Tag:Easterday Construction
Manufactured Housing Remodels
Some of the manufactured housing companies from the 50’s and 60’s were ahead of the curve on green building. Many of them used panelization (prefabricated wall sections) for their wall construction. Interior, non-bearing walls were often constructed using 2×2’s in lieu of the standard 2×4’s. This resulted in space savings, but created non-standard door jambs and generally required 1-3/8″ door thicknesses. Electrical box installations are tight and these walls are not suitable for chases in most cases. The narrow walls and narrow door jambs were followed by smaller than average casings, base and other associated trim.
There are many of these homes in the residential areas of Culver. I have no confirmations, but it is our understanding that most of these homes were purchased through National Homes out of Lafayette, Indiana. We were contracted to move a wall in one of these homes on Academy Road last month. This reminds us of a previous project completed on Fleet Parkway.
This project was a home purchased from a past client where we had completed several projects. The home was purchased by an Interior Designer and her family. She wanted to update the Master Bathroom, Guest Bathroom and Kitchen.
Along with this she wanted to change the existing trim throughout the house. She chose an oversized MDF trim for the casing and base which gave the walls more mass. This was added to all of the main floor rooms as well as the downstairs family room. We were able to collaborate with her on several methods of changing the trim such as the detail to the right (and the cap detail here) at the entrance to the dining room from the living room. This disguised one of the main openings where the narrow walls were obvious. The change was dramatic as you can see in these before and after pictures.
We provided a custom window seat at the main window in the living room providing a focal point for the room. This made a dramatic change to that room. There was also a dated white wrought iron railing system at the stairs into the room which we changed to wood following the theme of increasing the scale of accent elements.
The existing doors were a hollow core wood with stained veneer finish. These were changed to two panel (stacked) composite doors which were painted white to match the trim. The composite doors are heavier which required some reinforcing of the jambs, but the added weight made the 1-3/8″ thickness less noticeable. New hardware further enhanced the substantial feeling. An example of this can be seen in the master bedroom closet doors in the picture to the right. (Notice the size of the existing baseboard which was retained in this room.)
In the original floor plan, the master bathroom was small and was adjacent to a combination bathroom/laundry room that served the other two bedrooms. As part of the remodel, we expanded the master bathroom, stealing space from the laundry room. This expanded the master bath sufficiently to allow a separate shower and soaking tub (left). A furniture piece sink was used in this room. Tile floors were added with tile shower surrounds and a tile surround for the tub. Beadboard wainscot was added as well.
An existing closet was used to create a new guest bathroom to serve the other two bedrooms. This bath also included tile floors and wall details as well as similar beadboard wainscot. A custom cabinet was created to allow the sink to be installed over the area where the head space for the stairs to the basement encroached on this room. A tub-shower was installed opposite the sink. Custom clear glass shower partitions and doors were included in both rooms.
We also provided a custom cabinetry fireplace surround in the family room. The old cabinetry was removed and replaced with custom sizes. The red brick fireplace was covered in drywall and wood refreshing its appearance. The stained shelves were removed and reconstructed with the larger trim, recessed shelf strips, and custom shelves to match the cabinetry below. (See pictures below.)
Fireplace (Before)
Fireplace Stripped
DF Fireplace During 2
DF Fireplace Painted
DF Fireplace (After)
It was quite amazing what these changes did to transform the home. We are pleased and proud that we were allowed to be part of this project.
Culver Garden Court Update
Main Corridor with Drywall Installation Underway
It’s been a while since my last update on Culver Garden Court. Things are proceeding quickly.
Rough-in is complete on wiring for the electrical, security and fire alarm systems. Plumbing rough-in is complete. HVAC rough-in is nearly complete. This has allowed installation of the wall insulation. Exterior wall insulation is complete and sound batts have been installed where required between units. Drywall installation has begun. The first thing to be drywalled will be the ceilings. This will allow blown-in insulation to be installed in the attic.
On the exterior, the faux stone wainscot installation has begun. Most of the stone is in place. Next will be wall caps and the column bases. Once wall caps are in place, siding and soffit installation will begin.
Sidewalk Construction Underway
Installation of concrete walks and curbs is currently underway. This will allow us to proceed with paving preparations. We made some decisions on revised locations for the sign and flag pole, so the installation of those items can proceed as well.
Shore Club of Bass Lake
The Shore Club of Bass Lake opened Memorial Day weekend earlier this year. We were pleased to work with Jane Sheets and Ed Rickman on this project from the start as we previously discussed in this entry regarding the BZA hearing for the project. We want to wish them the best of success with this new venture!
As is often the case with remodel projects, we found additional code violations, structural and electrical problems that were concealed. We worked closely with the new owners to make sure that the items under our contract were corrected properly. This can become a little frustrating when you’re working under a tight deadline to get the planned work complete and then suddenly have new requirements thrown into the mix. Fortunately we were able to make these changes and complete our work on time.
The Shore Club was featured in an article in the Pilot News Weekend Addition, August 6-7, 2011, in which Jane and Ryan Sheets discuss their vision for the new Shore Club. They have worked hard to keep the feeling of nostalgia for those familiar with the Shore Club of the past, while adding new features such as outdoor patio dining and banquet facilities.
Culver has become well known for our restaurants. Jane is a Culverite and she is hoping to spread that reputation west to Bass Lake. If you haven’t done so, give them a try!
Garage Remodel
PreConstruction South Facade
We were recently commissioned to renovate an old garage in Culver. There is nothing more “green” than repurposing an existing structure. Plus in this case the existing structure sits on the property line, so to maintain the current access and location, it had to be remodeled rather than be rebuilt. The existing structure had two walls bowed to the point of being nearly off the foundation. The entire structure was out of plumb in at least two directions, one by approximately 5″ in 7′! It was a rather sad structure. In its pre-renovation condition the local squirrels were getting more use out of it than the property owner. New concrete walks, aprons and a new concrete floor were completed in conjunction with our work by another contractor.
Preconstruction North & East Facades
This structure was not the best built in Culver when we arrived at the site. It appears that it was not originally built “square”. We tackled it with the intention of making the best of what was available. We started by grouting the block cores full in the foundation wall where the bottom plate had moved. The allowed us to pull the wall back into position and anchor the wall to the foundation in the correct position. We then reconnected the tie rafters to square the top of the wall. We were only able to partially achieve this goal as shelving had been added which held the wall slighly out of plumb.
At the corners we pushed and pulled them back to as close to plumb as possible. Sheets of OSB sheathing were installed on the inside of the walls at the corners to provide diaphragm framing. This diaphragm framing held the studs in place at their corrected locations.
New South & West Facades
The existing windows had been installed without headers. We reconstuctioned these openings with headers and installed new windows. The existing entry door was replaced with a standard door size. The existing sliding doors were replaced with sectional overhead doors. We also added new electrical wiring, replacing the old knob & tube wiring. Electrical wiring was brought underground from the house connecting to the existing electrical panel. GFI duplexes (inside and outside), interior lights and exterior wall sconces were added.
New North & East Facades
To finish out the exterior cosmetic changes we installed new siding, new soffit, new fascia and new architectural shingles. The resulting facelift was a phenominal improvement. Our client should take up a collection! I think the whole neighborhood has been improved by this renovation.
The owner is pleased and christened the renewed structure by camping out in it with her children the first night it was complete.
Website Updates this Week
Several months ago I mentioned that we had changed our website to a WordPress base. I have mostly been pleased, though I’ve noticed it is a little slow. This was also pointed out offline by one of my lurkers.
I’ve put off adding to the site as it has required some research into the new features. (You’ll notice the use of slide shows in the new pages.) I finally bit the bullet and have worked on a few things this week. This has resulted in some misfires and redundant work, but some of it is coming together. You might notice that there are some additional “Testimonials” in the rotation on the front page. Thank you to our clients and associates that have stepped up to provide these. I also have added a couple of pages in the website. I tackled two of our library projects (Monterey Library and Logansport Library) where I had a significant number of pictures. These were completed as stand alone web page entries.
Following up on the previous entry on Heritage Park, I plan to do some additional “Blast from the Past” entries in the blog. Where appropriate, those will be linked to the project section of the main website. The Blast from the Past items will be a little more conversational in the blog format. Hopefully that won’t be too disconcerting to those visiting our site looking to hire us, but I think it gives a nice flavor of what we have accomplished. That’s not to mention that fact that it took hours to put together each of those pages on the libraries. Making blog posts do double duty would appear to be a more efficient use of my time. This also goes back to the speed issue. The site has gotten large with all the pictures I have included, so by allowing posts to double duty helps by not requiring repetitive entries.
I am also considering how to incorporate current projects such as Culver Garden Court where I have made multiple blog entries documenting progress. Currently Culver Garden Court has a place holder in the main website, with a link to a Culver Garden Court search in the blog. They will probably get stand alone pages as time allows.
If you have thoughts on this, let me know. Here or offline…
Kevin
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Ronald W Liechty - President, Garden Court, Inc.