dark and heavy, very tight. … But I thought, ‘I know exactly what I will do to this house.’” The Langs purchased the home, and then the real work started.
Kathy and Gillard’s team spent five months on the design, keeping the dramatic angles of the original architecture. They added a patio, skylights to bring in more natural light, widened doorways to enhance the flow of the home and removed walls that made the space cramped.
“From a design standpoint, the main objective was opening and brightening,” Gillard said. “Functionally, there were awkward areas that we completely restructured.”
They chose a timeless black-and-white palette, warmed by wood accents. Quartz countertops, white walls and textured white tile in the bathroom contrast with a striking black fireplace wall, loft and stair guardrails, pendant lights, ceiling fan and select furnishings. To soften the high-contrast scheme, the team found cohesion throughout the house with the use of white oak, incorporating it in the floors, stairs, cabinetry and trim.
Architectural Work by Life Design Build
To save costs, Kathy handled demolition, repurposing and donating what she could—the old tongue-and-groove cedar found new life as the walls and ceiling in another home. While Life Design Build did all the architectural work and construction through drywall installation, Kathy took over project management and coordinated subcontractors to finish the job.
Gillard estimated the all-in costs for the home (property, design, permitting and remodel) to be roughly $580 per square foot—lower than the cost of new homes in other areas of Bend. While it was more than the Langs intended to spend, they say it was worth it.
“I love how our home feels,” Kathy said. “In any space, I can enjoy the lights and the nature around us. And when friends gather, they move freely, without barriers. That’s what our home needed, and now it’s exactly what it is.”
Builder: Life Design Build | Carpenters: Ash Baugher, Against the Grain Carpentry, and Mark Kanitz Hardwood Floors | Design Services: Jenny Lanker and Victor Ellingsen, Area Rug Connection | Metal Fabricator: Cody Hawes, Simply Fabricated
