Heirloom Projects

If you live on Capitol Hill, Queen Anne, Fremont or Wallingford, it is likely that you live in a structure which would benefit from a long term approach to remodeling projects. Modern materials and construction techniques, as well as the steady appreciation of area homes, make custom projects a source of good return on investment.Heirloom renovations consist of projects designed to at last 30 to 50 years, use quality materials, and hardware, as well as design that takes into account both the style of the home and history of the neighborhood. The project should be a focus point of the home without standing apart, so that it is the last place future remodelers look to begin their work. Even better, it is what they build around, and take their design cues from.
In many cases the first step in a successful, long lasting project is identifying those existing elements of a house that either work already, or are most amenable to refurbishment and extension. Most houses undergo an organic (and inevitable) process of change, and each remodel should be looked at in the context of this larger unfolding story. These heirloom renovations are increasingly called for in houses whose value have now made them irreplaceable objects.
Builders are increasingly recognizing that their responsibility extends beyond the completion of a project. Some are taking on the role of advocates for a projects focusing on sustainability over pure profit, on appropriate scale over maximizing space, and the on the long term impact of all aspects of their building activities.

Summer Jobs

The Four Month Recap

A surprisingly busy four months! A little bit of everything --repair, design, cabinetry, commercial-- I'll include a picture of each project. Along with the visible results of lots of hard work are some less tangible improvements. Among these are an updated system for tracking project expenses and progress,   developing relationships with quality subcontractors (especially in plumbing, electrical, tile and finishing), and a growing familiarity with some of the social networking tools that make work life more, shall we say, creative?

Front Porch Renovations (Wallingford)

Capitol Hill Remodel

Front stair Repair /Renovation  (Two 2-day projects)

Before

 After

Shelf/Bed Built-in Cabinet and Bedroom Renovation (Capitol Hill)

Shelves remove and interlock to provide bed-frame
 for up to a king size mattress!

Exposed fir ceiling joists treated with a dye, stain, and oil finish to create a warm but finished look. Also increases the sense of headroom in a basement without the enormous expense of structural changes.

Work benches w/drawers (......design downtown)

Stylists Studio with hidden sink. (Capitol Hill)

Coming up; Cabinets and display area at ......cutlery in the Pike Place Market-next to the original Starbucks.

Wallingford Porch w/curved ceiling

A curved porch ceiling. I've retrofitted this element to a couple of Wallingford area porches.  A nice detail that can add a sense of space to otherwise cramped porch areas.

This detail can be added to most structurally sound gable-end  craftsman style porches, though its easiest as a part of a larger renovation or refurbishing project. This component added @ $2,500 to the cost of the project (including finishing)

Bookcase-Bedframe, adding flexibility to a basement bedroom.

This room used to be a speakeasy (so they say) so the new woodwork has the cosy feel of some of the original cabinetry. The nook itself is basicaly an insulated box that extends into the crawlspace, creating the option of using a king-sized mattress without taking up the whole room. Project cost @ $3,000.

Making a small space work.  A small bedroom needed a creative solution to increase utility without  increasing the footprint.

Shelves do double duty as a platform big enough to handle a  king sized bed.

The first step was removing the 100 year old stump hiding in the crawlspace behind the wall the wall! (Note the  existing ceiling was removed to expose joists- finished with stain and oil)

Magnolia Deck, Kitchen and Living Room Remodel.

Decking is cedar, the railings have some trex (plastic composite) elements to increase longevity. 

Fun to install someone else's cabinets. The corner cabinet hides the stove vent to avoid cluttering the space above the upper cabinets.

Another set of photos taken professionally, though the remodel was done several years ago.

Wallingford Kitchen

I fabricated all these cabinets from scratch. The installed price was competitive with high-end manufactured units, and cheaper than shop made custom units.

My favorite project location-close to home! There are few things greener than limiting the contractor's drive time.

This cabinet was designed by the owner for specific appliances. Full extension drawers create a very functional storage unit.

Entertainment center install

Here I was installing a shop built box. Simple right? The challenge was to match the existing trim (I turned out to be molded from plaster of paris, never seen that before!)  I created moldings from existing profiles (both crown and base were built up from 3 three different pieces from Limback). Then the doors needed to be re-hinged, the original design had them sliding into the case but they protruded too much for comfortable viewing. Now they fold back and away to the right.

Overall the completed project matches very well with the existing decor- a beautiful design by Christina Merkelbach!

Working in a unique space.

This was a chance to work on a house with some history. It was designed by the same architect that designed the Frye Museum (Paul Thiry). These cabinets are in the master bedroom/bath and guest bath.

This is the bathroom side of the bookshelf at top!

Believe it or not but the shelves and drawers are removable to provide access to the otherwise inaccessible crawl space below this bathroom.  Restricted to skinny plumbers only!

Saving Space in a Downtown Condo

How do you create a hold-away table that is deep enough to be useful under a counter-top barely high enough to accommodate it?

building a mock up in my "shop"

Table extended (see the video)

The movie shows the final product in action. The table tops were fabricated at Kerf Design.

 The design concept by Christina Merkelbach.

Transforming a Deck

Paul and Maria asked for a porch that retained the coziness of the original, protected storage underneath, and a more functional layout.  Together we created a design that seems to have covered all the bases. Thanks to Sarah Peden for her wonderful painting skills, and Chris Mcmullen for his slick steel railing!

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The space under the deck is accessed through 4 large swinging doors and is protected by a roof that is hidden inside the deck framing. Paul- I need picture's with the doors open :)