Exterior Photos

With the landscape work completed just before Halloween, we decided we should get some pro photos before all the trees lose their leaves. Unfortunately, we were not able to complete all the landscaping due to lack of plants at the end of the season.  Once the beds are complete and grow out a bit more, we will take some additional shots.

We hired Michael Deleon, professional photographer extraordinaire, for this task. For the above shot he arrived before the sun came up!

Click on the image above for a lightbox sequence of the finished images.

Interior shots coming soon...

Steel Trellis & Swing

Gerry Wallace and his crew came over for a full all day push to install the simple steel frame over our back patio today.  We've had this in the works since early on in the design process, as the west facing walls of our house take on brutal amounts of solar gain during the summer months.  Instead of huge overhangs or individual shading devices for each opening, we decided that a nice seasonal shading device would be more appropriate.

Our large sliding door openings are low-e and have triple pane glass, however, glare is still a problem, so instead of lowering the indoor blinds, we can have this nice canopy covering the entire patio space.

During the winter months we can take down the solar fabric and get the direct sunlight when we need it (or want it).

The swing frame attaches to the garage and provides a nice spot for the kids to play - they refer to the area as their hideout.

Getting Close

We are still working out the details on what we can afford on the landscape, so in the mean time, here are some “nearly finished photos” to tide you over.

Click on the image above to see a cool pop up sequence of large images.

Flatwork

Benjamin’s crew has been working on site grading and building forms for the last few days, and yesterday, the colored concrete was poured for the patios and walks.  Finishing this part of the project really ties the house to the site and highlights the indoor/outdoor feel at the sliding doors.  We went with a medium warm grey for the integral color on the concrete.  The photo above shows the wet concrete.  However, after some curing for a couple days, it’s settling into a medium gray. 

For some privacy, we are doing a small garden wall at the front patio.  This will be done as a separate pour.  The city sidewalk and garage apron (sloped ramp) will be a third pour done next week.

Check out the saw cut pattern that was added a day after the pour in the photo sequence above.

Exterior Lighting

Rob has the major exterior electrical wrapped up - the connection to the Xcel service is complete and all the exterior light fixtures and outlets are in!  We went for subtle exterior fixtures made of brushed aluminum.   

To keep the wires from the alley away from our house, we connected the main feed to the garage and via conduit underground, brought it into the basement.  As part of the installation, Rob also included conduit for a photovoltaic panel array on the roof - this allows us the option of solar if we have any “extra” money at the end of the project.

Break Metal Work

Jerry’s crew from CO Metal Source has installed all of the parapet and the first two sections of the fascia on the lower roofs.  Some areas need tweaking, but on the whole, it’s coming out very nice!

This is really the last finishing touch on the exterior other than landscape.  The Galvalume is a wild finish.  It changes dramatically depending on the daylight - in can vary from a very light silver all the way to dark gray.  If you check out the close-up, it even has a “grain” to the finish which gives it further character.

Break Metal Work

Break metal work on residential projects is frequently done poorly - there always seems to be something wrong - the gauge is too thin so it “oil cans” (waviness), or it’s some color that clashes with the rest of the colors, or it’s just plain poorly installed!  Curt found what appears to be a very good metal sub contractor, and we’ve been talking through the parapet and fascia details.  The lower roofs are so thick (SIPS + roof curb), that we are attempting to bring the scale down by stepping the metal fascia into three sections.  Jerry of CO Metal Source mocked up a section to review.  We adjusted the top section to better match the parapet above, and stepped it out a little further to help differentiate it with more of a shadow line.  It will be installed some time this week!

Siding Samples

 

For many months we explored combining different materials on the exterior - mostly stucco and cedar.  However, we decided to simplify in order to achieve a subtle more understated look.  Ultimately we selected a simple tongue and groove western red cedar board with a very small exposure - similar to flooring in width.  We will place this horizontally around the entire house.  We purchased this clear smooth cedar from Haida.

The boards have been delivered to a local staining house, and we ended up selecting Sikkens “Natural Light” - the lower right-hand sample above.

Exterior Rendering Studies

We’ve been spending a lot of time exploring exterior finishes -- cladding colors, wood finish options, as well as natural landscape screening. Check out some additional versions by clicking on the image above.

Exterior Finishes

Click on the image above for some sketches exploring exterior finishes.