First, there was the "skinny house." With the city's population increasing in the early aughts, these were the best option for fitting a home on a narrow, 25-by-100-foot lot, and they started popping up like mushrooms in between Portland's older housing stock. There was backlash, objections to their awkward tall proportions, and claims that they didn't fit in with the character of the neighborhoods. By 2004, amid public opposition to their existence, the city even hosted a competition asking architects to offer better-quality designs to smooth ruffled feathers.

The urban growth boundary limits the availability of buildable land, but the need for housing persists. For a long time, there was only so much you could do with a standard Portland lot. By 2020 that changed, with the passage of the Residential Infill Project (RIP), lauded as Portland's means for ending single-family zoning. With the RIP, there are more options for the typical 50-by-100-foot site, whether that's duplexes and triplexes, or cottage clusters and multiple ADUs. This could look like the three-unit Cully compound we profiled recently, or this pair of townhomes recently finished in the Concordia neighborhood, on the outskirts of the Alberta Arts District.

For it, architect Mark Holmquist of Adret Architecture gave the side-by-side homes a more sculptural look, thanks to an artful exterior cedar wrap, and porches and balconies that look carved from the whole. But for sure, these are two separate homes, albeit connected by a thickened party wall, which also has soundproofing and smart interior built-ins. The one on the left is currently for sale for $1,395,000.

Rather than work in a straightforward row, Holmquist opted for two volumes that look like they're sliding past each other, in order to foster separation between them and more access to natural light on the interior of both. (A common complaint of traditional rowhouses is that they get quite dark at the center of the plan.) Such a siting makes it possible for each house to have its own private backyard space, and so the front porches—a nice callback to Portland's Craftsmans and Victorians—are stepped back from one another.

Inside, the plan has 2,134 square feet over three stories, with three bedrooms and bathrooms, making the challenge for Holmquist, per an email to Portland Monthly, to "stretch the perception of space, light, and privacy beyond the roughly 2,200-square-foot compact envelope." That's primarily accomplished with the striking central staircase. At the lower level, it looks almost traditionally styled, before giving way to floating tread and an airy stainless steel cable wall, which produces an alternate rhythm to the solid wood railings. Carefully placed windows ensure natural light cascades down from the upper floor to the main, creating a play of shadows at different times of day.  

Elsewhere, outdoor rooms blur the edges of the footprint, whether that's the front porch off the dining room, the way the living room and kitchen space opens to the backyard, big windows in the bedrooms, or the balconies that bookend the top floor. In contrast, the bathrooms take on a cozier aspect, with charcoal finishes and high clerestory windows for privacy.

The finishes speak to quality modern elements, completed by TaylorSmith Sustainable Construction: from solid white oak floors, millwork, and stairs to the polished concrete underfoot, a European chef's kitchen and bathrooms with laminate that are anti-fingerprint. With a high-performing envelope and mechanical systems, the home is designed to Passive House principles, making it extremely energy efficient (almost net zero), with an integrated rooftop solar array, heat recovery ventilation system (fresh air!), and heat pump (including AC).

Listing Fast Facts 

• Address: 5432 NE 32nd Ave, Portland, OR 97211
• Size: 2,134 square feet/3 bedroom/3 bath 
• List Date: 6/2/2026 
• List Price: $1,395,000
• Listing Agent: Jeff Weithman, Real Estate Through Design

Melissa Dalton is a freelance writer who has focused on Pacific Northwest design and lifestyle since 2008. Contact Dalton here. 

Editor’s Note: Portland Monthly’s “Property Watch” column takes a weekly look at an interesting home in Portland’s real estate market (with periodic ventures to the burbs and points beyond, for good measure). Got a home you think would work for this column? Get in touch at [email protected].