The Kirstan Rogers Project
What started as a conversation about replacing two windows grew into a month-long exterior transformation. Years of additions had left this Troutdale home with mismatched windows, siding and architectural details. Kirstan wanted to bring it all together and make the house look as though it had been designed and built as one cohesive home.
Project Snapshot
Location: Troutdale, Oregon
Client: Kirstan Rogers
Project Duration: Approximately one month
Services: Replacement windows, siding, structural repairs, gutters and exterior remodeling
Original Scope: Two replacement windows
Final Scope: Whole-home exterior transformation
From Two Windows to a Complete Transformation
When Kirstan first reached out, she asked about replacing a couple of windows. As we walked the home together, the conversation evolved. Over time, the house had grown through multiple additions with mismatched siding and windows. Together, we set a vision to make the home look unified, like it had always been one cohesive structure. From there, every decision was about respecting that vision and building it the right way.
It Started With Two Windows
Kirstan first contacted Armadas Exterior in May 2024 to talk about replacing a couple of windows. As we walked the property and talked about what she ultimately wanted for the home, that initial scope began to grow organically.
The house had been expanded several times over the years. In the remodeling industry, we sometimes jokingly call this an “add-more” house: build the original home, add more space, then add more again.
Each addition had been completed at a different time. The result was a collection of different siding profiles, reveals, window sizes and exterior details that made it easy to see where one phase of construction ended and another began.
Kirstan wasn’t looking to simply cover everything with new siding. She wanted us to make all of those different sections feel intentional—to make the finished exterior look like one home.
That became the goal that guided the rest of the project.
Before construction: multiple additions completed at different times had left the home with mismatched siding, windows and exterior details.
What We Found When We Opened the Walls
Exterior remodeling can expose problems that simply aren’t visible during an initial inspection. Once we began removing materials around Kirstan’s existing windows, we discovered that several of the openings had not been properly flashed and sealed.
The problems were particularly significant around portions of the lower level. Moisture had found its way into the wall assembly, damaging plywood and sections of the wood framing surrounding the window openings.
One of the most interesting challenges was directly at the front of the house.
Two prominent windows that should have mirrored one another were actually different sizes and positioned at slightly different heights. Because this is a split-level home, the structure behind each opening was also different. One interacted with the concrete foundation while the other extended partly into an interior closet.
From the driveway, however, these two windows were major architectural features. Getting them to finally look balanced meant doing more than simply ordering two replacement windows.
We needed to correct what was underneath first.
Rebuilding What Needed to Be Rebuilt
Once the damaged materials were exposed, the priority shifted from appearance to making sure the structure underneath was right.
We removed the affected plywood and dry-rotted framing and rebuilt damaged portions of the wall with new 2×4 framing. Where headers and other structural components had been compromised, those areas were reconstructed before we completed the new window openings.
The two front windows required particular attention.
From the exterior, we wanted them to mirror one another and appear properly aligned. Inside the home, however, the split-level construction meant we were working around two very different existing conditions—including the concrete foundation and an interior closet.
Rather than allowing those conditions to dictate an awkward exterior appearance, we reconstructed the openings so the finished windows could look balanced from outside while still working correctly with the structure inside.
Once the framing was complete, we installed the new windows, properly taped and flashed the openings, and integrated them into the exterior weather-management system before installing the finished siding.
Lloyd’s Field Note
“Replacing a window isn’t just about making the new window fit the opening.”
When we uncover water damage, rotten framing or signs that an opening wasn’t properly flashed, simply installing a new window over the existing problem isn’t an acceptable solution.
The damaged material has to come out. The opening has to be structurally sound. Then the new window can be properly flashed, taped and integrated into the wall’s water-management system.
Most homeowners will never see that work once the siding goes back on—but it’s some of the most important work we do.
— Lloyd Anderson, Founder, Armadas Exterior
Rebuilding What Needed to Be Rebuilt
Once the damaged materials were exposed, the priority shifted from appearance to making sure the structure underneath was right.
We removed the affected plywood and dry-rotted framing and rebuilt damaged portions of the wall with new 2×4 framing. Where headers and other structural components had been compromised, those areas were reconstructed before we completed the new window openings.
The two front windows required particular attention.
From the exterior, we wanted them to mirror one another and appear properly aligned. Inside the home, however, the split-level construction meant we were working around two very different existing conditions—including the concrete foundation and an interior closet.
Rather than allowing those conditions to dictate an awkward exterior appearance, we reconstructed the openings so the finished windows could look balanced from outside while still working correctly with the structure inside.
Once the framing was complete, we installed the new windows, properly taped and flashed the openings, and integrated them into the exterior weather-management system before installing the finished siding.
Bringing the House Together
With the underlying repairs complete, we could turn our attention back to the reason the project had grown in the first place: Kirstan wanted the different sections of her home to finally look like they belonged together.
Over the years, multiple additions had introduced different siding profiles, window styles, trim details and architectural transitions. Rather than treating each section independently, we approached the exterior as one complete design.
The new windows established consistent sightlines and proportions. The exterior siding and trim created a common visual language across the different additions, while the contrasting details helped give the finished home a more intentional, modern appearance.
As the transformation progressed, the original additions became much less obvious. Instead of seeing where one phase of the house ended and another began, the exterior started to read as a single home.
That was Kirstan’s vision from the beginning—and it became the standard we used to evaluate the finished work.
A Project That Kept Growing
The project continued to evolve as we worked through the home.
What began with two windows eventually expanded into new windows, structural repairs, a unified siding system and new gutters.
Kirstan was also working toward another major part of her vision for the property: a roughly 40-by-60-foot elevated sun deck overlooking the surrounding fields with views toward Mount Hood and the rising sun.
Armadas helped facilitate the completion of that portion of the project as the exterior transformation came together.
From the first conversation about two windows to the final stages of the exterior, we spent approximately a month working at Kirstan’s home.
The scope had changed considerably.
The goal hadn’t.
Everything still came back to making the different pieces of the property work together.
From Two Windows to a Whole-Home Transformation
By the time the project was complete, the collection of additions that once looked like separate phases of construction had become a much more cohesive home.
New windows, corrected structural conditions, proper water-management details, consistent siding and trim, new gutters and the other exterior improvements all contributed to the finished result.
What started with two windows had become something considerably larger.
And for us, the story didn’t end when construction did.
A Project That Became a Friendship
Some of our favorite projects leave us with more than a finished home.
Over the course of Kirstan’s project, what began as a relationship between a homeowner and her contractor gradually became a genuine friendship. We spent a lot of time together discussing the project, working through decisions and finding solutions as the scope continued to grow. By the time the work was finished, the relationship didn’t simply end with a final invoice.
Kirstan is a Realtor, and when Lloyd and his wife later began searching for a new location for Armadas Exterior, the relationship came full circle. This time, we became her clients. Kirstan helped us with the search that ultimately led to our Damascus location.
The trust has continued in both directions ever since.
If you’re looking for a Realtor yourself, you can [learn more about Kirstan and Rogers Realty here].
Kirstan’s House Gets a Starring Role
Our relationship with Kirstan eventually led to her home playing another role in the Armadas story.
When we decided to film an Armadas Exterior commercial, we asked Kirstan whether she would let us use her home as the location. She was more than happy to help.
We filmed the commercial at the house—from an Armadas wrapped gutter truck pulling into the driveway to our installers replacing the gutter across the front of the home.
The commercial didn’t take itself too seriously. It followed a homeowner watching her husband’s cousin “Jerry” attempt to remodel their house himself. Things deteriorate from there: Jerry takes a break to eat a sandwich, manages to pull a gutter down on himself, and eventually ends up relaxing in the hot tub with the homeowner’s husband. At that point, she’s seen enough and calls Armadas.
And yes—that was Kirstan’s actual hot tub.
By then, most of Kirstan’s exterior had already been transformed, so the commercial wasn’t really intended to showcase the project. For us, though, filming it there meant something more. A home where we had once arrived as contractors had become a place where we were welcomed back as friends.
Beyond Business
The friendship has extended well beyond remodeling and real estate.
Kirstan and Lloyd later participated together in a Pink Sistas 5K fundraiser supporting a cause they both believed in.
It’s one of the things we value most about being a local company. Every project begins with a house, but ultimately this business is about people—and occasionally a customer relationship turns into something much more lasting.
The Best Measure of Trust
Years after the original project, Kirstan still calls Armadas when she needs help with her property.
We’re currently working with her again—this time on a much smaller project remodeling the she-shed in her backyard.
There may be no better measure of a customer’s experience than whether they invite you back.
Kirstan originally called Armadas about replacing two windows. That conversation grew into a major exterior transformation, a professional relationship, shared projects, exchanged services and, ultimately, a friendship that continues today.
We’re grateful that it did.
Your Project Can Start With a Conversation, Too
Kirstan’s project didn’t begin with plans for a whole-home exterior transformation. It began with a conversation about two windows.
If you’re considering new roofing, siding, windows, gutters or a larger exterior remodeling project, we’d be happy to take a look at your home, talk through what you’re trying to accomplish and help you understand your options.