Disney’s Pixar Animation Studios’ classic movie “Up” tells the tender story of a widower who feels defeated by encroaching developers and uses balloons to float away in his tiny house. In real life, older homes are often overshadowed by newer, taller structures, and most owners make the best of it.
Lisa Smith says neighbors endearingly call her 1916 pitched-roof home in Portland’s Kerns neighborhood the “Up house” because, like the fictional floating bungalow, it looks small compared to the buildings to the left and right.
Actually, Smith’s indigo-blue two-story home with an attic and basement at 1912 N.E. Couch St. has 3,413 square feet of living space, including a rentable second home in the backyard. And all of it is for sale at $999,000 by broker Michelle Maida with Barbara Osborne of John L. Scott/Woodstock.
Take a few steps to the elevated porch, past the white railings to the front door to see original interior features and new custom finishes. The wood floor in the entry hall leads to the living room and its white fireplace surround, and on to the dining room illuminated by natural light by a wall of bay windows.
The main level also has a small study with a colored-glass window and bookcases, and a butler’s pantry, adjacent to the updated kitchen. Cabinets represent the style of the early 1900s, counters are granite or butcher block, and the gas range and other appliances are stainless steel.
There are four upstairs bedrooms, including one that opens to the balcony over the front porch. One of the bathrooms has a reproduction clawfoot tub, pedestal sink and hexagon tile floor.
The backyard accessory dwelling unit (ADU) has a living area and kitchen on the garden levelMike Lindberg
The 800-square-foot, standalone accessory dwelling unit (ADU) in the backyard has living and eating areas, a fireplace and a kitchen with a range, dishwasher and island. There is also a bathroom on the garden level. On the second floor is a bedroom suite under vaulted ceilings. French doors, centered on a wall with built-in shelves, open to a heated balcony.
Smith bought the 3,920-square-foot property in 2015, renovated the house and had the ADU built in 2020 by Shelter Solutions.
There are fruit trees and a garden in the front yard, and the Kerns and Buckman neighborhoods support a lively art scene, galleries, theaters, cafes and parks. The location is perfect for walking to get a coffee, have dinner or see a movie, says Smith.
“The ‘Up house’ is quite unique,” she adds.
A potential buyer could be “someone who loves living in an urban environment,” Osborne tells The Oregonian/OregonLive. Or “a family looking for sophisticated multigenerational living or someone who is interested in the possibility of the instant income of a rental or work at home.”
The basement and attic can be finished for more living space, states the real estate description.
— Janet Eastman | 503-294-4072
jeastman@oregonian.com | @janeteastman
More real estate news
• Oregon Yacht Club floating house is for sale at record asking price of $1,950,000
• Restored 1883 Italianate house in SE Portland for sale at $1,350,000 gets fast offer
• Tighter real estate market changes how and why people remodel their homes, Houzz survey finds
• Rogue River’s Galice Resort to be sold in lots by longtime owners
• Rosario Resort, once a shipbuilder’s mansion, on Orcas Island is for sale at $15 million