Tile Work

The Boulder Project moves along at a quickening pace.  With the hickory floor installed and most of the trim work completed, bathrooms and kitchen were prepped for tile.  Beneath the tile in the bathrooms, thermostatically controlled heat mats were installed.  This will keep the floors nice and warm on cold winter days in Colorado.

Electric Heat Mats

Tile selections were laid out and the exact layout was determined. Each bathroom will receive a different tile treatment while maintaining style continuity throughout the house.

Bathroom Tile Selections

The master bathroom floor gets a basket weave mosaic tile treatment of polished Carrara and black marble.  This design seemed appropriate for the age of the house and introduces a bit of elegance to the room.  The shower will be more contemporary and definitely dramatic.  Here we are using 12" X 12" honed black marble and will inset the same basket weave tile on the floor.  We'll use slab quartz for the seat and threshold.  This will tie in with the vanity countertop and tub deck.

Master Bath Being Tiled



Master Bath Shower



Niche in Master Shower

Threshold to Master Shower

The west bedroom's en suite bath has similar floor tiles set in a "cordoba" pattern, this time using honed marble with Ostrich Grey tumbled quartz as accent.  Unlike the stone we chose for the master bath, this tile has a matte appearance.  It provides a nice contrast to the glazed subway tile walls and polished quartz countertops that will be installed in this bath.

Tiling the West Bathroom

Shower Niche

Quartz Seat in West Bathroom Shower

Threshold to West Bathroom Shower

Tile Completed in West Bathroom

The hall/guest bathroom gets the same tile treatment as the master bath.  Here, we have inset a 4" border of honed black marble that gives the floor a very vintage look.  The walls are tiled in the same 4"x 12"glazed subway tile used in the west bathroom and capped with a marble bullnose.

Guest Bath Mosaic Floor Tile

Subway Tiles in Guest Bath

Quartz Shelf Spans the Wall Above the Tub

In the small basement bath, we used the same "cordoba" pattern tile treatment used on the floor of the west bathroom but downsized the subway tile to a 3" x 6" size.

Setting the Subway Tile in the Basement Bath

Working in Tandem

A Quartz Shelf Caps the Subway Tile

The washing machine is located on the main floor instead of the basement.  Backups and leaks are known to happen and putting a shower pan with a drain under the unit seemed like a no-brainer.  We'll use leftover tile from one of the bathrooms to finish this area.

Laundry

It's in the Details

With selection of trim for doors and windows, the character of the house begins to take shape.  In order to stay true to the original details of the house, tall baseboards and simple trim around windows were called for.  To dress up the main room – the original part of the house – crown molding would be applied.  A modified version of this detail will be repeated around the kitchen exhaust fan hood and adjoining shelves as well as the fireplace mantle.

Window Trim Mock Up

Selecting Crown Molding

Fireplace Mantle Detail

The house was abuzz with activity as trim carpenters went about their work.  Windows and doors were trimmed, crown molding was applied to the main rooms and the staircase began to take shape.

Finishing the South Window

French Doors are Framed

West Bedroom Windows

Transom in West Bathroom

Relocated Antique Fretwork Window

Simple Base Trim is Applied

Following the simple lines of the house and the design of the fireplace surround, stairs were trimmed and construction of the stair railing began. 

Determining the Layout

Trim Detail

Planning the Newel Post Configuration

Newel Post Construction

Planning the Rail Configuration

Stairway Leading Up

View of Staircase from Upstairs

With the kitchen located in the front of the house, the hood surround in the kitchen is a major design component.  Glass shelves, suspended by steel rods flank the hood on both sides.  In order to support the weight of the shelves, a structural steel support is concealed in the upper shelf.  This is hidden by the crown molding detail.

Steel Provides Support for Shelves

Crown Molding is Added

Corbels Add Elegance

Completed Hood Trim

Using the reclaimed fir from the floor of the old house on the ceiling upstairs makes an interesting transition from old to new.  Imperfections exist even though the planks were re-milled.  Once whitewashed, these little flaws will add texture and interest to the vaulted ceiling.

Spacers Being Removed from Between Planks

Finished Plank Ceiling

View of Plank Ceiling through Fretwork Window from Master Bath Interior

The old front door that was so prized by Ray Calabrese had been taken off site for restoration.  It needed a lot of work.  Parts of the applied carved detail were missing and, over the years, holes had been drilled to accommodate various locks and door hardware.  Its edges were battered and layers of paint obscured delicate carving.  Now it was back home, refreshed and ready to resume its rightful place.

Restored Front Entry Door

Doors and Floors

The new north wing of the house has a relatively long hallway with main floor bedrooms, a guest bathroom, and laundry room opening off this hall. While the openness of the stairwell helped to keep this part of the house from feeling confining, the hallway needed dressing up.

To achieve cross-ventilation and help cool old buildings, many homes and commercial buildings had operating transoms above doors. The high ceilings in the new addition made it possible to add working transoms above the interior doors opening off the hall as well as en-suite bathroom doors. The result was amazing. It brought more light into the hallways and added charm and period character to the new addition.

Transom Above Interior Doors

With the doors hung and transoms installed, work began on the floors.  3 ½ inch hickory planks were delivered and distributed throughout the house to acclimate.  The fir floor boards that were reclaimed from the old house were re-milled and will be used on the ceiling upstairs.

Hickory Plank Flooring

Reclaimed Fir Floor Boards

Moving Inside

With most of the work completed on the exterior it was exciting to see activity indoors.  It began with the application of a spray foam insulation that provides a thermal barrier making the house more energy efficient.  This was covered with a loose-fill cellulose insulation providing even more thermal resistance.  Specific walls including the media room and bedrooms got additional soundproofing treatment.

Walls are "Red Lined" for Soundproofing

Texture is Applied

The texture of the walls is meant to resemble old plaster.  The finish was applied by hand, smoothing the walls until there were only a few voids remaining.  A thorough sanding and it is ready for paint.

Great Room Fireplace and TV Cabinet

Master Bath Medicine Cabinets

A Flurry of Work

We have been fortunate that the onset of winter was late this year. It allowed us the time we needed to get work on the outside completed before snow began to fall. The driveway needed to be poured and the roof still needed to be shingled.

Pouring the Driveway

Estate Grey Shingles

 
The garage door arrived and was hung and a shallow roof was added above the dining area’s French doors to provide some protection from the elements. There will be an elevated Brazilian redwood deck on this side of the house and the little roof really dresses up the entrance to the kitchen.

West Deck Roof

 
Flagstone needed to be extended into the window wells to tie the old foundation to the new. Gutters were installed, the south side of Jessica’s garage was faced with vertical plank siding, and salvaged flagstone was turned into a new front walkway. The newly constructed fence is a huge improvement over what previously existed – a mismatch of wire fencing and plywood scraps. Once painted, it will add a great deal of charm to the corner.

Facing with Flagstone



Flagstone Window Well



New Siding on the Old Garage

Laying Out the Sidewalk

Adding Flagstone to the Front Steps

West Fence

Tribute to the Wall Flower

During the design process, we were under the impression that we had to retain all the street facing windows that were original to the house. Once we had our final meeting with the Landmark Board, we realized that two additional windows on the west side of the original house also needed to be kept. Even though these windows are not street-facing and open to a narrow side yard, they are a part of the historic structure and needed to be preserved. We had already designed the interior spaces and cabinetry was to be installed along this wall. We needed a solution for the exterior.

There were several suggestions. “Why not paint the inside of the windows black?” “What about using reflective automotive film?” "How about sandwiching curtains or blinds between glass?” None of these were appealing options. We didn’t have time to commission stained glass. With the clock ticking, I decided to undertake this project myself.

I drove to Superior, Colorado to meet with Linda Ehlers of Great Glass Galore. Linda makes the most fabulous stained glass panels and offers classes as well. She agreed to give me a 10-minute primer on how to cut glass and equipped me with all the tools and supplies I would need to tackle my project. I picked out orange, yellow, pinks, greens, an iridescent neutral and blue glass – all colors that appealed to me that day and went back to Boulder to see what I could do.

I love peonies. Although they won’t grow in Arizona, I remember them from my childhood and they are commonly found in Boulder and a beautiful part of Jessica’s garden. Working in Jessica’s back yard during the day and in her garage at night, I created four panels of “wall flowers” to “sit” behind the glass of the original windows.

Laying it out on Plywood



Small Window Panel



Small West Window Installation



Large West Window Installation

Let the Sun Shine

The house has been white on white for decades. Like a wall flower, she has sat invisible on the corner, her once bright exterior graying with time. Over the last few months, she has been reinventing herself – getting the long overdue attention she deserves. She has realigned her foundation, strengthened her walls and expanded her reach. Her spirit has been lifted and her true beauty has been uncovered.

She’s ready to “put on her face”.  She’s ready to be reintroduced. For that, she needed color that would announce who she was . . . who she is. 

intense, impetuous, passionate, optimistic, unconventional, adventurous, strong-willed, intuitive, resourceful, fiercely independent, determined, adaptable, controlling, driven, dedicated, mysterious

Yellow. She needed to be yellow. Not brassy, not washed out yellow. Deep, earthy yellow. Yellow with staying power.

First Coat on her Fresh Face

Buff between Concord Buff

West Side

I chose two shades of yellow – Benjamin Moore’s Buff and Concord Buff.  Just enough “sunshine” and ochre in the mix to read ‘this is who I am’.  When I was growing up, my grandparents always had blue on the ceiling of their porch.  They said that it confused the wasps into thinking it was the sky.  They never had nests on their porch.  That was good enough for me.  I selected Benjamin Moore’s Silvermist – a soothing grey-blue for the porch ceilings and soffits and a creamy white – Westhighland White – for the trim and highlighting the beautiful detailing around the windows. 

A Work in Progress