the chalk wall sounds interesting.

i have photos somewhere of the chalk walls @ corb's office and i always thought that might be a quick and easy way to get a point across to a client (this line represents 9'3" clg, etc)

also, find out if you can get a contractors license, in some states, it's easy and then you get discounts on all the materials.

any thoughts on earth plaster over paints?

some tasty goldsworthy images

cool stuff beta, so I take it your gonna post pics of an ongoing project in here? Sounds like the beginnings of a pretty sweet thread.

Yay beta! I can't wait. Congrats again on the house and I'm particularly excited to see the transformation of the outdoor space.

where are the before pictures???

Thanks peeps. I'll get some photos up of the before[s] and after[s] later today. Earth plaster over paints? I'll look into it, the living room and dining room is where I'd like some drama and I will hope to be less of an amateur in the area of painting by the time I get there.

I have wide plank wood floors in my 1/2 story bedroom and plan on finishing them. In the end it is my hope they look like this -



and this



In order to get them like this I will pre-prep the floors by removing staples and 1/4 sinking the nail heads. Oh, and my floors - fir - run the length of the space, and it makes the room look huge.

The office is getting a Muddled Basil, Sherwin Williams-No VOC satin finish and the bathroom is getting Lively Yellow [the site shows a kind of pale yellow, but it really is a much more vibrant yellowy/green color], Sherwin Williams-Low VOC semi-gloss.

The 1/2 story will get a Stone 03, Yolo no VOC satin and Cotton Sack AFM low VOC satin. Both paints available at [urlhttp://www.naturalbuilthome.com/]Natural Built Home[/url] in Minneapolis.

Hopefully this will be the counters in the kitchen. It's called Squak Mountain Stone, it's a recycled paper stone product, also available from Natural Built Home, but can be had from Squak Mountain.

For your wood floors these guys have great tips and even have lesson before you rent equipment http://www.peteshardwoodfloors.com/ They are located in Saint Paul, for you locals.

That's it for the moment, got more to do today.

Very exciting, beta, thanks for doing this.

Two brief anecdotes from my experience remodeling with a spouse. Take them as advice or not, as every situation is different.

Over a few months of spending every weekend and every evening we could muster the energy working on the house, we discovered that the more tired we were the more likely we were to snark at one another. So eventually we started working on projects a bit more separately; I replaced the ductwork in the basement while he tiled the backsplash; I stripped the bedrooms windows while he put in new windows in the kitchen, etc. Then if wee needed help or a quick discussion about how to do something, we both felt glad for the interaction and found that we got along much, much better.

Re-read the first phrase of the above paragraph, realize that a home improvement project can take up an enormous amount of free time. And it's physically exhausting. So every now and then on a weekend we would stop work at 5pm, get cleaned up, and go out for a nice dinner in a sit-down restaurant. Going early meant we could be in and out and even get more work done later in the evening if we felt like it! I chalked the cost of those dinners up to the cost of the project.

Speaking of chalk, I love the idea of a chalk wall - I've heard you need many (as opposed to "several") coats of the paint to get a good writable surface.

Can't wait to see more!

Well beta3 , you got a nice tread there ; mind I drop off some of your own creations ?

Thanks LB, I have already seen some of what you noted and we are trying to communicate more effectively and split the tasks.

One thing I want to reiterate, I am an amateur, and I will make mistakes. The one thing I will say about myself is that I am up to the criticism and willing to take advice, notes on where I am failing, suggestions on how to improve technique, critiques on how stupid the paint choices, finishes, and use of material are in this new endeavor. I am by no means a professional, and nor will I make those claims. No part of me is so naive as to believe that I am the embodiment of the know-it-all, be all end all.

I will keep this on topic and related to the tasks at hand. If I had the funds, I'd pay the pro's so in case the lottery tix purchased don't come through, WE are on our own.

"One thing I want to reiterate, I am an amateur, and I will make mistakes."

My advise is that you could search for a fora with other amatures and stop harassing others treads --- and if you thrown dirt then there are two options ; try avoid the trowback or make a genuine exchouse , there it don't help acting as if you can not hear, but I wonder if you even has the guts to ,the strength, the nerve to do that.

"No part of me is so naive as to believe that I am the embodiment of the know-it-all, be all end all."

Then you might explain your own words --- want me to refere them ?

I am considering doing the hard wood floors in the main floor myself, one option is to do a full strip down, the other is to just do a screen and re-surfacing.

I checked the floors in the kitchen and it appears that below 3 laminates - with thin plywood subfloor - there is solid wood flooring. Now the decision that will inevitably come, to finish the original floor or take that floor up and put down cork planks or slate.

Does anyone have any thoughts on Rheinzink Roof Option? I am guessing it's pretty pricey, but length, finish and durability are key here, as I plan on staying here for a while.

[url=http://www.americanclay.com/Earth Plaster[/url] is an option carried by Natural Built Home and might be just the thing we want to do in the main living space, I am sure it's not easy, and will probably have to wait until next Spring or Summer.

How do manage not to do everything or want to do everything all at one time? Money is one obvious method, we don't have kids so that will keep the funds focused, another tool will be to get an organizer Get ORGANized and start charting tasks, time periods, purchases - coordinated with time - to ask for gift cards for X-mas and birthdays. This will be a lifetime or however long we want it take, of pursuits and learning how to do things better each time.

I won't bore you incessant and repetitive posts on inane and unacceptable procedures or untried methods of creation or even laborious, and impenetrable language. What I will try to do is document this process of first time homeowners; the good, the bad, the ugly, and the humbling...

The most humbling thing is to be an architect and having no fucking clue on what you are doing or how to do it, and all we have done is paint!

Uggh.

Thanks for listening.

So you don't want to talk about it ?

I can understand that ,but maybe you shuld show that to someone else and ask advise .

Here's a question for the experienced homeowner/architect/DIYer, the previous homeowners had the roof redone, there is roof ridge vent and because it's a 1927 Craftsman, there are no soffits to facilitate adequate ventilation. I would like to install or have installed some small, round vents at either the gabled ends or along where the rafter tails exit to the fascia. Any thoughts or products out there that I might be missing?

I am looking at Bamboo for outdoor screening. One of the things I am dead set against is having a "lawn" where we live is so close to an amazing Parks System and we live close to Riverside Park, so I figure why not create an amazing oasis in the front and back of our home and use what this city offers for free and within walking distance?

Thanks for listening, and I look forward to a rigorous dialog!

beta, I spent a LOT of time with graphic standards and Fine Homebuilding magazine trying to figure out how to build a ridiculoulsy simple 6'x15' addition to my house! I researched every damn detail - and this was for typical stick-built construction on a CMU foundation wall! - simply because I had never built that way before and had to learn it. Don't waste time feeling stupid - you're not, and as Steven said, you just need to manage all the information that is out there to figure out what it is you want to do.

Maybe use some of your special plaster ???

Thanks LB, what do you think about this Native Plants for my garden? I am sure once killa gets on this thread, he will have some thoughts, but it's early yet.

Thanks for the encouragement LB, I am trying to be patient, and not rush things, like I caught myself yesterday going into moments of Zen and had times of clarity.

Once I have a moment to breathe I will start to put a schedule together.

"like I caught myself yesterday going into moments of Zen and had times of clarity."

Well you then know what to put into your life and writing, how to tread others and what to expect when you do this, and what to expect when you do that.
Now I just wonder if this Zen thing might wait, untill you cleaned up something else first.

When you are doing the schedule remember that things take 3x as long as you anticipate....esp. if you are doing it for the first time. I tore out part of our (only) bathroom about a week ago because of a leak down into the basement....one thing leads into another---and the most expensive phrase is "while we're at it...." When I work on our home I always think about how nice it will be when I'm finished to ease frustration, sore muscles, and my impatience.

Some really good advice a friend once gave me is to ALWAYS have just one space that you can retreat to that is neither torn up OR a work in progress.

For your craftsman roof vents check out how those greene bros. did gable end vents. They weren't round but always looked nice!

Congrats on the new home!

Thanks jones, good tips you provide there and yes things are taking longer than I anticipated. I wanted to be done with most of the painting yesterday, and all we did was a small bathroom and 200 sf office. I wish I had some more cash, but I am willing to bet that when all of this is finally done - done, yeah right - it'll be worth it in spades.

Well, we're off.

i have a hammer somewhere in the closet.

I am just so happy, to be in this fora and Learn, learn all about what you are when you do this or that, how to behave after you shit on someones sorry ment someone ofcaurse ; you brilliant top grade of all genuiene creative creme de la creme how happy I am, architecture turned into a decorators hell and thank's again for all that honesty and good will you guy's cirtainly pay in buckets, ---- here a piece from the tread beta3 visited, sad he newer wanted to peace this out but ofcaurse allow him to continue . This cirtainly a place to learn, this is a place where these things happen --- guess if I would remember that from my time in the acadamy ; I don't why is that, am I so different an architect ???

Strange in a way and also related to the issue ; how can anyone shit on others creativity, what allow someone to do it without you reacting ?


Check if you can see something architectural in those pictures beta3 did not like , yes I know it was in another tread but yet beta3 enter a tread and litteraly shit on it --- then he expect me to not react and you to passivily accept.

I'm not even touching this.

But it is facinating to me as architects how we can have so little understanding of how a building actually goes together.

this should be fun! definitely keep lb's comment about working separately in mind. we found the exact same solution. why don't they write about that in the remodeling guides?

i don't have anything smart to offer about painting. we are conservative regarding methods/finishes/etc. it's just paint - applied simply, no effects - and it's almost always porter because we like the depth and changeability of the color. my best friend always goes sherwin-williams because it's always so pure (i.e., no change in diff light conditions).

where we're not conservative is colors. since my wife grew up in key largo, they're always bright and saturated.

the floor idea looks beautiful.

good luck!

Awesome, beta, thanks! I'm nowhere doing this myself (yet) but I love reading up on the experience. Hopefully I will be able to avoid a few mistakes by learning from you.

The only thing I can sort of add to the thread is that my last office experimented with chalkboard paint and found that it was very difficult to roll on effectively; apparently it's really thick and chunky and pretty hard to work with. I remember they switched to a different method of application which helped, particularly in getting a smooth finish which was apparently difficult. I can't remember if they started with rollers and finished with brushes, or vice versa--I just know it was hard to work with. So I wanted to warn you to check up on that with some pros before accidentally buying a bunch of the wrong brushes or something. Wish I had more specifics for you, but maybe this will help in some way.

this song was constantly being Played during the Ward's painting parties.

strangely, my wife didn't know that song until i played it for her. we DID, however, have to listen to a lot of buffett. and i hate buffett. (reference: lb's recommendation about working separately.)

Oh my god, just the opening 10 seconds of that video had me laughing out loud in an empty house! Hahaha that's soooo bad....

Sorry beta, back to topic: jones is right on, everything takes 3x longer than expected - so don't beat yourself up over it! (I just noticed that beta and beat have the same letters...)

the funny thing about that song is that key largo is probably the least romantic movie ever made. its really a film about psychological terror, and alpha male power.

Well, we're back home now and holy Christmas it takes a long time to paint.

The 1/2 story has bead board along the walls - where there are walls - and it's a real bitch to paint. Soaks up paint and depending on your angle you can see white, but here's the trick; tint your primer the with the color you plan on painting with and it lets you know where you are missing and need more coverage.

We've spent a lot on paint and supplies, but at the end of the day more is better than less, especially if you get different people mixing your paint. The other trick is to mix your gallons, helps to insure that if there is any variation the effects will be minimized.

The blackboard paint is going on well, as I add coats drying quickens and the area gets darker and more ready for the chalk priming. Cutting in from the trim and corners is not easy, but as I do it more and more I get better at feathering in the edges and creating straight lines.

The Muddled Basil color on the other 3 walls is looking great! I kept thinking to myself as I was painting, this is not going well. After the paint dries I am amazed at how well we are doing, brush strokes have been minimized, obvious paint patterns from the rollers have not been too obvious and the color gets richer with every coat. We figure 2 or 3 more coats will do the trick, and the cutting it gets easier as the edges/corners are getting adequate coverage.

The Lively Yellow in the bathroom looks great. The wife did that room pretty much by herself; cutting, priming and painting, I just helped move it along when she was tiring. The great thing about the color is that with the light on and not even seeing the painted walls, you can tell what color it is, and during the day it glows and it's on the north side of the house!

Tomorrow I get an estimate back on having someone do the galvanized gutters - 6" 1/2 rounds - he may have a guy who can do the fabrication in one length, no seams. I hope it's within my price range, I really don't want to do it right now myself.

I also have a plummer coming over to look at a couple of things, and give me some prices. Then one more guy will hopefully come over to give me an estimate to refinish the wood floors on the first level.

Things are taking a long time, but patience and seeing the paint dry is starting to get me believing in our goals and that we are not half as bad as we thought.

Like Steven said, and many others too, it's just paint and it can change any time we get tired of the color. Why? Because it's ours!

Thanks to all of you for your contributions thus far! I hope all of you want to come and visit soon, because we'd love to have you all, and if anyone watched the Sunday Today show, Minneapolis is the place to be.

Schedule for this week;

-1st Coat of base coat in 1/2 story on Tuesday
-2nd Coat Wednesday
-Final Friday?
-2nd Coat in office
-3rd Coat chalkboard
-remove staples in wood floor, 1/4 sink nails
-wood floor lesson, get equipment make first pass
-Saturday 2nd pass - 3rd pass color floor
-3rd Coat in office
-Sunday poly floor/buff/poly/buff/poly

I will get photos up soon, I am just beat and hungry.

Thanks.

if the weather is good next weekend, maybe arborcide will come over and play, once the wife flies away...

remember to take a few minutes and rest every now and then.

(ps- you restraint is amazing)

I just can't believe that some guy would let himself be called Bertie!

Thanks killa, I would appreciate the drive-by and I'll let the arbor class in the yard that your name is meant to be ironic, and yes I am talking to the trees already.

[ps - it's pretty easy and fun]

What a Laugh --- here in denmark if you pick 10 architecture students only one would not have a clue. All the rest would allready have made a wonder and jettisoned your trivial structural problem and made something that worked, they would have used the very best paints and not just used whatever blackboard chalk , but renovated with skills and knowleage in detail and quality --- here no one has a clue , has to read homeowners manuals and home owners magazins while their architecture education don't seem to have teached them, how a house is build, what a Laugh ---- Anyone "who don't know" these things shuldn't deal with architecture at all, not knowing these trivial things indicate that this core fora crowd has little or none relation towerds architecture , except maybe having once read a book about Le.Corb. and a few issues of Architecture for fun, What a laugh ,and what a prove about the profesionalism in this fora, I don't wonder anymore what a crowd of amatures .

Oh, just a quick FYI, Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library at Columbia University is AMAZING!

Avery

I did a search for Greene & Greene homes just to see if I could glean some sense of the type of rafter vents I could possibly use, and this library popped up with construction documents for many of their homes. Nice.

I am also thinking about the fence around my yard, and THESE GUYS seem to do some interesting things and are about three blocks away.

Across the street from my house is a great restaurant called The Craftsman they buy their food from local growers and it's really good, took the wife there for our 10th wedding anniversary this past week.

More to come.

I have an idea for the chalkboard wall in my office. What I am considering is creating a virtual gallery for the Archinect Set, where you either send me a drawing or post a drawing/image and I will re-create the image on my wall and photograph the wall, perhaps just a portion of the image, and then we start creating an Virtual Exquisite Corpse? Only I would know the direction the image was taking, and I would post periodically a full shot of the image.

Just a thought.

Oh yes now I see it ;

"Consider everything in the nature of a hanging fixture a weakness, and naked radiators an abomination. Frank Lloyd Wright, 1902"

1902 , you guy's realy read some books about architecture, --- seen these things in old B.W. Chaplin films , what a laugh.

An Archinect Exquisite Corpse is an excellent idea, beta. Count me in.

Beta, LB, SW, and the like--just out of curiousity--what age were y'all when you purchased your first home? I can't help but feel the march of time and am slightly wondering if I've already screwed up by waiting.

Beta--so THAT is where the Avery Index comes from!!! I always wondered!

myriam: 33, or 34, or thereabouts.

32.

hmm. Scary. I don't know the first thing about saving to buy a house. Maybe I should start a thread. Thanks for the responses.

39 1/4

Well myriam we went from "knowing nothing" to "made an offer" in about two months, no kidding. I read a "So You're Buying Your First House!" type of book in a weekend and we talked to our parents and siblings for suggestions, then we went to a buying agent and he showed us one we loved immediately. My friends at work were all jealous because we found the house we wanted almost right away and made an offer before the open house. It helped that we were buying in a neighborhood that was undesirable at the time, though that quickly changed. It's actually pretty easy to buy a house, and not as scary as it is made out to be.

I can second LB, almost that exact same scenario played out for us as well.

you'll never know enough to be comfortable. house #2 was just as hard as house #1.

Really, Steven? For me house #2 was routine and boring. Maybe because I had enough cash from the sale of house #1 that I wasn't worried about coming up with a few thousand extra at closing if need be. So far in both instances I've ended up with a check at closing - money for ironing boards, new trash cans, cleaning supplies, large screen plasma TVs, etc. (kidding on that last one...).

myriam- a bigger question is how soon did everybody buy a house after moving to a new city?