Architecture Our House, a Very Fine House.

Jan, have they finished your house yet?
If you mean, are they doing "finishing work," then yes!

It's going to be lovely… if we ever get in it. The best and worst thing is that the builder is an "artiste," and he loves to work with found materials. Right now, he's putting up solid copper sheeting backsplash around the kitchen counter!

We gave him tropical hardwood boards I salvaged from pallets that came with equipment my employer imported from South America. He's inlaid that into the custom cabinetry, and made a countertop to match the Purpleheart. And the Venitian-Lime plaster is like a sheet of glass!

He selected cedars to turn into posts for the newel rods for the loft railing, arranging then small-to-large-to-small, for a nice effect.

I'm trying my best to be patient. These were from three weeks ago, and it seems it's only a little bit closer to move-in. There are about two dozen five-minute jobs to do yet. If you got two dozen people together who really knew what they were doing, it could be done in five minutes! But it will probably me more like five weeks…

(Sorry, none of these were shot with an "adapted lens." Perhaps we need a "My New House" thread?)
M3254175.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
M3254183.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
M3254178.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
M3254177.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
 
The place to show your house, and projects around...

I'll light the fire
You place the flowers
In the vase
That you bought today
Staring at the fire
For hours and hours
While I listen to you
Play your love songs
All night long

For me
Only for me

Come to me now (come to me now)
And rest your head for just five minutes
Everything is done
Such a cozy room (such a cozy room)
The windows are illuminated by the evening
Sunshine through them
Fiery gems

For you
Only for you


Our house
Is a very, very, very fine house (very, very fine house)
With two cats in the yard
Life used to be so hard
Now everything is easy
'Cause of you
And our

I'll light the fire
While you place the flowers
In the vase
That you bought today
 
If you mean, are they doing "finishing work," then yes!

It's going to be lovely… if we ever get in it. The best and worst thing is that the builder is an "artiste," and he loves to work with found materials. Right now, he's putting up solid copper sheeting backsplash around the kitchen counter!

We gave him tropical hardwood boards I salvaged from pallets that came with equipment my employer imported from South America. He's inlaid that into the custom cabinetry, and made a countertop to match the Purpleheart. And the Venitian-Lime plaster is like a sheet of glass!

He selected cedars to turn into posts for the newel rods for the loft railing, arranging then small-to-large-to-small, for a nice effect.

I'm trying my best to be patient. These were from three weeks ago, and it seems it's only a little bit closer to move-in. There are about two dozen five-minute jobs to do yet. If you got two dozen people together who really knew what they were doing, it could be done in five minutes! But it will probably me more like five weeks…

(Sorry, none of these were shot with an "adapted lens." Perhaps we need a "My New House" thread?)
View attachment 378773View attachment 378774View attachment 378781View attachment 378782
It looks like it will be worth the wait 👍🏻
 
If you mean, are they doing "finishing work," then yes!

It's going to be lovely… if we ever get in it. The best and worst thing is that the builder is an "artiste," and he loves to work with found materials. Right now, he's putting up solid copper sheeting backsplash around the kitchen counter!

We gave him tropical hardwood boards I salvaged from pallets that came with equipment my employer imported from South America. He's inlaid that into the custom cabinetry, and made a countertop to match the Purpleheart. And the Venitian-Lime plaster is like a sheet of glass!

He selected cedars to turn into posts for the newel rods for the loft railing, arranging then small-to-large-to-small, for a nice effect.

I'm trying my best to be patient. These were from three weeks ago, and it seems it's only a little bit closer to move-in. There are about two dozen five-minute jobs to do yet. If you got two dozen people together who really knew what they were doing, it could be done in five minutes! But it will probably me more like five weeks…

(Sorry, none of these were shot with an "adapted lens." Perhaps we need a "My New House" thread?)
View attachment 378773View attachment 378774View attachment 378781View attachment 378782
Wow, Jan! Hope you are planning a grab rail on those stairs ...

Still, you will be in shortly by the sound of things. Better than the situation six months ago ...
 
From the original quote by the original painter, it has taken over 2.5 years to finally get the outside of our house painted. Gary (the painter) learned his trade at his father's knee, and is doing a very good job. About three-quarters finished now. About another week to ten days to go.

There was a lot of preparation work, and some parts have had to have three or four coats. It's a fairly large house, about 400 square metres (around 4300 square feet, for the metrically challenged), and had not been painted for around 20-25 years. The finish of the brickwork is natural grey render, so only the woodwork needed painting. Lots of it, and fiddly.

Gary is doing a nice job.
 
From the original quote by the original painter, it has taken over 2.5 years to finally get the outside of our house painted.
Ouch!

That was my first job. My dad was a house painter and decorator/remodeller. I wanted to be a musician, so he insisted I learn to paint so I'd have a "day job" while trying to make music.

But after painting with him for a summer, I decided anything was better, and went into engineering. :)
There was a lot of preparation work…
My dad taught me a bit about preparing an estimate. He said to figure out how long the actual painting will take, and triple it: one-third for prep, one third for the actual painting, and one-third for cleanup!
 
Three painters looked and bailed ...

Gary has a wife, a phone number and a real address.
He told us straight up that he couldn't start for over 3 months.
He has been as good as his word in every respect.
That was my first job. My dad was a house painter and decorator/remodeller. I wanted to be a musician, so he insisted I learn to paint so I'd have a "day job" while trying to make music.
I actually like painting. I can no longer do these sorts of things.
But after painting with him for a summer, I decided anything was better, and went into engineering. :)
Fair enough!
My dad taught me a bit about preparing an estimate. He said to figure out how long the actual painting will take, and triple it: one-third for prep, one third for the actual painting, and one-third for cleanup!
That's about right. Thankfully, Gary (and the renderers) is a very neat, clean worker. Nothing is too much trouble for him.

High price, but an excellent job, thusly far.

Everything to do with house building/maintenance is a right proper PITA - right?
 
Back
Top