Yeah. They are gross.
I’m seriously considering replacing the warped and rotted doors with commercial steel roll up doors. I like that they are cheap, take up a small amount of space and have a linear horizontal pattern. It’s a thought, but nothing has been decided. It’s an idea for “The Future”. I think for now we will paint them black and figure out the next step later.
I’ve continued thinking about the back patio since the last post. I’m kind of sold on eventually installing a tankless water heater so that we can at least free up that tight corner.
The other thing I was wavering about was continuing the slats on the back patio. I’ve been trying to figure out how we could get rid of at least one of the three stupid doors and not do any major masonry cutting and rearranging. We always try to create the most impact for the least amount of money and skill required. Any MAJOR rearranging of exterior exits of the house is not an option. Every opening in the house is lined with custom bull-nosed cement bricks from 1950 and they don’t make that shit to patch things up with anymore. Plus we don’t know how to do it and we can’t afford it and I’m not convinced that the investment will pay off in the long run in our neighborhood.
So…my idea is to make a solid redwood wall that intersects with the open slats that will essentially “cover” the weird third exterior door. On the inside of the bathroom we can just rip down molding stick some insulation in and drywall over the door. *POOF* Door gone. It would not a huge investment, it creates more interior space in the bathroom and we are totally DIY capable of doing it.
Afterwards we can throw a butterfly chair and a small table in that new alcove. Then the little useless back porch area becomes a sitting destination, or smoking area since that seems to be what most visitors use it for.
BTW – one of my dream pieces of furniture is a Richard Schultz petal table. Drool…
My favorite part of the front porch slat screen is the area that wraps around the side of the house. I think it would be nice to mimic that on the back porch and create an architectural division of the various exterior areas into more manageable rectangles.
Also, check it out! I fixed those pesky fake shade sails to look more accurate. I think I’m kind of sold on them. They are pretty cheap, but make a giant statement whilst keeping the hottest (most sun exposed) side of the house a bit cooler.
Apologies for the gratuitous sketchup posts. I know…boring ideas for the future…less talk more action! But now that we are moving along with the exterior I want to make sure to really plan everything out so that we use our money wisely by really thinking through the entire design and hopefully keeping it all cohesive. Plus, your guys tips and experience with things like water heaters, plants, shade sails, paint, ect. have really helped us figure out the potential cost/problems/solutions that we might encounter. It’s amazingly helpful.
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26 Comments
Loving the solid redwood door idea. The black painted doors on the garage would be cool but seeing as you mentioned wanting a clear-out, would you consider getting rid of the garage altogether so you’d have a bigger garden, with just a smaller redwood slatted shed for garden equipment. I suppose it’s something to check out with an estate agent for the resale value. Garages used to be essential because cars rusted easily but most new build houses don’t have them. I’m dying to get rid of ours but if that happens then husband’s full drum kit comes into the kitchen.
Your door idea is perfect – less work (sort of), less money and more style. Love it. And I just had to post that your Sketch-up skills are INSANE. After reading your blog I decided to try my hand at it for our kitchen reno and I have invested a lot of hours in swearing, cursing, and generally restraining myself from flinging the laptop into a wall. So your google pics are gold to me.
The redwood wall is a fabulous idea. And the slats. You might even find yourself out there for breakfast.
We did a steel garage door also. Love a bargain! But I didn’t realize how noisy they are. With a detached garage that would be less of an issue for you.
Genius idea re: the redwood wall..and looks great in your sketch-up.
Love the wall idea. Looks great!
This Sketchup program is amazing. Or you’re amazing at using it. I dunno. But WOW. SO great to get such a clear idea of how something will turn out.
Good work!
Love the redwood idea. Seems simple enough.
Genius. I’m gonna puke at how good all this is.
little brick house is getting better and better with every post.
Im sure this has been addressed before, but what is the program you use for these stetchups?
Google Sketchup.
That photo of your garage doors makes me feel SO much better. I was starting to look at your posts with a real sense of shame and self-loathing. You know, because my own house is a hovel and I can’t seem to get anywhere with the truckloads of work it needs and your house is really REALLY looking amazing. My envy was reaching unmanageable proportions. But those garage doors have restored the balance and we can be friends again. (The water heater was bad too, but it didn’t have that “je ne sais quoi”…the garage doors are where it’s at.)
So, thanks for that.
Also, the redwood slats = awesome and yes, do it. There’s no shame in covering up an eyesore with a patch. Don’t kill yourself (financially or otherwise) trying to make the renovation respect the original construction of the house. Like you said, you’ll never get your money back.
And bring on the SketchUp posts! Who cares if it’s “work for the future”? It’s all inspiration and it doesn’t matter if it’s built or not – I know it’s giving me ideas, so others must be enjoying it, too. Right everyone?
Everything is looking fantastic so far! These guys advertise heavily in the L.A. area, seems like they have some good prices also:
http://www.mesagaragedoors.com/
mind = blown
Love Love your cleaned up back porch. So cool! That was a great idea.
as always, your plans (and completed work) are amazing! i just wanted to mention, about the tankless hot water heater: my parents had one in their last house and they absolutely SWORE by it. if we had municipal gas or any other source of propane for our house i would get one in a second. and if it solves one of your major design issues, i say go for it.
Damn! You’re really rockin’ the Sketch up! I had plans to do a sketch up model of our house when I bought it over a year and a half ago — hasn’t happened yet. Seeing yours makes me want to get off my ass and get going on it!
slat wall is fantastic. When it’s done maybe you’ll be grateful to those extra doors for forcing you to do it. It’ll look better than a plain wall.
re the garage door: not black but very dark gray. Just a thought.
I love all these sketches! And I am still drooling over the red fire place…
Yes to everything! LOVE the redwood wall. ADORE the sketchups–it’s fun to see what might happen/what’s going to happen, and watching your skills with the program improve has been fun in and of itself.
I vote very dark grey for the garage doors, too.
I hope you can get the shades before the summer really hits.
More slats? Great Idea, the ones you have at the front of the house were such a success!
Rachel Kay
x
love it all, great ideas…
Ever thought of a glass garage door? kind of expensive…but love the glow that comes from it…just a thougtht.
http://www.glassgaragedoors.com/
I’ve also been completely drooling over the petal table myself, it’s stunning! I got pretty close to getting one on the cheap, but I don’t have the space for it! The coffee table and dining table both have a 42″ diameter… sigh.
The glass doors – oh yeah I love them…but expensive is the operative word. They can’t fit in our 10′s of dollars budget.
We have a roll-up door and it ROCKS. You can hang things from the ceiling (we have a ski rack) because the track is not in the way…
can you please advise the supplier of the lounge chairs and the outdoor fire on your patio, we cannot buy those items in australia ..
thanks
geoff
Not sure if you’re still drooling for a petal table, but I know someone who is trying to sell one here in Denver. It’s just a side table (in all white) and have no idea how much she’s asking, but it is so cool! If you’d like me to introduce you to her via email, email me! It’s just a friend of a friend, but she’s sorta afraid of trying to sell on ebay and what not! Cheers—Lesley
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