Custom Stair Designs
There were two choices for building a back stairway in a tightly confined space, either a closed staircase with a built-in storage cabinet underneath or an open staircase. Although the old farmhouse was in sore need of extra storage, the open staircase was ultimately chosen, allowing additional light from new windows to flood the small space and create a “gallery” feeling for hung artwork.
The finished stair with wrought iron birdcage balusters and brass handrails.
This old farmhouse was sorely in need of updating. After gutting the space of old plaster, lath, and blown in fiberglass insulation down to the bare studs, icynene insulation in both the exterior walls and floor was sprayed in, new windows and doors were installed, new wiring run, and new drywall was hung. A hexagonal red Mexican tile was chosen for warmth of color and architectural interest. The custom stairway revolved around an eight-sided red oak timber that added an old-fashioned character to the space as a result of the natural “checking” of the large timber post.
The materials chosen for the stringers were kiln dried red oak for strength while the ten treads and four winding platforms were air dried white oak dadoed into the stringers and attached with countersunk and oak plugged ceramic screws.
The stringers and winding platforms supported by kiln dried red oak frames were attached to the eight-sided post utilizing the unique Knapp Duo connector system. This allowed for assembly within a confined space while creating a clean mortise and tenon type connection.
Finally, a wrought iron railing supports with birdcage basket balusters helped to maintain a minimal look while providing a contrasting material element, capped by a brass railing.
The following construction photographs illustrate the process of the stair construction.
Saunas
Wood fired saunas have many health benefits and add value to one’s property. The following designs and pictures are two examples of interior and exterior saunas inspired by Downeast Designing.
Studios and Guesthouses
This studio or guesthouse gets its design idea from a Downeast Designing sauna design. The original sauna design was expanded to accommodate additional space for writing, meditating, or use as a guest house with an additional sleeping loft. The character of the original porch, wood storage, and vestibule were retained. My hope is that the simplicity of the design will unleash the creative spirit, as did the simple writing studios of E. B. White in Brooklin, Maine and Archibald MacLeish in Conway, Massachusetts.
Mudroom Designs
Sometimes I get lucky. In this instance, an existing uninsulated woodshed off an old farmhouse serves as the solid bones for a new side entrance to this colonial home, creating a well-insulated mudroom (a necessity for New England winters). A bonus adjacent woodfired sauna, accessed from the mudroom, is vented directly to the exterior.
Pergola Designs
Downeast Designing pergola designs are not your cookie cutter variety. Each pergola design incorporates the existing house architecture and creates a complementary component that provides aesthetic appeal and value to the home. For this project, locally milled Eastern White Cedar was selected for durability and cost savings. Wisteria will be trained up the sides and over the top of the pergola to create shade and privacy for an exterior seating area proximate to nearby road traffic.
Wisteria
The first year it sleeps. The second year it creeps. The third year it leaps. This project is entering its third season. Stay tuned for an updated picture!
Cupola Designs
Cupolas are downright fun projects. Repair is a challenging high wire act that requires time and attention to detail but ultimately adds immeasurable value to a home. In this example, a cupola was updated with new windows replacing dilapidated louvers as well as new resawn and rebutted clear cedar shingles and maintenance free Azek trim boards. Finally, a new copper weathervane was added.
This cupola required complete replacement of siding, louvers, and skirt boards.
Garage and Barn Doors
Sometimes repurposed space requires adaptive solutions. In this instance, an otherwise ordinary two car garage with individual, limited clearance overhead 8′ doors was redesigned and engineered for added height to create a boat barn with out swinging double barn door to accommodate boats and trailers. The design used lightweight cedar and structural Douglas fir crossbuck members to create strength and a rustic appeal to this ubiquitous 19th Century cape known as the “Ice House” for the workers who once cut ice on nearby Walker Pond in a bygone era. Heavy duty wrought iron pivot pin hinges from Snug Cottage Hardware and hidden diagonal turnbuckles combined to create racking strength for the garage doors.
The lower part of this old dairy barn was converted into a two car garage, requiring heading off a 20′ clear opening and installing one large crossbuck patterned barn style overhead door.
Downeast Designing is Worth building.