Window trim. Lighting. Floor sealant. Shelves. While we await installation of siding and arrival of kitchen cabinets, there’s plenty of “fine work” to do. Even though we’re 1,000 miles apart right now, Jeff and I continue to partner on everything. I’m shopping/buying and he’s installing. The big leaps (laying foundation, erecting trusses, etc.) are more exciting, for sure…but the little things are just as important to creating the desired effect.
What effect is that? Warm. Cozy. Bring the outdoors inside. Let’s see how we’re doing. Update in photos and captions below. I’m off tomorrow for Croatia (on the Adriatic Sea) on a boat-and-bike trip, so hope to blog from there as I explore another region I’ve never visited….
“I’d like some built-in bookcases,” I told Jeff. Voila, there they are (still without shelves), in the loft. Thanks, Jeff! I still like physical books, even though I do audiobooks and Kindle these days. It’s fun to watch visitor reactions as they peruse my shelves. A book collection can tell you a lot about a person…but be careful about assumptions. You’ll see some strange titles on my shelves. Doesn’t mean I “believe” it all, just that I’m curious about everything. Those are oak planks, purchased from a neighbor, drying on the floor. Jeff hopes to turn them into steps.
This solid-oak bifold door hides a utility closet in the hall, under the steps — the last door to get installed on the main floor. Bi-folds work best when space is limited, and they don’t have to be “cheap.” What do you think of those sconces? The bulbs are very warm (2100K) to soften the cool gray of the concrete floor. I’ll get a nice runner in there soon also.
Continuing news from the last post, Jeff took more steps on window trim. We had just enough knotty pine left over from the ceiling to trim all the windows in the common area. He had to cut them to size before installing.
Here’s an example of the finished look. I stained all the window sashes in English Chestnut, which complements the Early American stain of the knotty-pine trim.
To trim the gable-end windows, Jeff bought some unfinished pine and “planed” it (made it more thin) on his sawmill. That’s about $30 in shavings and sawdust there!
He installed shelves in the “mudroom” closet and added a bar. These aren’t exciting steps, but you can see how much work is involved in a DIY house-building project. All of you who moved into a ready-made home…did you ever imagine all these steps? Probably not. I didn’t, either.
The loft window, fully-trimmed, looking west.
Ah, lighting. So important! I’ve been lamp-buying all my life, trying this and that to get just the right ambience. What do you think of this ceiling light in the loft? That’s real wood dangling! I think it’s pretty neat, and throws interesting light on the ceiling. (The track lighting on the lower left needs more work.) You can see the water through the triangular windows. Jeff had to use scaffolding to do the trim for those. (And I used it to do the stain. Not fun!)
I looked and looked for the right sconces to go up high on the living room wall. I love stained glass but didn’t want “fussy.” This one is called Budding Branch. Nature theme! Yeah!
People ask what type of flooring I plan. Um. Concrete! Remember that our floor is also the foundation and the heating source. (Tubes run through it to carry heated water.) We don’t want to compromise the heating source, so it remains uncovered. Tile is a good heat conductor…but for now, it’s just concrete. I had black dye added to it during the pour, seeking a more sophisticated color. And it is darker. But still gray. Jeff just added more sealant in hopes of bringing out the beauty of the embedded stones. It helped some. Throw rugs will help more.
Reminder…this is what the house looks like from the outside. (It’s 75 feet from the water.)
This is what it’ll look like when siding is added. I’ve had quite the adventure trying to get the right siding delivered. (See previous post.) Still not sure it’s right. More to come on that!
For Many Moons 
looking great. safe travels in Croatia!
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I always sneak a peek at people’s bookshelves, and yes, I do judge.
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