September 24, 2007 Pool Demo Continues

The pool demo continues. These guys are working hard.

September 23, 2007 Flooring Finishes Defined

I am researaching hardwood flooring options today. Thank goodness of the internet and of course Google!

I found a great custom wood flooring web site, T. Morton & Company. Apparently you can request samples of their product. In looking at the options of "appointments," you can select none, distressed, sculpted, wirebrushed, or French Bleed. Not knowing what these different terms mean, I went in search of definitions.

None--Well, this "appointment" I know.


Distressed--also called wire brushed. This type of character marking is done by machine such as a wire brush. Less expensive technique than those done by hand.


Sculpted--also called hand scraped. Gives the look of older reclaimed wood. This technique is done by hand with wood scraping tools. This technique is more expensive than character markings achieved by machine.


French Bleed--Black stain is used to highlight irregular/distressed edges (side and end joints) of the design.

September 22, 2007 Great Idea Kitchen, Bath, and Lighting Web Sites

I have been searching for ideas for my kitchen and bath remodels. I spent (too much) time today looking at web sites which have great design ideas with extensive photo galleries. And to save you time, I have posted their web addresses below.

Signature Kitchens & Baths of Charleston, Inc.
Kingswood The Kitchen Factory
Divine Kitchens
The Cabinet Studio
Peter Salerno Inc,
Hanover Lighting
Hinkley Lighting

Our pool needed extensive repairs and so we decided to demolish instead. The crew is in the back with a very loud jack hammer as well as sledge hammers.

Our city has guidelines for pool demos. Three large holes are created in the bottom of the pool, the sides are demolished, but the shell of the pool can stay in the ground.

September 12, 2007 Landscaping and Decorator

First, my landscaping requests were approved by the home owners architectural board. I contacted my landscaping company and they are working on scheduling me for the demo part to start. Yeah!

Next, my decorator called. She had updates on various things. Unfortunately, I have lost my voice, so we really couldn't talk. I will catch her next week.

September 10, 2007 Electric Outlet Cover in Kitchen

This is a great camouflage of those covers for the electric plugs in the kitchen. Usually, you have great backsplashes and then the electric outlets stick out in an undecorated way. This outlet cover was "tiled" with paint to match the glass tile backsplash. Amazing job.

September 10, 2007 Pesky Window/Door in Bedroom

I continue to research how to handle the ventilation problem I have in the child's bedroom. I was out visiting model homes this weekend. I found this great solution.

Of course, nothing is ever easy. This particular configuration is for a window which is 6'0". My opening is only 5'0". I am going to check with someone to see if there are some windows which are skinny enough to accommodate my opening.

September 9, 2007 Lighting

I am doing a little homework on the lighting factor. California passed requirements in 2005 called Title 24. It requires the use of energy efficient lighting throughout the home. For example, lighting in the kitchen must come from 50% CFL and this is measured in wattage, not number of units.

In looking online for information about these requirements, I found a fun site from GE called the "Virtual Lighting Designer." This page lets you compare two rooms side by side using various types of lighting (recessed, pendant, table lamp). You can also select various rooms to test the lighting in such as home office, hallway, family room.



These pictures compare (first picture) using a general table lamp with decorative lighting from a floor lamp, wall lamp (second picture).

September 7, 2007 Renaissance Windows

I am thinking about using this Renaissance French Door with operable sidelights in my son's bedroom. The room is a little unusual since the only ventilation is provided by a pair of French doors. You don't always want to have the French doors open with you want fresh air. This unit has operable casement windows on the side. The down side is that it is wood exterior which would need to by painted regularly. The good news is that the location is a protected patio area so the paint and wood would not get direct sun or rain.

September 7, 2007 GE Monogram® 42" Built-In Side-by-Side Refrigerator

I saw this GE Monogram refrigerator in a showroom. I like the look of the panels instead of stainless. I notice many of the refrigerators with stainless surfaces have thousands of fingerprints. I think the panels could eliminate a very likely eyesore in my home. I find my family tends to leave behind many fingerprints.

Time Out for a New Bike!

September 3, 2007 Restoration Hardware and Waterworks Lighting

I was on Waterworks web site and found this very beautiful sconce.

My decorator had shown me something similar at Restoration Hardware.

September 3, 2007 Waterworks Copper Tub Cost a Pretty Penny

I was cruising the information highway and stumbled upon the bath of the century. This tub is beautiful, I will admit. Copper exterior with tin interior. However, the price tag is astronomical--$29,000. This would definitely blow the decorating budget in one purchase. For those with deeper pockets, this item is available from Waterworks.

September 3, 2007 Master Bath--Am I a Pillar Person?

My decorator has been busy creating a plan for the master bath. It is important to work on this plan now. We don't want to install windows and then not have it fit in the final plan.

So, she created an idea involving pillars or columns. It seemed a little too grand for us at first. Then I found this great photo on HGTV's web page. Now, this isn't the exact look our bath would have, but I saw the final look isn't too ostentacious. So I'm thinking about it.

August 31, 2007 Master Bath Tub from Oceania Baths

In researching tubs for the master bath, I found one which I really like. Oceania Baths is the manufacturer. Rather than jets, the bath uses air bubbles which are released from a channel in the sides of the tub. The results are an aeromassage. Once the tub is empty, the channel is drained and air dried. This keeps the tub a little more hygenic.

August 29, 2007 Bathroom Tile Blues

Color of Sink/Toilet in Bath
Tile I Like
It is my own fault. I decided after reading about marble that it is not tough enough to stand up to my two sons. They are not the neat and tidy types. So I told the decorator we needed another type of counter surface. At first, she thought she could use a brown Silestone. But now she thinks it doesn't tie in with the other products selected. So she is rethinking the tiles and countertops. While I was scouting out stone today, I found this local store which supplies stone and tile for baths and kitchens. I really liked this tile for the kid's bath. It is from a company called Gainey Ceramics. I'm not sure it goes with the sink color we ordered though.

August 29, 2007 Bouquet Canyon Found

I have had success in finding stone to replace the stone at the front of the house. When we remove some of the windows, the stonework will be removed and cannot be reused because of the way it is cut. Finding this stone will allow us to do the demo without having to come up with another way to finish the facade at the front of the house.

August 29, 2007 In Search of Canyon Bouquet

We have stonework on the exterior of the house. When we replace the windows, this stone work will be removed and hopefully replaced. We will need some new stone to replace the old because of the way the windows are installed. I was told they don't mine this type of stone anymore. However, I found a stone supplier right in my very city who says he carries this type of stone. I am going down to see his selection and take some photos.

August 28, 2007 Windows Meeting

I had a very long meeting with my decorator, a contractor and a really wonderful window supplier. We met to go over many details of my job. I need a final bid on the cost of the windows as well as an estimate or at least a worst case scenario for the cost removing the windows, installing the windows, repairing the stucco, repairing the drywall, trimming the inside of the window and painting the window and trim.

I confirmed some of the details of the windows.

1. The exterior will be white
2. The interior hardware on the windows will be white and casement cranks will fold.
3. The grill/mullions will be 1 1/8" thick.
4. The French door hardware is still to be determined.
5. The spacer bar is spec'd between the windows. The spacer bar gives the appearance of true divided light.
6. If we add the exterior "brick mould" which Andersen calls auxiliary casing, I need to get in writing that Andersen's warranty is still in effect.

Various exterior casings from Andersen

Our meeting also included walking through the house and making sure each of the windows spec'd were going to fit in the existing opening. We decided to make a few doors a little smaller (1") than the current opening instead of going to the expense of moving the headers. The contractor also suggested we eliminate the window in one of the closets as a cost savings. We changed the windows in the bedrooms from double hung to casement to allow for appropriate egress without having to reconstruct the header.

The meeting ended up being about 2 1/2 hours long but we really defined all of the issue. Final things which I still need to clarify is the function of the windows in library (should they be fixed or casement and if casement which will open.) as well as finalizing the entry door.

August 28, 2007 Andersen Windows

I stopped by a supplier of Andersen Windows yesterday. I ended up spending about an hour talking with someone who really knew his stuff. He provided me with some brochures and from his own books, he gave me two spec sheets which outlines which sizes of Andersen will meet egress code for bedrooms.

One question which I have had about Andersen was about brick molding. Brick molding is a trim feature which is placed on the outside of the window frame. I was under the impression that Andersen didn't have a brick molding. He showed me two items called installation accessories (vinyl trim board and auxiliary casing) which can be used in this function. That puts Andersen back in the running for my windows.