Happy New Year!
I hope everyone is well and happy - 2011 is going to be a great year and I am so ready. Bring it on! I found out this month I may not be a Libra after all and that's a real bummer. I like my artistic, passionate, fair and harmonious nature. I have no idea what a Virgo is, but I guess I'd better get used to it. (I understand I'm now very practical - hummm, I'm sure I'll adjust).
The one thing I am over is the freezing temperatures here in SWVirginia. We had one day that was a heat wave at 57 degrees and I was able to get out and sand the vintage porch posts and do some painting. It's the coldest winter we've had in many years and I can't remember the last time major highways were shut down because of snow and ice. To our dear friends in FL, Yes, we know you Floridian transplants are sitting around in your t-shirts and flipflops, enjoying your 70 degree weather. Ah,,but have you forgotten how good brandy is with your toes stuck in snow? The weather's beautiful, wish you were here! Cheers!
We're moving along with the project and I'm very happy with progress. Tim "The Accountant" is still analyzing, proing and coning every angle and step but he's having a good time - and keeping me creative as opposed to completely broke. He told Chris from Admiral Gas today that we didn't need this addition but now that it's coming together, it's a project definitely worth doing.
The sheet rock is up on the top two floors, the main floor is taped, mudded and sanded (Is mudded a word)? The stairs going up are almost ready for treatment. We made a last minute change to the stairs. Originally, we'd planned to have a kickplate on the riser (traditional). Tim's brother Gary was over recently and made the suggestion we leave the stairs leading to upstairs open. Tim looked at the stairs and then at Gary and said, "Well, why shouldn't we"? We'd bought the bullnose stairstep treads for each step and had planned to put them down in the traditional way. I went over the open concept with Jason, we talked about the potential issues, how we could over come them and the next day we implemented. Classic example of taking a notion and running with it. The stairs are perfect, with one little exception, the top step. It's a little higher than the other steps and we're working on a solution at the moment - in our heads. It will be fixed before I start the paint/stain treatment.
The front of the house, the "breezeway entry" is covered in a blue tarp currently while the stone is going on. I have no idea what the full effect will be when we take the tarp off next week, but up close, the stone work is beautiful. I have very high expectations with the result of each segment of this project. The stonework on this project is a big thing with me.
I know we can't recreate the 8th century farmhouse/granary from Greve, but we can have the essence of it. I've worked with David, the stonemason, on the concept and he's doing a great job. David is special, he actually pays attention. He will do exactly what you want him to do. He's a talented craftsman and has his own artistry. In my mind, you can't force your idea and sacrifice an artists imagination and skill. I hope I've freed David up to allow him to use his talent and knowledge to give us the essence of the look we're going for with his own personal stamp. I think he's pleased with his work, he should be. Jason is putting in a log that came from over top one of the windows from the log house as a lintel over the washroom window, it's not structural, just a little extra detail. David is also building the steps for the front entrance (one of several front doors, but this will be main entrance to the house as it has a natural flow into the house). We're using the original bricks from the 1830's McConnell log house for the front steps.
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To give you an idea of the brick texture and color, here's how we used some of the bricks. This is a brick wall in "The Den for Dysfunctional Men", it is part of the stove fireplace wall.. These bricks were fired in an earthen kiln on site around 1830, they're full of carbon and clay from the rich limestone earth from Twin Springs, Va. The front step design will be a herringbone design for 3 deep steps (~21") leading to the door I hope to show you next week.
I know we can't recreate the 8th century farmhouse/granary from Greve, but we can have the essence of it. I've worked with David, the stonemason, on the concept and he's doing a great job. David is special, he actually pays attention. He will do exactly what you want him to do. He's a talented craftsman and has his own artistry. In my mind, you can't force your idea and sacrifice an artists imagination and skill. I hope I've freed David up to allow him to use his talent and knowledge to give us the essence of the look we're going for with his own personal stamp. I think he's pleased with his work, he should be. Jason is putting in a log that came from over top one of the windows from the log house as a lintel over the washroom window, it's not structural, just a little extra detail. David is also building the steps for the front entrance (one of several front doors, but this will be main entrance to the house as it has a natural flow into the house). We're using the original bricks from the 1830's McConnell log house for the front steps.
.
To give you an idea of the brick texture and color, here's how we used some of the bricks. This is a brick wall in "The Den for Dysfunctional Men", it is part of the stove fireplace wall.. These bricks were fired in an earthen kiln on site around 1830, they're full of carbon and clay from the rich limestone earth from Twin Springs, Va. The front step design will be a herringbone design for 3 deep steps (~21") leading to the door I hope to show you next week.
The washroom has been the most fun to work on. From a design perspective, I love creating the unexpected. In this project, I'm careful to keep the balance of upscale rustic with a bold contemporary whimsy. I've told you before when we took down the McConnell house 20+ years ago, we kept everything. One of the treasures we kept was the original bead board ceiling from the front porch. It was painted blue and each bead board plank was made individually. We were able to save a good portion of the beadboard, about 150 pieces of it, (the boards are about 3" wide and the porch was 50 ft long). One unwaiverable decision is to use the beadboard on the ceiling in the washroom. As you can see, it's great. Jason convinced me to use the beadboard for the tub surround and after 3 minutes of mulling it over, he got started.
Tim and I have had many conversations about this washroom. It's crazy that such a small room can bring out so much emotion, passionate debate and frustration. This room must be just slightly off the center of the universe, there's some cosmic screw loose. Loose screws aside, here's the concept for the some of the details. Jason and I are working on a tile surround for the tub, he'll do the cement board around the tub and back ledge and I'll do the tile layout in glass tile and some mosaic work. I'm shopping for a vintage looking shower ring (oval) for the tub.The sort you see with the clawfoot tub shower enclosure. There will be hand shower in the alcove, I like this idea much better than a traditional shower. I've have yards of vintage printed organza-like material for the outer shower curtain. I found the light fixture about 4 years ago at the Tree Streets Yard Sale. I had no idea at the time what it was for, but it's such a great find I couldn't pass it up. It's an outdoor pendant, but it will work perfectly in the washroom.
On Friday, driving home from Rural Retreat, I stopped at a favorite junk spot and found a stash of unique ceiling tin. Usually when you find ceiling tin (24x24) it's white with basic straight edging and some embellishment in the center, usually some sort of circular design. This tin is highly ornate and in very good shape for the purpose it will serve. The patina is perfect, a rusty ochre tone, I don't think I'll change it. The plan is to coat it with a polycrylic sealer and fit it in the alcove behind the tub (a shallow alcove).
If you want to junk from your armchair, here's links to a few of my favorite salvage yards. I've always found what I was looking for at each of them, either online or there on site.
Okay, don't freak out over the sink and mirror. It's a work in progress. I found the sink last spring and had to have it! It's fun and is a challenge to fit in with all the rustic features but when it's all done, I think you'll approve. I found the mirror today at favorite little junk store, it's ornate enough around the edges to work and the mirror itself is rustic enough, in that it's lost some of it's shine. It's Perfect.
On Friday, driving home from Rural Retreat, I stopped at a favorite junk spot and found a stash of unique ceiling tin. Usually when you find ceiling tin (24x24) it's white with basic straight edging and some embellishment in the center, usually some sort of circular design. This tin is highly ornate and in very good shape for the purpose it will serve. The patina is perfect, a rusty ochre tone, I don't think I'll change it. The plan is to coat it with a polycrylic sealer and fit it in the alcove behind the tub (a shallow alcove).
If you want to junk from your armchair, here's links to a few of my favorite salvage yards. I've always found what I was looking for at each of them, either online or there on site.
Urban Remains - Chicago - http://urbanremainschicago.com/
Salvage One - Chicago - http://www.salvageone.com/home.php
Black Dog Salvage - Roanoke, Va - http://blackdogsalvage.com/
The Tobacco Barn - Asheville NC - http://atbarn.com/index.html
Have fun shopping!
Salvage One - Chicago - http://www.salvageone.com/home.php
Black Dog Salvage - Roanoke, Va - http://blackdogsalvage.com/
The Tobacco Barn - Asheville NC - http://atbarn.com/index.html
Have fun shopping!
Okay, don't freak out over the sink and mirror. It's a work in progress. I found the sink last spring and had to have it! It's fun and is a challenge to fit in with all the rustic features but when it's all done, I think you'll approve. I found the mirror today at favorite little junk store, it's ornate enough around the edges to work and the mirror itself is rustic enough, in that it's lost some of it's shine. It's Perfect.
Jason will be finished with the sheetrock next week and he, David and I will work together to put the texture on. I'll get either David or Jason to hold the flip camera for me to show you how this works. Stay tuned.
That's all for now. Stay in touch, hope to see you soon. Come around when the weather breaks.
Love
Nora Belle
