Deck Maintenance for Safety

Did you know that May was Deck Safety Month? I know that was news to me.

A story in the news of a deck collapse at an inn on Pawleys Island in North Carolina called deck safety to my attention. You occasionally hear of a home deck failure when people have overloaded it with party guests, and the idea is pretty terrifying.

Deck failures typically involve aging materials and failures at attachment points. People don't think about it much. They realize wood can rot, but nails can decay as well. An annual inspection can help you be sure your deck structure is strong and safe. A professional inspection can be performed if you are unsure yourself.

The owners of the inn where the collapse occurred in June said that the deck was not in disrepair but was water-logged and could not hold all the weight. This illustrates how important it is to keep the surface sealed, not just for appearance and longevity, but for safety as well. With our recent painting project we decided we wanted the deck painted to coordinate with our window trim. Lionel applied Duckback Deck & Dock, an elastomeric product from Sherwin Williams that seals, fills in cracks, and helps prevent slips and falls when walking. Harmon Builders also specifies Benjamin Moore stains for their deck projects.

When It All Comes Together

The Harmon Builders team has done a number of projects for us recently, starting with replacing our windows and front door last summer. Things are coming together beautifully. I have always wanted to live in a home that looks just how I envision it should, and I finally feel like I have that.

I know Lionel Lloyd of The Painted Finish is planning to take some "real" photos, so I just snapped a few to show some of the details I love. Lionel is a true artist, so I look forward to seeing his work. I am so happy with everything that I am excited to share it!

Mahogany door from the Eagle Window and Door series by Andersen.

Kwikset lock set: Ashfield in Rustic Bronze

E-Series Eagle Windows from the AW Architectural Collection to replicate original sash and bow windows. Aluminum clad exterior in cinnamon toast color.

Sherwin-Williams paint on the siding and red porch ceiling, gray trim paint by Farrow & Ball. Restored center columns that had been knocked out by a previous owner. Copper gutters. Farrow & Ball is locally available at Patrick Street Interiors.

Gutter and rain barrels.

Customize the Space Under Your Stairs

One of the best accomplishments of custom building and remodeling is that a custom project can make the best use of under-utilized spaces. One often overlooked spot in a home is the space under a staircase, and there are some truly brilliant ways to make something special out of those few available square feet.

Several ingenious ideas can make a special feature under the stairs for bar spaces. This can be done a few different ways. The first is a small counter and cabinet space tucked under the steps, with wall mounted storage for glasses and bottles. Another option is a pull out drink cart that slides in, out, and all around on a set of casters. One more elaborate possibility is to have a bar extend outward in an L-shape or curve that connects under the stairs and has storage tucked under the stairs, both behind the extended counter top in the area beneath the staircase, as well as storage under the extended counter space.

More recently home magazines are featuring pull out shelving that functions the same way pull out cabinetry works in the kitchen.  In this case a cabinet front door pulls forward from the wall with shelves behind that roll on drawer glides. Given where staircases are usually located these could be perfect for shoes and bags or linens.

Most often you see a closet. Using the exact same space planning that you would for a closet, you can reinvent it as a fantastic playhouse space, turning the miserable cupboard that Harry Potter lived in on its ear. This could also be the perfect spot for a built in crate space for the dogs to give your furry family their own special place in the home.  Desk space, a reading nook, a powder rooms or wine cellar style storage are other brilliant uses for this little spot in your home.

Space Planning Tools

Harmon Builders built our fabulous addition about seven years ago, and every day we love how it has made our home more beautiful and livable. Since then we have shuffled around pieces of furniture that we already owned, and we are only now buying most of the furniture that we specifically want for the space. To my amazement, there are many free room layout programs available online that are great fun to play around with and give a high quality image of your interior floor plan.

I have spent the most time trying out one by Autodesk. The same company makes professional software for architects and interior designers, but their free web based tool is quite user friendly and enjoyable to use. You can toggle between 2D and 3D, drag and drop shapes, alter dimensions, and experiment with an actual catalog of real products.

This feature might also be useful for a homeowner during the early planning stages of a project, to get a better feel for what the end result will be as you make decisions. Freshome has a list of ten free online room layout tools to check out for these purposes. I have not experimented with any of the available tablet apps, but one that is highly rated for the iPad is Home Design 3D, which is also free.

Whether you are imagining a new project, you would like to start furnishing one years after completion, or anywhere in between, these planning programs are not only practical tools but exciting ways to get the creative juices flowing.

Water Gardens to Swim In

A stunning lily pond landscape feature would be a dreamy addition to any backyard. How much more magical would it be to have a water garden that we could swim in?

A natural swim pond is a chemical free pool with a natural aquatic plant filtration system to remove contaminants. The water garden of plants like cala lilies and cannas, horsetails, lotuses and grasses deprives would-be algae of nutrients and attracts friendly insects to manage pesky mosquitoes. Rocks attract beneficial bacteria. The plant garden is separated from the swimming area by a retention wall.

My sketch of the system. A pump, swim area, and plant regeneration zone, which incorporates plants and rocks behind a wall separating the swim area from the regeneration zone.

A simple water pump for circulation is the most technical of equipment required. A waterfall feature can be both beautiful and help with oxygenation of the water, which helps the plant life thrive. Some natural pools do not need to be drained over the winter. You simply allow the plants to follow their natural cycle of dormancy, and if it is cold enough the swimming pond may even be used for ice skating.

While still benefiting from avoiding the chemicals, an alternative gravel filter can be used instead of the plant garden. This allows you to replicate the appearance of a traditional pool, if that is your preference.

According to Houselogic, the costs of construction are comparable to traditional pools, but without the maintenance expenses required for chemical care.

Student Project: $2 Monthly Energy Bills with Craftsman Architecture

This delightful post from Grist features a student design Grand Prize winner in the Department of Energy's Challenge Home Competition. It is a gorgeous Craftsman with a universal access floor plan, boasting $2 per month energy expenses.

Even better, there was actually a tie: the other Grand Prize winner's home is a 3 story town home incorporating passive design features.

Check out the links to see details about these awesome innovative designs and get ideas for your next building project. Congratulations to these students for expanding the horizons of beautiful and innovative design.

Front elevation sketch of Grand Prize Winning Craftsman *near zero energy* home design by students at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse University, and Onodaga Community College.

Grand Prize Winning Craftsman floor plan from the DOE Challenge Home Competition.

Stylish Details: Decorative Switch Plates and Vent Registers

Recently I took my children to visit the Eisenhower Farm. The 18th or 19th century home adjacent to the Gettysburg Battlefield was renovated and added on to 1953. Because it was about the same time my grandparents built their own home, it reminded me a lot of their house in terms of the details. These same details were the things that my daughters fixed on--without me even pointing them out--when we toured. The switch plates and vent registers were not made of plastic or flimsy metal like they usually are in modern homes. I went hunting to find what is still available in a similar vein.

House of Antique Hardware has an array of mainly bronze and brass switch plate covers that are organized by architectural style. There are quite a lot of tiny masterpieces of different materials from different on-line retailers. Finished hardwood, both elegant and whimsical molded resin and traditional porcelain or ceramic tile covers are some of the options.

Register covers are another item we commonly overlook as purely functional, when there are some truly lovely pieces out there to make a functional item into a beautiful detail that enhances the home.

Based upon how truly amazed my girls were to see these things, I cannot help but imagine the impact they bring to a custom building project...or what a difference they would make if I changed them out in our home!