Portland, OR
Custom Homes, Additions, and Remodels in Portland, Oregon
Are you already part of Portland, or working your way here? Either way, this is a city of good bones. Drive through Irvington, Laurelhurst, or Alameda, and you see it right away: the deep porches, the leaded glass, the craftsman details built to last a century. Look toward the West Hills or the newer east side lots, and you find homeowners who want a place that fits the way they actually live. Marnella Homes works across all of it. We build new custom homes, add the space growing families run out of, and bring tired houses back to life without losing the character that made them worth keeping. Based just across the river in Camas, we don’t visit the Portland metro; we build here at home. For forty years we have built homes here that do more than look good on move-in day. They feel better to live in, year after year.
Custom Home Building in Portland
Thinking about moving to Portland and building your own home from the ground up? Building a custom home should feel like a collaboration, not a gamble. Too many families start excited and end exhausted, worn down by change orders and a builder who goes quiet when questions get hard. We do it differently. Using energy modeling and careful planning, we solve problems before the first shovel hits the ground, so you know how your home will perform long before it is framed. Whether you own a lot in the West Hills or are still searching for land, every proposal we design is fixed-price and honest, with no lowballing and no scramble later.
Home Additions
Is your current home almost right, and just a little more space would make it perfect? Sometimes you love your neighborhood too much to leave it: the schools, the coffee shop, the neighbors who feel like family. When your house stops fitting your life but your street still does, an addition is often the smartest move. Portland’s older homes were built for a different era, with small kitchens and tight bedrooms. We design additions that look like they were always part of the house, and because we build to high-performance standards, the new space adds comfort, quiet, and better air, not just square footage.
Whole-Home Remodeling
Would you rather reinvent the home you already have than start over somewhere new? An older Portland home carries a lot of charm and, often, a lot of hidden issues: drafty rooms, uneven temperatures, and moisture you can smell but cannot find. A whole-home remodel lets you keep everything you love and fix everything you do not. We approach it like building scientists, not just carpenters, studying the envelope, insulation, ventilation, and how air and water move through your home, then rebuilding to a standard that holds up to Portland winters. The result still tells its story, only now it is warm, dry, quiet, and efficient.
Additional Services
Already have plans in hand, or a bid you are not quite sure about? Not every project is a full build. Sometimes a permit process has stalled, or you need an experienced team in your corner. Through our additional services, we help homeowners, architects, and even other builders with bid review, plan modification, building permit processing, plan review, technical consultation, and building design. It is the same building-science expertise behind our custom homes, offered as focused help exactly where you need it. If you want a second set of eyes before you commit real money, this is often the smartest first call you can make.
Why Homeowners Choose Marnella Homes
A local team, minutes away
Based in Camas, we are a short drive across the river and on your Portland job site when it matters, not managing your build from another state.
Four decades in the Portland area
We know how homes need to perform through a wet Willamette Valley winter, and how local lots, soils, and permitting actually work.
Performance you can measure
Every home is designed with energy modeling and verified through third-party testing, so you get proven comfort and lower bills, not marketing claims. See the Marnella Advantage for the full picture.
Built for our damp climate
Better sealing and smarter ventilation keep Portland's moisture, mold, and stale air out, so your home feels healthier every day.
Fixed-price proposals and a ten-year warranty
The number we agree on is the number you plan around, backed by a third-party ten-year structural warranty.
True transparency
We answer the hard questions early and keep you informed at every step, as shown in our process
Serving Portland and the Surrounding Communities
We build throughout Portland and the greater metro area, including neighborhoods and suburbs such as Irvington, Laurelhurst, Alameda, Eastmoreland, Sellwood, the West Hills, Lake Oswego, and West Linn. Browse our current available homes to see our work firsthand. If you are in or near Portland and thinking about building, adding on, or remodeling, we would love to hear what you have in mind.
FAQs
Does Marnella Homes build custom homes in Portland, Oregon?
Yes. Marnella Homes builds custom homes throughout Portland and the surrounding metro area. We are based in nearby Camas, Washington, and we have been building in the Portland and Vancouver region for forty years. We work with homeowners who already own a lot as well as those still searching for the right one.
How much does it cost to build a custom home in Portland?
Every home is different, so costs vary based on the lot, the size, the design, and your finish selections. What stays the same is our approach. We provide fixed-price proposals built on real energy modeling and planning, so you know your number up front rather than watching it climb through change orders.
Can you remodel or add on to an older Portland home?
Absolutely. Many of Portland’s homes were built decades ago, and they often need updated space, better insulation, and healthier air. We handle both additions and whole-home remodels, and we build to high-performance standards, so your updated home is more comfortable and more efficient, not just larger.
What makes a high-performance home different?
A high-performance home is designed and verified to perform, not just to look finished. Through energy modeling, careful HVAC and ventilation design, and third-party testing, we build homes that stay comfortable, use less energy, and feel healthier to live in. In the Pacific Northwest climate, that difference shows up every rainy season.
Do you offer any warranty?
Yes. Every Marnella home comes with a third-party ten-year structural warranty, along with fixed-price proposals and a transparent process from start to finish.
Let’s Talk About Your Portland Home
Every good project starts with a conversation. Tell us about the home you want to build, the space you wish you had, or the older house you are ready to bring back to life. We will listen first, ask the right questions, and give you a clear, honest path forward.
Call us at (503) 654-6642 or schedule a discovery call to get started.