Tag: Ernie Jette Construction

Construction, New Residence

Home with ADU Sprouting Up Along New Sidewalk

Crews recently built the foundation for a new home and attached Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) at 2701 SE 85th Avenue and will soon begin framing on the three-story structure. This lot has remained vacant since the previous property owner demolished the original single-story home in 2018. In 2021, Ernie Jette Construction bought the 1,936-square-foot corner property after it was split from the parcel that currently supports a 1997-era duplex. Since then, contractors working for the City of Portland have paved the adjacent gravel road and constructed modern sidewalks, saving the developer from having to provide that infrastructure along SE Clinton Street.

The two new homes will have sloped shed roofs, giving them a flat front appearance towards the street. The main residence will face SE 85th Avenue and stand three stories tall, while the ADU will face SE Clinton Street and be one level shorter. Both units will have open main floors with living and kitchen space. Designers placed a half-bathroom under the stairs on the first floor, with a full bathroom on the second floor serving two adjacent bedrooms. The primary residence has the owner’s suite on the third floor with its own attached bathroom and walk-in closet. The larger home will offer future residents 1,426 square feet of living space, and the ADU will provide 789 square feet of living space.

Construction site with a wooden foundation frame on a gravel base, surrounded by a fence, portable toilet, and nearby homes.

The infrastructure work in this area is part of the Jade and Montavilla Multimodal Improvements Project, which created new sidewalks on SE Clinton Street from SE 84th to 87th Avenues, among many other updates. These additions help ready this area for future housing density. Much of the surrounding lots are Residential Multi-Dwelling 1 (RM1) zoned for low-scale multi-dwelling development. Replacing the gravel streets with modern infrastructure is essential as more residents will need to walk, roll, or drive through the area. Although Ernie Jette said that the new streets and sidewalks were not a deciding factor for creating this project, he is happy with the timing.

This section of the Jade District, bordered by SE Division Street, SE 82nd Avenue, SE Powell Boulevard, and Interstate-205, still has many streets and sidewalks in need of updates. Some of that work will occur during redevelopment, but for smaller developments, adding the infrastructure costs to a project can significantly increase the selling price of a home. When the City can leverage Federal funds and System Development Charge (SDC) funds to bring the area up to modern street standards, as they did in this area, it can make it easier to add housing density within a community and lessen the burden on neighbors by providing curbside parking and more efficient streets and sidewalks.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

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Construction, New Residence

Dual Duplex on SE Washington

Recently, crews completed framing work on a four-unit development along SE Washington Street east of SE 86th Avenue. The pair of duplexes offer each home around 1220 square feet of living space spread across two levels. Over the coming weeks, work will progress to roofing and sealing up the exterior.

The two buildings have separate addresses: 8625 SE Washington Street and 8631 SE Washington Street. Ernie Jette Construction placed one duplex fronted on SE Washington Street and the other directly behind it, with backdoor access to the alleyway. The homes take up a significant portion of the property, prohibiting standard on-site parking. However, other residents with alley access on this block parallel park against the rear of the buildings. That space, coupled with the curbside parking on SE Washington Street, would allow at least one parking stall per home.

Unlike a traditional townhouse project offering similar-sized units, this configuration allows for just one common wall between each unit instead of sandwiching the middle homes between neighbors. However, it creates a situation where the backyards of the front properties merge into the front yards of the off-street homes. It is a somewhat unique configuration but similar to the neighboring development to the east that uses shared yard space. 

This double duplex project repurposes a standard-width lot previously serving as yard space for 8605 SE Washington Street and creates added housing inventory along a transit corridor. Look for work to continue through the summer. Ernie Jette Construction tends to complete projects quickly, and these units could be available for purchase before the end of the year. 

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

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Construction, New Residence

4 Townhomes Coming to SE 87th and Main

After nearly five years vacant, the corner lot at SE 87th Avenue and Main Street will host four new townhomes. Previous owners demolished the 100-year-old single-family house at 8636 SE Main Street in 2018. In February, Ernie Jette Construction purchased the standard-width lot and recently applied for building permits to construct four two-story residences.

Google Maps image showing 8636 SE Main Street house demolished in 2018

Under-improved streets surround this property. SE Main Street is a gravel road east of SE 86th Avenue to SE 89th Avenue. SE 87th Avenue is partially paved south of SE Main Street without sidewalks. The new homes will front onto the paved road, with the units having SE 87th Avenue addresses. The application states that the four townhomes will occupy two buildings, creating a pair of duplexes. Each home will offer around 1,100 square feet of living space without onsite parking.

  • 1305 SE 87th Avenue
  • 1307 SE 87th Avenue
  • 1309 SE 87th Avenue
  • 1311 SE 87th Avenue

It is unknown if the builder will invest in curbs and sidewalks or pay the Local Transportation Infrastructure Charge (LTIC). Most builders in this area pay the LTIC fees that allow redevelopment without access improvements, passing the infrastructure costs to future residents who may become part of a Local Improvement District (LID).

1924 Sanborn Map Showing 8636 SE Main Street before it was renumbered in the 1930s

Regardless of the street’s condition, this development will transform a fenced-off green field into needed housing. Other recent projects by Ernie Jette Construction in Montavilla sell in the mid $300,000 range and offer financially accessible housing in a real estate market that remains higher than many can afford. Look for construction to begin in 2024.

A view of newly constructed townhomes in a neighborhood, featuring two buildings with multiple units, surrounded by gravel and signs indicating a speed limit and bike greenway.
Completed homes seen in 2025 after all sold for around $350,000

By

Jacob Loeb

Promotion: Help keep independent news accessible to the community. Montavilla News has a Patreon account. We invite those who can contribute to this local news source to consider becoming paid subscribers or sponsors. We will always remain free to read regardless of subscription.

Construction, New Residence, Property Sale

SE Washington Duplex

This summer, Ernie Jette Construction purchased the standard-width lot previously attached to 8605 SE Washington Street. Now, the housing developer intends to construct a duplex on the property. These two-story homes join other modern housing projects on this block on several undeveloped parcels.

Image from Portland Maps with MV News labeling

The proposed homes at 8627 SE Washington Street and 8631 SE Washington Street will replace a somewhat overgrown side yard for the 1914-era corner house. Although used by the adjacent home, the vacant lot remained an independent parcel with its own property tax number. That allowed for a separate sale without requiring a land division. An alleyway offers vehicle access to the back of the property. However, the building permit application does not feature attached onsite vehicle storage.

2129 E. Washington later renumbered 8605 SE Washington from Sand born Maps 1924

City staff are reviewing the permit applications, and construction is unlikely to begin until 2024. This builder recently completed four townhomes on SE Yamhill Street and has worked on other projects in the neighborhood. Look for work to start next year after plan inspectors approve the project.

By

Jacob Loeb

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Construction, New Residence

Yamhill Townhouses Take Shape

The notable four-unit townhouse development at 8511 SE Yamhill Street is nearing completion as crews install siding on the two-story homes. Only two units share an entire common wall in the center of the project, with the end structures built mostly free-standing. Crews have worked rapidly on these 1000-square-foot townhomes since the City of Portland approved building permits four months ago.

Unlike many rowhouse projects providing housing density in Portland, the front and back homes are mostly detached except for a three-foot wide refrigerator pocket that protrudes from each unit to create a mini-common wall. The small connector only attaches at the main level and satisfies the code-compliant connection needed to build this style of fourplex. It also allows the homes to have a six-foot gap between the units providing wall space for more windows in each living room and the required middle bedroom windows on the second floor.

Portland Maps image with MV News Illustrations showing 8511 SE Yamhill Street, 8513 SE Yamhill Street, 8515 SE Yamhill Street, and 8517 SE Yamhill Street’s placement from south to north.

Each home shares a similar layout with an open floor plan on the main level hosting a kitchen and living room area. A half bathroom tucks under the staircase with a stacked laundry closet next to it. The front unit’s powder room is larger and protrudes towards the street, providing the only front-facing window on the ground floor. The three back units are accessible by a walkway on the east side of the development with sliding glass doors on the west side. A code requirement for a street-facing doorway required that the frontmost unit have unique entries. The second story of each townhouse contains three bedrooms and a shared full bathroom.

Ernie Jette Construction has built modest-sized homes on this site with the capacity to fit a standard-sized family. Once landscapers plant trees along the western property line, the development should appear smaller thanks to the buildings’ orientation on the lot, which masks the number of units behind the frontmost home. These townhouses should be available for sale later this year.

Update – November 13, 2023: The four condo units are now complete and for sale. The listings show a Home Owners Association (HOA) fee of $50 per month and prices in the mid $300,000 range. The front most unit has a sale pending.

By

Jacob Loeb

Promotion: Help keep independent news accessible to the community. Montavilla News has a Patreon account. We invite those who can contribute to this local news source to consider becoming paid subscribers or sponsors. We will always remain free to read regardless of subscription.

Construction, New Residence

4 Townhouses Coming to SE Yamhill

An unnumbered vacant lot east of 8505 SE Yamhill Street could soon host four new townhomes. Each proposed unit is around 1075 square feet and two stories tall. Last summer, real estate investors split the lot from the adjacent home, selling it to Ernie Jette Construction in December 2023. Permit applications do not appear to include onsite parking for this project.

Ernie Jette Construction is responsible for other projects in Montavilla, including a skinny infill home at 947 NE 74th Avenue. Photos from that home’s 2020 real estate listing could provide insight into what this developer has planned for the Yamhill townhomes. Building permit approvals in Portland are still taking several months to process. Consequentially, work on this project could be a year away from breaking ground.

Image from Portland Maps

By

Jacob Loeb

Promotion: Montavilla News has a Patreon account. We invite those who can contribute to this local news source to please consider becoming a paid subscriber or sponsor. We will always remain free to read regardless of subscription.

Construction, New Residence

House Nestled Between

In what could be called a cozy infill, 947 NE 74th Ave is wrapping up exterior work. This new single family residence, by Ernie Jette Construction Co., is built on a lot split from 925 NE 74th Ave.

The slender house has been creative in its layout. Having the single car garage upfront, occupies a great deal of floorspace. The remainder of the first floor is occupied by a kitchen, 1/2 bath, and great room dining area combination. When entering the house, you must walk down a long hallway and turn 90 degrees to the left. You walk into the kitchen that takes up a good portion of the middle of the first floor. Across from the kitchen, hugging the right wall, is a 1/2 bath that is just as wide as the halway. The bathroom is tucked under part of the stairs and forms the wall at the end of the entry hallway.

The great room has a sliding glass door in the back to gain access to the yard. There is plenty of light in the back half of the house with many windows. The side windows in the great room push out an extra foot, giving slightly more floor space.

Upstairs are three bedrooms. In the front is a standard bedroom that spans the width of the house. Behind it is a smaller second bedroom. It is missing near four feet in width, to accommodate the hallway to the front bedroom. Behind that is a shared full bathroom. Across the hall from the bathroom is a laundry closet. At the rear of the second floor is the master bedroom with a 3/4 ensuite. The ensuite is has a double vanity and is larger than the shared bathroom.

When designing the exterior of the house, they have taken care to adopt some design elements of the neighboring houses. They implement a hip roofline like the house to the right and shingle accents like the house to the left. A benefit of being close to the other houses, and fronted on the same plane, the length of the house will be obscured. For being so close the other houses, they have done a decent job of blending in.