I've been doing a lot of painting this Spring... it seems like everybody needs an interior painter near Asheville to freshen up their digs. One of the biggest transformations so far has been in this bathroom, which went from bland beige to bold blue. The color is "Indigo Batik" by Sherwin Williams. The deep color really sets off the white trim and vanity, making even the untouched parts of the room look crisp and new. I've found that painting walls a dark blue like this doesn't make the room look smaller, It even looks good in little half-baths. Maybe it's because blue is a cool color that recedes from the eye. By the way, the best time to hire a professional painter is when you're planning to use dark colors against light ones, like with this room's trim and ceiling. It's crucial to be able to cut in a smooth line, because the contrast makes any mistakes immediately obvious. If you have a tricky painting job that needs a steady hand, why not have a pro do it? We'll leave a smooth line every time.
I recently finished a project in a modern-style Asheville house: a built-in daybed and entertainment center which matches the industrial look of the home. As always, I'll start with the glamour shot. The customer requested black pipe and painted wood. This isn't our first project made with black pipe, and I really enjoy working with it. Now let's press "rewind" and see how it came together. It all started with a little niche next to the fireplace: The customer needed a place to put her electronics, including a good old-fashioned turntable. She also wanted a daybed so people could sit next to the window and watch the world go by. I started by building a simple frame from 2x4 lumber. This was the easy part! Meanwhile, back at my workshop, I cut and painted plywood for the shelving. I often use plywood, with facing around the edges, instead of solid wood. The plywood is more stable and less likely to shrink or warp. While I was at my workshop, I also cut black pipe to length and added flanges. Putting it all together was trickier than it looks, because I wanted the pipe flange supports to show when you looked at the shelves. If I just used one thickness of plywood, the facing of the shelf would hide the ends of the pipes. I decided to use a double thickness of plywood, which took a lot more work but preserved the interesting detail of the flange. I also installed a barn wood fireplace mantel while I was there. The whole thing looked great even when it was empty... ...and it's a really striking feature of the room now that they've got all their stuff on it. A great place to soak up some sunshine and listen to some tunes on a chilly Spring afternoon. If your fireplace needs a little pizzazz, give me a call. I love to do built-in shelving and entertainment centers, and I'll be glad to help you find a beautiful solution that fits the style of your home.
I had a tricky railing repair recently. This is what it looked like...
...but this is what it felt like:
My customer called me because she was remodeling a house and had an interior stair railing that was installed with very little support. It had just one bracket holding it up, and every time she grabbed it, it threatened to give way.
The trick on this job was to secure the railing while still making the repair attractive. I decided to surround it on all sides with steel brackets, then cover the brackets with trim.
That wasn't the only problem with this railing. The lower posts were also held up with cheesy and ineffective brackets. It had already given way on one side!
I attached the posts much more firmly and notched them to add strength.
If you've got a scary stair railing, give us a call. We'll fix it for you!
I just finished a fun project in north Asheville's historic Grove Park neighborhood: installing new wainscot and chair rail in a home office. We started out with a blank canvas: the room had nice white trim and French doors, but there was plenty of room for architectural interest. I started off by installing a chair railing, which is nice in an office or dining room because it protects the wall from nicks and dings caused by the backs of chairs. The homeowner requested a two-piece railing built up from pre-milled, pre-painted trim. If you look closely at the right-hand photo, you can also see that I've penciled in the lines for the wainscoting. Then I installed squares of moulding directly on the wall. Using the existing wall (instead of adding a wooden backing) makes a significant cost savings. Wow! What a big difference this trim makes! It looks like something you'd see in the White House, and it's perfectly suited to this historic home. Interestingly, the cost difference to install the two piece chair rail (as opposed to the generic standard) was very minor, and it is much more elegant than the plain piece would have been. Wainscoting like this could be what sets your home apart from the "plain white box" construction that we see in so many modern houses. If you have a room that needs a little dressing up, get in touch with us. We'll be glad to help.
Every house has one: the ugly circuit breaker panel. You don't want to leave it in plain sight, but you have to allow easy access to it, just in case. What to do? One of my customers recently had their basement remodeled, and the circuit breaker was right where the kids might play. They wanted a way to cover the panel safely. After some discussion, we came up with the idea of a built-in pair of doors with shelves underneath to corral the kids' toys. I started by building the shelves off site, using pre-primed boards which I painted white. Since the opening was so large (more than five feet tall) I installed 2" x 8" boards attached to the studs in the wall. This gave me a sturdy place to anchor the doors. The doors themselves were a pair of off-the-shelf hollow core models which I shortened by several inches. The finished piece is sleek and unobtrusive... much better than the circuit breaker. Plus, the kids can play there safely and have a place to put their toys when they're done. If you need a way to cover your circuit breaker panel, or if you're just in need of a new set of shelves, give me a call. I love this stuff!
|
About
Connect!
Archives
April 2022
This blog is for entertainment purposes only. See our Terms of Use for details.
|
What Our Clients Are Saying
"Arthur is that rare professional handyman who is totally reliable; fairly priced; pro-active in communications; honest; punctual; skilled -- and a really nice guy." "Arthur is a great resource to have here in our area. He's prompt, professional, does great work and is cost effective. I'll definitely use him again!" |
Follow Us:Email US AT:Service Area:
In-town Asheville
Mars Hill and Weaverville Arden and Fletcher Fairview Popular Services |