NEW FLOORING AND PAINT

Over the years I have installed many new floors and done a lot of painting.  Here is a recent example.   After new floors and base boards were installed the interior was painted. 

Detail of paint work with gloss enamelled fireplace mantel.

It's interesting how improving or updating any one portion of a space ends up accentuating the drabness of the remaining area.  This is especially true with new flooring and paint.  When one is done without the other, the one that wasn't done stands out like a sore thumb compromising the newness and beauty of the other.  I always recommend painting following the installation of new flooring when needed.  The two will then compliment one another to maximize the overall beauty of the space.

There is so much more to painting than most people imagine.  Preparation is critical.   Slapping on a layer of new paint without doing anything else may initially look like an improvement, but all of the old underlying flaws, dirt and debris will very quickly be noticed.  Improperly applied paint will leave walls reflecting the light differently resulting in a poor blotchy looking paint job.

When the right colors are selected, proper detailed preparation is done, and good painting methods are applied, a newly painted room will look as though it is a brand new space and will be beautiful.

Here is the flooring installation in progress and prior to painting.  The picture colors aren't true but it is clear that the new paint in the picture below enhanced the flooring and give the entire room an incredible new richness.  

Here is the new floor with a custom trim around the fireplace brickwork.  New base boards were installed  and the ceilings, walls, baseboards, mantel, and built in shelving  were painted.  Two colors were used on the adjacent walls for a more interesting contemporary look.  The fireplace which had been a dreary, dirty with age white, was painted to compliment the other wall colors while accentuating the fire place as the centerpiece of the room.  I assisted my client in the selection of the colors based upon the new flooring.

New Flooring installed though kitchen looking toward dinning area(baseboards not yet installed).

New Flooring from kitchen looking toward Family room.

If electrical switches, outlets, and plates look worn or dirty they need to be replaced to achieve the completely new look and feel of the room.

 Experience with attention to detail can produce a near perfect paint job.

Finished Floor and Paint with custom cut and finished trim around fireplace base to match flooring.

Preparing Home for Sale

Preparing a home for sale or rent pays off big.  A home that feels appealing without blatant flaws is much more likely to motivate a potential buyer or renter.  The cost to do this is minimal for a house that has been maintained at a basic level.  

This house had been well maintained  but had a dated feel primarily due to the original flat dark wood doors.

 The owner wanted the house to go on the market in a few days so 3 of us went at it.  We removed all of the interior doors and replaced them with new doors, "slabs", that had to be cut to fit original openings.  The doors were painted and installed using all new hardware, hinges and knobs. Dark sliding closet doors in the bedrooms were replace with mirrored doors giving the rooms a much larger and brighter feel.  This brightened up the home and gave it a newer feel.

We did quite a few minor repairs including a miss-wire in the 3 way stair lighting switch that the owner told us had never worked properly.

It is important the the entry to the home be appealing and inviting.  We patched up dings in the door, replaced a cracked glass pain, and painted the door and trim.

Following these minor changes and repairs the home was sold after only few days on the market.

New doors and hardware.

Installed Oak casement to match floors and base board.

Trimmed out kitchen lighting in oak molding to match cabinetry and installed new frosted panels.

Renovated entry door.

Small Add-on Roof Construction Project

This project was the result of a small poorly constructed addition.   Before I started the project the roof was flat with a low pitch and had quickly begun to sag and leak when it rained.  I was consulted after numerous attempts to have it fixed by the owner had failed.  I proposed removing the existing roof and reconstructing it as a peaked roof tied into the existing main house roof.  The owner also had me add a skylight and vent for a stove.

The pictures below show the new roof framed and covered.  The new roof design also tied the attic spaces together for proper insulation, ventilation, and air flow.  We  stuccoed the exterior walls up to the new leveled upper wall plate.  Lastly,  rain gutters were installed to carry the water away from the home and addition and keep rain water from pouring onto the entry area.

This is the new roof over the addition tied into the main house.  Composite shingles were found that closely matched the existing house.   This change to the roof design fixed the leak problems.

View of other side

This side view of the new eve shows the original flat roof pitch that followed the top of the stucco wall.

View opposite side.  I matched the existing house construction method and style over the small addition.

This is my helper prepping the walls for the stucco.  We cut out the old lookouts and filled in with stucco.

I constructed a small custom cabinet to mount the stove vent system.

Interior shot of skylight framed and drywall installed.

Window / Energy Upgrade

This project involved removal of all of the home's single pain windows and sliding doors and replacing them with new double pain windows and doors. The owner saw an immediate significant reduction of energy use as well as drafts and also got the excellent sound dampening benefits making life in the home much more comfortable. 

For this retrofit "new construction" windows were used due to the siding which was easily trimmed out to remove the entire original window.  In this way the windows did not have to be smaller.  The original wood interior window trim were left in place.  As the pictures illustrate, the new windows were framed in wood giving the home a more contemporary look.

Front of Home - Before

Front of Home - After

Another Front Window -  After

Rear of Home - Before

Rear of Home - After

 

 

Small Bathroom Remodel

The idea going into this was to create a feel of openness and comfort in a very small area.  This was accomplished by eliminating the tub, using a transparent glass shower door, replacing the original cabinet sink with a pedestal and by bringing in natural light.

 The window in the shower was made larger and a 14" x 45" skylight was added to allow more natural lighting as seen in this view from the entry.

This is a small 5'x7' room.  The design, selection of materials and fixtures, tile layout, and all of the work were done by me with the exception of the tile installation. 

The room was gutted, new electrical and lighting were added with sconces on each side of the custom mirrored medicine cabinet above the sink.  The size of the window was increased and a skylight installed to lighten up the previously very dark room.   The plumbing was modified from a tub to a shower configuration.  The tile was installed and a new high seat toilet, pedestal sink, fixtures and a new door were installed.

Before work (taken with flash)

Original Tile removed

Even with a new larger window the room was dark during the day.  A small sky light fixed it.  Walls being prepped and new shower plumbing rough in.  Original toilet was left in place for practical purposes until the tile was ready to go in.

The drain had to be moved from the tub location for the shower.

Sky light being added to bring in the light.

Beginning tile work.

Tile and shower pan installation.

 View of completed bath from entry.

View of pedestal sink and custom mirrored cabinet from shower area.

Custom Vanity

This is a vanity that I modified for use in a master bath remodel.  I also added the sconces and did all the electrical work.  The vanity drawers are all functional after being modified to work around the sink and plumbing.

 

Custom vanity in master bath remodel 2012.

All new Electrical, Plumbing, & Fixtures.

CUSTOM LANDINGS

As a final component of a complete interior/exterior remodel, landings needed to be constructed as specified by code due to the outward opening of the courtyard's French doors.  They are designed to conform with the new contemporary architecture.  An entry gate to the courtyard was later designed to be complimentary with the landings (See Entry Gate blog post).

Custom redwood landing designed and constructed by Patrick.

Completed unfinished landings

View of courtyard with completed and finished landings.