We had the opportunity to spend time with photographer John Mireles a few weeks ago. John has been telling stories with his camera for 20 years. Extensive work for weddings, kids, and personal use.
Well, same place, different time. Do we ever leave our living room? Yes. On occasion for brief periods of time. The boys are starting to scoot around a bit.. milo in circles, hudson military-style. We used paper culture to send our holiday cards…super nice, well-designed service IMO. happy holidays!
Hard to believe the boys are already 6 months old! Latest pics. We’ve been working on a spectrum of concepts for a future remodel that would get us another bathroom + larger kitchen + storage area. Zoning + site conditions are making it tricky. In the meantime, I’ve been enjoying pinterest (when not in a 502 error state).
I made my escape and headed to Brian’s on Saturday to construct the cable assemblies for the inside handrail. We used roughly 110′ of 3/16″ cable, 20 swag studs, and 20 Invisiware receivers.
I am diggin the clean look of the Invisiware receivers. I spaced on taking the full-shot. 1 section down, 4 more to go! Many thanks to Brian for all the help!
The moor grass is in. lighting too. what a difference landscape lighting can make.
Also, we had been going back and forth on what to do with the handrails but finally arrived on a cable system thanks in part to brian. he hooked me up with a ton of remnant pieces that made the decision easy. jason helped weld it all up. The hardware isn’t cheap… so we’ll be doing the cable over time. As you can see, we’re using sailboat lines for a temporary barrier.
Hardware prototype
Lately, the boys and this detail of the house keep me up a night: This not-so-clear pic shows how the garage is built into the bathroom. Yikes. This technique from 1951 has got to go! No amount of flashing and henry’s will keep water out from this detail.
Flashback — inside the bathroom:
Outside:
Inside the garage:
So, the official dream addition of 32nd isn’t happenin’. cash + a little thing called ‘prescriptive’ easement zaps our ability to create a 2-story structure. I’ll look up next time we buy a place to see that power line that services our neighbor… doh.
Here’s what we want to do:
1. Demo the existing garage – Rebuild the garage on the property line (code allows for an accessory structure, along as it’s 6′ from the house). We’ll redo the stucco and all that jazz, even add a few windows in the back bedroom for better ventilation + light.
2. Extend the footprint of the house – Bump out the kitchen / dining / entry. Building a single-story structure keeps the dream alive.
Here’s the new plan, minus the landscaping. I tried to maintain the same aspect ratio for the windows and sliders (based on existing house).
Operable windows + 14′ slider for added ventilation in the kitchen / dining area. Garage doors on both sides of the structure for flexibility… Cars, stuff, studio, ping-pong table, etc.
We’re trying to engineer the addition in such a way where it feels as if it’s floating. Also, I think we’ll use zinc cladding and black anodized sheet metal to ensure that it reads as a separate structure from the stucco cube. Tyler’s post was good timing.
From the alley. Still need to sort thru the gate / fence detail.
Projects happen in 15-minute increments during feeding time. I need to hone my planning skills, as I’m several flats short of blue moor grass for the front yard. I blame it on the lack of sleep. yikes. These ornamental grasses will grow to be roughly a foot tall and are green with a blue underside…planted 12″ o.c. (give or take). Ants got the best of my Fragaria plant (Beach Strawberry) after leaving it on the sidewalk for one day.
