Part 6: The Tile Mural...

There's a wall in the Master Bath shower that's just asking for something special.  It's so large and so very blank and you can see it all the way from where the bed will be in the attached bedroom.

I was picturing a large cascade of cherry blossoms gracefully arching down the wall, bringing some vibrant pink colors into the space.  Everything else in the bathroom will be simple, white-ish and calm, letting this explosion of pink exuberance have its moment.

After some investigation and getting over the shock of custom mosaic price tags, I found a company on mainland China who specializes in "exquisite mosaic tile."  Turns out that there are many mosaic production companies in China who create custom glass tile mosaics and ship them all over the world.

My friend and colleague, Claire Schatzle, is a talented graphic designer.  She works in the graphic design and branding department at Ankrom Moisan and runs her own small-but-growing graphic design business on the side.  Claire and I found a good inspiration photo on line and used that as a jumping off point for our blossom mural design.  It's a kind-of stylized cherry/plum blossom mash-up.  Here's her finished design;  (Thank you, Claire!)

Claire Schatzle Design

There were a number of delays and miscommunications working with the Chinese supplier, and I was worried enough to have a back-up plan, but finally, just a few days ago, my contact, Allen, sent email saying the mural was done and would be shipping shortly.  He also included these production photos;

Blossom mural production 

Blossom mural production close up.

The way they produce these murals is interesting;  They print full-size copies of the design, in color, tape them to table tops, then get to work selecting, cutting and placing each piece of glass in place.  In our case, this finished mural will be 4+ feet wide by 8 feet tall, which requires a very high resolution file for them to see and replicate the detail.  

This whole project was a bit of a gamble:  I didn't know what the finished quality would be, or if I would ever even receive the mural, but it's been a ton of fun to start with "What if....", generate the design with Claire, communicate with Allen in China, and finally see the photos.

I'll post more photos once the tile is installed and grouted in place.  I'm looking forward to seeing the finished project!  By the way, Allen's company also sells "quality watches."  :-)

Click here for Part 7:  The Delays:  Hurry up and wait

Part 5: The Front Porch Columns

The original columns on the front porch didn't do this stout house justice.  It needed robust columns with gravitas.  So, Mike and Guy's team wrapped the original posts to create 13" x 13" straight columns with very simple trim.

The original front porch columns.

The new, beefier front porch columns.

I love them.

Click here to see Part 6:  The Tile Mural

Part 4: The Woodpecker

This house was bank-owned, and sat empty from 2010-2015.  It was neglected, but essentially in good shape - except for some damage done by a very industrious woodpecker.

Woodpecker damage to North-facing rear gable.

The woodpecker had pecked his way along the wood shingles at the front and back gables of the house, finally working his/her way through and into the cozy, conditioned attic space, where they built themselves a dandy nest.  In the photo above, the yellow arrows indicate the long trail of damaged shingles the woodpecker left behind, spreading over 20'+ across the back gable before finally breaking through the shingles AND the plywood sheathing layer below.  The arrow to the far left shows where the bank had sealed the penetration with a piece of plywood.  The woodpecker did similar damage to the front gables on the house and the garage.

They had the very good fortune (or smarts?) of breaking through the siding into the attic closet that holds the large furnace,where their nest was strewn across the floor.  Clever bird!

When Mike and Guy's crew removed the damaged wood shingles and sheathing, we discovered that the building wasn't entirely sealed under the shingles.  So, off came all of the shingles on all gables, up went new house wrap and Hardi Plank cement composite shingles.  We were pleasantly surprised to find zero water damage underneath the damaged shingles, and now we know it's properly sealed.

New HardiShingle siding on front and side gables with yellow primer.

Above is a shot of the new HardiShingle siding on the South-facing front and East side gables.  We're hoping that the woodpecker, who will likely return to such a successful nest, won't find the cement composite siding quite as inviting as the original cedar shakes.

It was an unplanned expense, but if it hadn't been for that industrious woodpecker, we might never have realized some additional work was warranted to keep this house water tight.

Click here for Part 5: The Front Porch Columns

Part 3: The Team

Michele Parker, my long-time friend and real estate agent, referred me to Mike Stouder of ZIA Construction.  Mike has over 20 years of experience as a builder, general contractor, appraiser and investor in the Portland market and really knows his stuff.

Guy Conaway, Mike's project manager, is THE most patient man in the world, nodding in agreement when I change my mind, and then change it again, maintaining a great sense of humor throughout, and helping me figure out solutions to design challenges.  I feel incredibly fortunate to have these guys working with me on this project.

Below are some photos of one of their recent builds from the ground up.

ZIA Construction, 2015

Click here for Part 4:  The Woodpecker

Part 2: The house

Living room.

House from driveway - Garage/ADU visible in back.

The house I fell in love with is recent construction, built in 2006, but in a C1910 "Portland Craftsman" vernacular style.  It's a great blend of early 20th century style with high ceilings and over-sized windows, and early 21st Century functionality with an open, great room floor plan and a central distribution panel for internet connectivity.  It also has a studio over the detached garage that was built in a way that it could be converted into a legal accessory dwelling unit (ADU) for additional income.

The house is located in the Maplewood neighborhood, just West of Multnomah and Hillsdale and 15 minutes to downtown Portland.  It's a great neighborhood, with houses ranging from the 1910's to 2015, full of trees and great gardens and people out walking their dogs.  The neighbors have been warm and welcoming.  Gabriel Park and the SouthWest Community Center are 6 blocks away, the Maplewood Coffee Shop is 3 blocks - straight uphill.

Wall of windows in the Great room let in Northern light.

Kitchen

The house was bank-owned and sat empty from 2010-2016.  It wasn't in bad shape, exactly, but with no power, water or heat, cabinet doors off the hinges, a missing bathroom sink, light fixtures hanging at odd angles, filthy carpeting, a neglected lot and a peeling exterior paint job - it didn't show well.  That was fine with me, because most of it was clearly cosmetic.  If it narrowed the field of interested buyers, that was a good thing.  It was also being sold through an auction site with a questionable reputation - that wasn't so fine with me, but it wound up going pretty smoothly, all things considered.  Michele negotiated the contract brilliantly and after 6.5 weeks (bank-owned property sales are always slow), the deal was done.

The original architectural designer and builder did a lot right - 9 foot ceilings, generous moldings around the huge windows and doors, solid wood floors, and a very practical floor plan - but it felt weighed down by slate tile, Tiffany style stained glass light fixtures and muddy wall colors.

My vision for this property is a happy house;  a house that's light, warm and welcoming and has a bit of a sense of humor.  A house that's tapping it's toe and humming a happy little tune to itself, no matter what the inhabitants are doing.

Stay tuned for more... Part 3:  The Team

Part 1: Kat renovates a house

Florida St House, Portland, OR

Kat Renovates a House

After months of looking at houses in and around Portland, I finally found one that made my heart beat faster.  Within 3 minutes of walking inside the house located in the Maplewood neighborhood in SW Portland, I told my realtor, Michele Parker, "This is it. I'm buying this house."

I knew it would take some work to make it into what I was envisioning, but I knew it'd be worth it - and a great project to sink my design teeth into.  Good bones, great neighborhood, short drive to work.  I'm creating this blog because I have good friends, family and colleagues strung out all over the country (and a few in Europe - you know who you are!) asking for photos and updates.  Stay tuned for more posts on the renovation.

Click here for Part 2, The House.