Search Results for: back door
behind door #1
One door down, three more to go!
Finally, after 2 1/2 years of temporary solutions, we once again have a real bathroom door. (Remodeling is not for the faint of heart, or the modest.)
The color is “thunderbird” from Benjamin Moore. We used Natura zero-VOC paint in a semi-gloss finish.
Here’s how it looks from the bathroom side. We also have plans to mount a narrow full-length mirror to this side of the door.
The attachment plate that connects to the track hardware was recessed into the top of the door for an extra clean look.
We ended up choosing the Linnea pulls. We considered designing our own pull and having it fabricated, but in the end we were happy to find a well-designed product that was affordable (we bought directly from the company and received an architect discount) and that we could have in our hands in two days!
To keep the bottom of the door from flapping against the wall, Kyle notched out the bottom of the door and install a recessed aluminum channel (that was painted to match). This channel then slides over a floor guide that is screwed to the floor. In the photo above, the door is pushed all the way back to show what the guide looks like, but we’ll eventually install stops in the track so you can’t push the door too far and the guide will always be hidden no matter what position the door is in.
I also finally hung my Seattle neighborhoods print, which was a 30th birthday gift from September! I’ll take more detailed shots later, but I decided to mount it on a thin piece of plywood instead of a traditional frame. (We’ll also probably move the print around, this is just the only place where there is a nail in the wall!)
The blue/teal does look different depending on the lighting (and as seen in these different photos), but overall we like. A lot.
the barn door debacle
The barn door concept started out as a way to further maximize our house’s efficiency while creating an interesting layer of functional texture (I just came up with that architect-speak on the spot!). Anyway, unlike a swing door, a sliding door doesn’t take up extra floor space when it’s in the open position (the same is true for pocket door). Our original design idea began with a horizontal track down the entire length of our house and a series of “moveable walls” separating the “public” and “private” spaces, giving us the ability to reconfigure the flow of the house with the push of a door. We even designed the openings so that the doors would feel composed whether they were in the open or closed position. After making the call to add the loft and adjacent “light well” over the basement stairs, we decided to stop the barn door track and preserve a large blank space of white wall for a TBD piece of art. [Kyle is in love with the work of Cassandria Blackmore, a local Seattle/San Francisco artist who composes color behind shattered glass.]
During our SketchUp design phase, we modeled the barn doors as wood (vertical grain fir) but have since decided that 1) maybe we have enough fir in the house and 2) the doors would be expensive, especially for the oversized pair of doors at the flex room, which need to be close to 3′-6″ each.
Then we had a brilliant idea. What if we made a door frame from welded steel pieces, with a MDF core that could be painted? It would look awesome and we’d save a ton of money!
Or maybe not.
Barn door FAIL! Well, in all fairness this is just the skeleton of the trial door. The steel frame would have been painted dark gray to match the track and a layer of fresh 3/8″ MDF would have been glued to each side and painted in a vivid color. Maybe something like this…
…and really, it is a cool door but it was too fussy and took WAY TOO LONG to fabricate. The frame was composed of back-to-back angles on three sides and back-to-back channels on the leading edge, providing a comfortable finger hold to operate the door from either side. The MDF core was dadoed on all four sides to fit over the interior flange of the steel frame and had to be installed before the final leg of the frame could be welded in place.
Are you overwhelmed yet? Yeah, us too. We were so thrilled with how the loft ladder turned out that we dove straight into welding up these doors. But the reality was that the design was too precise and the steel shapes so small that it just wasn’t the right solution. Also, the door was ridiculously heavy (and hard to operate, even without the two layers of MDF that still needed to be added) and the fact that this is the smallest of the four doors wasn’t a comforting thought. So we left the door in place for a week or so while we came up with version 2.0 (hey, at least we had a bathroom door in the interim!).
Another problem with the steel/MDF doors was that what started out as an inexpensive door was slowly getting pricier and pricier with each revision (for instance, we were now using three sheets of formaldehyde-free MDF per door). So we simplified. One thing that changed about our thought process since that first SketchUp model was the idea of painting the doors (inspired by Mad Men). This freed us to use a solid core door, but in a less expensive paint-grade option instead of the VG fir veneer.
Bam! We have just the bathroom door up now and despite the stock off-white color, it’s already a better solution (and much easier to operate).
With the magic of Photoshop, I started exploring color options…
Teal?
Blue?
Mustard yellow?
We also had a lot of husband and wife discussion about hardware and ergonomic door operation (uh, that’s normal right?). We’re thinking that a recessed door pull on each side is the way to go – modern and minimal but functional and comfortable.
Naturally, we like this ridiculously expensive pull from FSB. They’re spring-loaded which means they stay flush when not in use and the inner plate pushes in when in operation. Sexy! But at $70-$80 each…times 8…yeah.
Our second choice and more realistic pick are these recessed pulls from Linnea. They’re still not cheap and range from $24-$60 each. [We love the one on the left as it provides a place for your palm so the door doesn’t get smudgy.]
We also checked out Reveal Designs (bottom left), but it didn’t really do anything for us and it’s likely the price tag is higher than the similar Linnea version. The image on the right is also from FSB and is super hot but it looks ultra expensive and more complicated to install (though we dig the two-sided operation it provides).
So that’s where we’re at with this whole process. We felt good enough about the paint grade solid core doors that we ordered the remaining three last week. We’ll also share some details on how we attached the rollers at the top of the door and added a recessed aluminum track to the underside of the door for smoother operation. As for colors, we’ll probably do a few more Photoshop studies and then paint on a few samples once the doors are in place. The good news is that paint is pretty non-committal so we’ll probably just go with the ol’ trial and error route. We even talked about having two sets of doors that are in different colors that we can change out depending on our moods or the time of year. I’m fairly sure that this is an extremely low-priority idea, but it could be fun – like a Swatch watch for our house.
studio zerbey / seattle house lift
We first met Paige and Evan last fall when we did a consultation for their small 1918 house in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle. (They found us through our blog – yay!) They hadn’t lived in the house long, but knew they wanted to make some changes that would create more usable spaces and take advantage of an unfinished basement. The footprint of the house was approximately 783 SF, with a single bedroom and bathroom. A full basement below meant a lot of potential, but sadly the ceiling height was only 6′ or so.
Above, the official “before” photo of the front of the house.
We discussed a few different options and ultimately decided that lifting the house made the most sense. So many houses in Seattle (whose housing stock is largely from the early 20th century) have this same short-basement dilemma, including ours. (We considered lifting but because we only have a half basement decided it wasn’t worth the effort.) Paige and Evan also planned on doing much of the construction themselves, so that’s something we took into consideration during the design process.
Here are a few exterior photos from when we did the as-built measurements last January. (It has been HOT here the last week and looking at these photos made me a little jealous. I must be a true Seattleite now.)
Aside from lifting the house about 30″, the design also included filling in the recessed portions at the front and back of the house (which provided a spot for the new interior stair) and adding a new covered front porch.
Here are some side-by-side floor plans to give you an idea of what will be involved. (Click to enlarge.)
The goal was to keep all the “public” spaces on the main floor and use the basement for bedrooms, bathrooms and a laundry space. To simplify the existing framing, we kept the location of the interior load-bearing wall and added several larger windows to bring more natural light into the rooms. Under the future front porch will be a large storage area accessed from the outside. (There is a small shed in the backyard, but no real garage.)
The existing bedroom on the main floor will become a more casual living space (with a larger opening and sliding door) while the front of the house will serve as dining area (something that didn’t really exist before). The kitchen will be reconfigured a bit to create a more functional space with better flow, as it will continue to be the “hallway” of the house. A small office nook will be added adjacent to the new stair. The small recessed porch will be enclosed to create a mudroom entry and a new covered front porch will be added to the front of the house.
Now, fast-forward to late spring when the building permit was issued and construction started! One of the first tasks was to demo the existing masonry chimney and patch the roof.
As you can tell, it was a fun and clean task for Evan.
To make way for the machinery needed to lift the house, they also had some clearing that needed to happen first.
The general contractor is actually Paige’s dad, Michael, and she left her old job to be his right-hand man (err, woman) during construction. I love remodels, but even more so when they have an interesting side story like this one!
Before the house could be lifted, they had to move everything out of the basement, demolish the interior framing and remove the existing siding and sheathing at the basement level.
Paige and Evan worked with Kunkel Moving & Raising, a local company that has been lifting, leveling and moving houses in the Seattle area for over 100 years! Without getting into too much technical jargon, the main gist of raising a house is to first build heavy timber structures (called cribbing) that will support the steel beams that the house will temporarily rest on while new walls are constructed.
Next, a boom crane delivered the steel beams through openings cut in the temporary plywood sheathing. Those are the couple’s two dogs – Uki and Odo peering out from the temporary doggie gate above. (In most situations, it’s possible to live in the house after it’s raised which is what Paige and Evan are doing.)
Crazy side story: after visiting the house for the first time we realized that we actually used to live across the street, in a small house that we rented for a year before buying chezerbey in 2006! Even crazier, although Paige and Evan didn’t live there at the time, their two dogs did. The previous owner remarried someone with severe dog allergies and so the new homeowners adopted the dogs. Bailey was a puppy when we lived across the street, so very likely that they had met (or at least sniffed each other out) on a few occasions!
With the cribbing and support beams in place it was time to LIFT! (Anything else tying the house to the basement – like plumbing and electrical, were also temporarily unattached.) A series of hydraulic jacks (four in this case) were used to do the actual lifting.
The house was lifted about 12″ higher than its final location, but this allows for the new foundation and framing to be added more easily. Once that’s in place, the house will be lowered back down again.
(After the house lift was done, a temporary stair extension was added to the existing front steps.)
Oh hey there, spacious basement!
Todd Schlemmer (@theschlem on Twitter), a friend of Paige and Evan’s captured the entire 2 1/2 hour process. Using a Swann freestyle HD sports camera and OpenShot for Gnu/Linux, a picture was taken every 5 seconds and then assembled into this 3 minute video. Check it out!
On the left, a nerve-racking way to access the back door. On the right, the crew’s construction dog keeping an eye on things. (I don’t know what it is about contractors and small dogs but I love it.)
After the house was up in the air, work got underway on demolishing the existing foundation.
It can be possible to work with a house’s existing foundation (just building a taller stud wall on top) but for this project the owners wanted to tear out and pour a proper foundation. The new footings were also designed to accommodate a second story if they decide to expand again in the future. We had originally planned to pour on top of the existing concrete slab, but it wasn’t very thick and mostly crumbled under the weight of the excavator.
There’s Michael rocking the excavator above and the happy (although probably pretty tired) homeowners below.
Formwork for the new concrete footings went in last week and next up is pouring the new foundation!
During our own remodel, we used to always hope that we’d find some gold bars or just something interesting or unique. Paige and Evan didn’t stumble across any fortunes, but they did find these cool glass bottles, one of which was from the Keystone Liquor Company, a Seattle-based outfit that was in business from 1902-1914!
We’re so excited to continue watching the progress on this remodel and see the interior spaces start to take shape (and sharing updates here). The usable space will more than double in size (going from a 1 bedroom/1 bath to a 3 bedroom/3 bath!), all while working within the footprint of the existing house (minus the new open-air front porch). As architects, it’s so rewarding to help breathe new life into an old house and even more so when the family behind it are energetic, smart and design-minded.
Kyle and I stopped by the house a few weeks ago to check out the progress and I may have had a tiny bit of remodel envy. Although we still have plenty of work to do here at chezerbey, I clearly remember the excitement (and sometimes fear!) that came with those big, game-changer projects. Paige and Evan – it’s going to be so great – hang in there!
Want to see more? Follow Paige’s Instagram account!
studio zerbey / montana residence
As architects, the most exciting aspect of our job is seeing a project physically come to life. We continue to be knee-deep in Studio Zerbey design work right now (hence the lack of home-related blog posts) – early summer is always a hectic time with many of our current projects being submitted for building permits or starting construction. So over the next few months, we thought we’d share a few that have recently been completed or are under construction as we write.
First up, a new custom home in Missoula, Montana that recently wrapped up construction. Thanks to Joe McMahon of McMahon Construction and his entire team for executing the design so well. Kyle started this project in 2008 while working with his previous employer, Balance Associates. It took almost three years and many trips to Missoula to work through the design with the City and acquire the necessary building and land use permits – as the site was a designated steep slope, flood plain and partial wildlife habitat area. Kyle worked with city environmentalists to restore the wildlife area and address their remaining concerns. (When Kyle joined Studio Zerbey the project had already started construction so Balance Associates and Studio Zerbey agreed to complete the project as a joint project.) Kyle was up in MT a few weeks ago and took these photographs of the exterior and main living spaces. More photos to come in the future, but here’s a glimpse for now:
A view of the backyard grassy play area and outdoor kitchen with cantilevered deck and outdoor fireplace beyond. The cantilever was actually a design solution to the topography in this area, spanning across the slope rather than anchoring into it (which wouldn’t have been allowed anyway).
The living room opens up to the outdoor area with a large sliding door. The door has 2 operable panels that slide to the right for an opening that’s about 14′ wide!
You can barely see it in this photo, but beyond the trees there is a large creek that runs through the backyard of the property. Not only does it create a pleasant soothing sound when the doors are open, but the homeowners can also just walk out their back door and do some fly-fishing!
Kyle worked with the homeowners and Melissa Leadbeater at Seattle’s Design Within Reach to select all the furniture for the home. (Obviously, our clients have excellent taste.) They’re now working together again to pick outdoor furniture for summertime.
This view is from the creek looking back towards the house. Originally the yard had a steep slope area that was redesigned into a terraced walkway with Corten steel retaining walls.
The entry side of the home is designed to have a low profile and hug the earth.
Kudos to Andy Lennox of The Lennox Craftsmen for the well-crafted sapele cabinetry with integral lighting that can be seen throughout the home.
Stay tuned for upcoming posts highlighting construction progress on the Olympic Forest Cabin, Alaska Surf Shack and Missoula Mixed-Use Remodel. In addition to two new custom homes, we also have several residential remodel projects that will begin construction this year – a few of which will include good ol’ sweat equity from the homeowners themselves! We can’t wait to share the transformations with you (because if we can’t work on our own homes we might as well live vicariously through others, right?).
blogiversary!
Yep, the ol’ blog (or at least the WordPress version) turns four today! Although it feels like the house projects have slowed down, it was still a busy year – we had a baby, started our own firm, had the blog redesigned and the backyard transformed! It was a year of new beginnings and we’re still riding that wave.
Goals for this next year? We’re going to finish the basement bathroom and laundry room (we’ve renewed our building permit an embarrassing number of times), redo the bedroom (for reals!) and maybe, maaaybeee get going on the garage remodel. In addition to posts about house projects, we’ll also be sharing more of our Studio Zerbey projects and brainstorming ways to grow chezerbey beyond its humble house blog roots. (In fact, I’m going to the Alt Summit conference in January for the first time!)
On a related note, I’ve been meaning to take new photos of the house – the ones on our house tour and Studio Zerbey site still show the nursery as a flex room! So, a few days ago when the house was clean and the light was decent I snapped these:
We’ve added a few accessories to the space this year, but looking at these photos it’s still a bit too minimal for me. Granted, there is typically more clutter but I’d like to fill our home with more personal items. (Like y’know, actually printing and framing some of the family photos we took last Spring!)
The pouf is new! It’s from West Elm and I love it. Avery loves it too – as a step stool to reach taller and more dangerous things!
Cone of Shame photo bomb! (He had a sore on his tail, but it’s healing up.) Also, the runner is new-ish. We replaced the IKEA one (which was curling up on the ends) with this sisal runner from Crate&Barrel. We originally purchased a Chilewich runner but it was smaller and really showed how much the cork has faded at the back door so we returned it and bought the C&B one.
The poor fauxdenza – so useful and yet so hard to style. Avery is tall enough to swipe things close to the edge so we keep it mostly cleared off (when it’s not serving as a whole house catchall that is).
This will be its own blog post, but I think we’re going to replace the fridge soon. Now that we’re a family of three and eating at home a lot more, it’s just a little too small. Good thing Kyle designed in a contingency (aka “I told you so”) plan when he built those custom fir panels. 🙂
An architect friend of ours did this sketch of Bailey and every morning Avery points to it and smiles. (Thanks Margo!)
We’ve made zero progress on the bedroom. There are lots of ideas but it’s been back-burnered for the time being. I think it will be one of those projects that needs to be fully designed and materials purchased and then we just spend a weekend powering through. We’re also still debating whether to do custom doors and drawer fronts over the existing IKEA PAX wardrobe or a more custom curtain. Both are expensive and have their own pros and cons.
Finally, a big thank you to everyone who has supported us (with a comment or a crow bar) along this journey. This little corner of the internet is one of the best parts of my day and I’m thankful it exists. Cheers!
