BEFORE, DURING and AFTER
Master bath windows before...
Master bath windows after.
Attic room before...
...during...
...and after.
Before addition...
...during...
...and after.
During tile installation...
...and after.
During kitchen expansion...
...and after.
During finished basement conversion...
... and after.
During finishing phase of built-in cherry bookcase...
... and after.
During shop phase of cherry wine and spirits cabinet
(to match the bookcase above)...
...and after.
English walnut slabs before...
...during...
...during...
... and after.
During construction of new garage with office above. Designed by Michael Carrier, Alpenglow Building and Design Inc. Built by Michael and myself.
Colorful salvaged barn wood adds even more flair to an already playful structure. We alternated using the front faces, which were silver with some faded red edges, and the back face which had more brown tones.
Inside the upstairs office: Reclaimed Doug fir ridge beam, salvaged and adapted windows, finished with custom reclaimed fir trim, local Aspen tongue and groove ceiling, salvaged hardwood flooring.
Arch-top window with custom trim. This one was fun to do...
Pacific yew wood during a steam-bending process. A primitive bow in the making...
With the encouragement and guidance of Dan Hinds, good friend and skilled bowyer, the stave begins to take shape. Working with a piece that must bend and do dynamic work (and not break!) is an exciting process, and one that has given me a fresh appreciation for wood. Bows similar to these were putting meat on the table tens of thousands of years ago! On the left, two of Dan's working bows. One yew, one local juniper backed with sinew.
Creating an open floor plan. New beams take the place of the original wall and transform the space. Removing wall to wall carpet and eliminating dated wallpaper further helped to brighten and modernize the feel of the house.
Newly installed "character grade" read oak flooring. Low VOC water-based finish had nearly zero odor after only 24 hours, while still providing a super durable, beautiful, and long lasting finish. Flooring installed by Jerry from Walk on Wood, Inc. The new hearth in progress...
The new Brazilian Rust slate hearth. Tile installed by James Upshaw.
Before I got my hands on them, these chairs sat in a storage unit for ten years. Handcrafted from teak wood in Indonesia, these were once beautiful pieces of furniture. But the harsh treatment, temperature swings, and super dry climate of Colorado proved to be too much for them. The oil finish and the joinery of the seat bottoms had failed badly, while the joinery of the chair frame had survived intact.
After carefully removing the seat bottom planks (the wood was extremely dry and brittle), a new method of installing the seats was necessary, one which would allow them to float during seasonal expansion and contraction. After adding the cleats seen above, I cut three slotted holes in each side, then using screws and flat washers, I secured the newly repaired seats from underneath, tightening by hand just until they were snug.
After removing the cracked and separated seats, I repaired them with new glue and added biscuits, then thoroughly sanded and re-oiled them with Watco teak oil. The fully refurbished chairs should last for generations to come no matter what climate they may encounter!
Another angle of the finished chairs, with some more cool Indonesian furniture behind...
A recent project... with the help of fellow builder Trevor Lytle, I completed a major reconstruction of this cool solarium. Everyone in the South West should have a solarium! This one functions so well, it often heats the entire 2200 sq. ft. house during the daylight hours even when it's below freezing outside. French doors separate it from the rest of the house at night when it cools down, conserving energy. In the summer months, the Aspens leaf out and provide additional cooling shade, the eaves overhang enough to keep mid-day sun off the glass, and good cross ventilation helps to prevent overheating.