Sunday, April 30, 2006

 

Sunday Update

Short update...

I decided to go ahead and paint the whole beam in my bedroom to see what it would be like. One of the coolest things, IMO, about beams and clerestory windows is that the beams appear to "poke-through" the ends of the house and you can see the outside beams from inside the house.


Saturday, April 29, 2006

 

Adventure

The weather can really be unfair sometimes. Take this weekend, for example. Normally, SoCal has a chain of weather in the Spring. Rain in March, sun in April, sun in May, foggy clouds that don't dissipate until 2PM in June. The only reason why June is bearable is because of how wonderful April and May are. Today was warm but completely clouded up until 3PM. Ugh.

Anyhow, at least is wasn't raining. I got a chance to try out some new exterior paint colors. In my neighborhood pretty much everyone has white beam ends and tries to make the body of the beams blend-in. I decided to try something different and do what the architect originally envisioned, darkly colored and highlighted.

BEFORE


AFTER


One of the tough things about picking the right shade of dark brown is that it has to look good in the shadows (under the eaves), in direct sunlight (on the fascia boards), and indoors (on the beams as the go into the house).

One of the things I'm struggling with is how to paint the joists. Right now, my ceilings are fully covered in sheetrock. But in the master bedroom (shown above) I'm thinking of exposing the joists. Do I paint the joists the dark brown color and carry them inside in the house like the beams? Do I keep the joists the body color outside and make them white on the inside? Whatever I do, it has to be consistent throughout the whole house. Anyhow, here's a test on one of the inside beams:


Sunday, April 23, 2006

 

Finally Sun!

You know it's been a long time since you've seen the sun when 75 degrees feels like 110. This presents a particular problem for doing exterior work on the house. The only thing worse than spending 12 hours painting trim is spending 12 hours painting trim and another 12 hours repainting trim because it rained and ruined your previous work.

Luckily, this weekend worked out okay. I was determined and I thought a 10% chance of rain was reasonable. It poured last night, but my paint dried. Anyhow, here's what got done:

BEFORE


AFTER (some progress)


Oh, and yes, I am aware that the door + windows do not match the side of the house. Apparently, the previous owners only repainted half of the house. So the front and back are the brighter color and the courtyard and sides remain the older, grayer tone. Fortunately, the courtyard is almost entirely windows and doors so they're all being repainted from the ugly Smurfey Blue.

The effect I'm going here is so that the windows and doors all blend in with a lighter color for the frames. I already like the look. In Cliff May's original designs, the windows and doors always matched the body color of the house. In today's world everyone wants window trim that "pops" the architect here wanted the doors and windows to blend in so you're eye could see through the glass without distraction. It also gives the house a very clean look.

Back in Black (or Brown?)

I'm also thining of changing my fascia board / beam color. One of the challenges is that the main beams are visible both in the interior and exterior...so I have to pick a color that works for both. Right now, I have white. Originally, the house came with either charcoal black or very very dark brown stain on the beams and fascia board. The black looks cool, and would be arguably more likely to go with anything inside...but I'm a bit afraid it could be too much and overpowering.


Monday, April 17, 2006

 

Loose Ends....

I was thinking of getting a cat...


This is not what I had in mind... The Orange County Sanitation District decided to perform a "sewer upgrade." Over the last 5 months I've watched as this bohemith has made its way down Red Hill Blvd. And now, this morning, I awoke to the massive feline right behind my fence. Man, I hate construction.

Will it ever be done?

No. The bathroom will never be done, I fear. Looking below you may remember that I was planning on ordering a new light to replace the rust-patina model already there. I ordered the light on 4/9/2006 and the description read, "Ordered today, this item will ship on 4/10/2006." It's still not here. Anyhow, here's a pic. You can pretend that it's already there.


Pretty nice....especially for $79. I'm discovering the world of lighting is one of smoke, mirrors, ridiculous profit-margins, and occasional bargains. I'd plug the vendor (who has a lot of cool stuff) but I haven't gotten it yet.


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