Part 9: The Squirrels

There are at least two rambunctious Grey Squirrels living in the big leaf maple tree right behind my house.  They're busy running up and down the tree and back and forth across the deck.  They have big, fluffy, busy, twitchy tails and seem quite curious about our activities.  After 6 years of enjoying the property to themselves, they're probably a bit surprised to find us moving in.

I think the original builder had my cats in mind when he built the window sills at 7" deep.  Pretty perfect for a feline rump to perch and watch the squirrel show.

Click here for Part 10:  The Permits

Part 8: The Guest Bath

Update:  I found this vanity for the guest bath.  Love it.

While waiting for the structural engineering,  I'm made some choices for the Guest bath and laundry room.  The flooring for both spaces will be Carrera marble 2" hex, a timeless classic in keeping with the style of the home that I won't get tired of and want to rip out 5 years from now.  Plus, both marble and grout can be polished down to "fresh" layers in the the future, if necessary.  I'm keeping the major investment components of the design pretty simple and classic (with the exception of the glass tile mural for the master bath which is a fun splash out).

This photo is not of my guest bath, but shows a Carrera hex floor;

Classic Carrera hex tile flooring.

The guest bath tub/shower surround will be good ol' reliable 3x6 white subway tile and I'm thinking about something silvery and interesting for an accent tile, like this;

Not so classic "Splendor" 1" x 4" glass accent tile in Silver by EliteTile.

Keeping it simple and going with satin nickel plumbing fixtures in all baths;

Pfister "Catalina" faucet in satin nickel.

Click here for Part 9:  The Squirrels

Part 7: The Delays - Hurry up and wait:

 The Slow motion structural engineering;

"The good news is that business is good.  The bad news is that business is good."

We were on hold for a bit because it was Christmas, then because the structural engineer was so busy with the booming real estate market here in Portland.  We finally got the engineering calculations done that are necessary for A) removing the structural post in the middle of the front entryway and B) adding the large windows to the corner of the kitchen nook and the smaller windows on the opposite wall above the new fireplace.

So, we're good to go, right?  Not so fast.  Turns out that the city of Portland takes these things very seriously and is not willing to issue permits will-nilly to any (properly educated, licensed and experienced) structural engineer who does the math.  The city has asked for additional drawings which they will carefully peruse before issuing a permit.  I'm very happy they're so dedicated to keeping the residential building stock standing upright, and very annoyed by the slow motion process.  So, additional work is required before we can remove the post and add the windows.

This will delay the floor patching and refinishing that we have scheduled - and the appliance delivery that was to quickly follow the floors.  But this is not at all unusual for remodeling projects.  Delays happen, challenges pop-up.  We'll just keeping working at the things that can get done.  My project manager, Guy, is pushing on the structural front and also helping to organize other work that we can get done while that's slowly inching forward.

I hope the next post will be much more exciting than this one...

Click here for Part 8: The Guest Bath

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