Think They’ll Like It?
Barenaked floors
The project I’m working on now is something of an oddity, as they go. It’s a 1923 English Tudor, located in the hills above Northwest Portland, next door to some longtime clients (See “Urban Oasis) who recommended me so highly that the owners just told me to outline what needed to be done, present a budget, and do it, showing a marked and remarkable indifference to what, exactly, I actually did. So I just went ahead, and now it’s almost done. Granted, the budget was not unlimited, and the goal was to make the house problem-free and rentable for a few years, until the market improves and it could be sold, so I couldn’t go hog wild like I might with an eager client wanting to create a spectacular showpiece.
No turning back now...
Still, it was odd to be picking paint colors, tile, and floors without any input, but naturally I warmed to the idea. The house itself is something of a gem. It’s just steps away from Chapman School, which in addition to being one of our best public elementary schools, is also the home of a seasonal flock of Vaux’s Swifts, gregarious migratory birds that flock in the schools chimney each fall, sending a cloud of birds into the sky each morning and evening for about two weeks, drawing crowds to the adjacent park from all over the city. Architecturally, it was an early example of a style of architecture that swept the region in the 1920′s; the picturesque high-peaked, stucco and timber Tudor, with steep roofs, gumwood woodwork, multipaned windows, decorative archways, coved plaster ceilings, and ironwork flourishes. I grew up in a similar house, and my brother lives in one today.
Floors stained; no clear coats yet...
Just to test out my design autonomy, I painted the living and dining rooms first, in a deep butterscotch with a hint of green to complement the stunning gumwood, and after a day or two of astonished contemplation, the owners declared the color a rousing success, and I was off to the races. I chose a lighter version of the same color for the rest of the house, and turned my attention to the floors. My flooring company, CZ Becker Wood Floors, is what I consider to be the best company in town, and where they really excel is in staining floors; most companies want to just slap on a clear coat and go, they will spend a whole day mixing colors and applying them on site, and their careful edgework and “popping the grain” with water before staining guarantees a perfect color treatment. Contrary to popular belief, hardwood floors were never meant to be “natural.” Oak in particular was considered to be a workaday wood that only looked good in disguise, chosen for hardness, not beauty. The floors in this house had been clear-coated, revealing unsightly spots that I didn’t want to spend money patching, and the color had yellowed to the point where it looked to be the same color as the woodwork, and I wanted to avoid both problems. The only way to go was dark.
Of course, slapping up a coat of paint for client perusal is a far cry from choosing a color for floors that will need to last many years, but today I went ahead and chose a deep brown for the floors. I anxiously await to find whether I’ve gotten myself in trouble.
Looks good to me, CH!
Well, I’ll still be nervous as a whore in church until the clients see it.
Nice work! I had a friend who had upgraded a place in Malibu. He felt he had to use all exotics, so he found zebra wood for the floors, it was really beautiful, but when they used a saw to trim the wood it produced the most godawful stink you ever smelled. Good thing it didn’t stay that way after it was finished.
He also installed “smart windows” you use a light switch to darken the glass. Next time I do a serious remodel I’d like to install those, but the price needs to come way down before I do.
I love zebra wood and have used it several times. As a carpenter, I’m only personally skilled to work with cheaper woods, so I was never there to smell it when it was being cut, but I can imagine that it would be dense and oily, two characteristics of stinkiness. (Some of it is the heating up of the saw, which was designed for lighter woods…)
Never tried “smart” windows so far…. here, smart means “keeps out the rain.”
Zebra wood is toxic, I’m told — I had a friend who wound up with severe respiratory problems, and damned near died from the sanding involved in making a child’s hobbyhorse. Please be careful, Hag.
As for the house, I have mixed feelings. It’s stunning — you’re clearly a Hag of taste and originality. On the other hand, it makes me said. I don’t get to live in a place as beautiful as that, ’cause there’s no way I could afford your services. A pity….
When it’s done, I’ll shoot it more extensively, and get a picture of the birds, too. Don’t worry, WT… I’ve been breathing the dust of cheaper materials for twenty years, to no discernible ill effects, and I do use masks when things are particularly noxious.
I’d love to work on a creation for you, since I’m so much better with a client who has passion and input, but alas, that booze doesn’t buy itself, and CHNN has a lot of other overhead, too.
CH, you’ve got a great eye for color. I wanted to ask, and I hope this isn’t out of line, but how do you describe your work? Are you a project manager, a coordinator? Well, you know what I’m asking. You refer to sourcing work to certain companies skilled in one thing or another, and I’m just curious (or is that nosy?–I think it’s “curious” when one wants to suggest interest, and “nosy” when one wants to say the other guy is intrusive).
But I’m asking in good faith.
I’m a designer and general contractor, and in addition to drafting and permits I do all my own demolition, framing, wiring (outside the box…), drywall, painting, tile, etc. I never touch plumbing, and I leave the finest carpentry or really difficult tile jobs to others more skilled, but otherwise I do everything. Oh, yeah, and the floor guys.
Dear CH,
Love the color choices…but then, I would. We chose something very similar! We thought a warm color like the one you chose made a lot of sense since so many months of the year are cool and damp. Plus the light during the wet season seems to be a blue-gray.
The only problem, now, is that our home is a condo built in 1979 (popcorn ceilings anyone??) and not a beauty like what you’re working on. Thanks for sharing your work!
I’ve worked on many 70′s condos over the years, and disdain them as we might, they’re historic beauties compared to what came after. Two choices with popcorn… remove it and suffer the mess and cost, or paint it dark. Both work pretty well. (Under “What, me work?” on the home page and “Give me Park Ave” there you can see some examples of what you can do with less charming spaces.)
CH, don’t know if I ever mentioned it but I live, with my sister, in a 1988 townhome here in Boise. The place is in pretty good shape and the association is currently repainting the exterior.
When we bought the place, we painted a living room wall, a wall in the stair well, and the fireplace (fronted in brick) with what I think was called Cedar Red, or something. In any case, it created a nice contrast with the rest of the place. So, I say this because I thought about it when I saw the pics and your color scheme.
Anyway, I hope I don’t sound like a bleating acolyte when I say that I think your talent is obvious.
Aw, shucks. I’m not sure “talent” is the right word, but it does pay the bills.
Dear CH,
Thanks for the response! I took a look at those photos and really liked the one titled “hagsplace” (I assume your home). I don’t want to tie up your time, but is the ceiling in that photo as dark as it looks or is it the lighting in the photo? I really like how the color looks. (As soon as I opened the photo, my head whipped around to look at our living room and imagine…hmmmm). Your living room space/ceiling height looks similar to ours and painting the ceiling a darker color might work.
I’m not sure which photo you’re referring to, but here the ceilings are a bland ivory… My old place, which had three sides of light, ten-foot ceilings, windows all around, and, alas, popcorn, looked great with dark ceilings, but I was unwilling to go there here with my much-reduced light. The wall color in both places is a deep pea-soup khaki called “Lenox Brown” from Ace.
light switches should be made from oxygen free copper so that they last longer“,
the light switch we have at home are made by Omron and they last for a long long time~,.
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