Other (fireplaces, built-ins cabinetry, etc)

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Custom door sidelight rebuild

The summer 2024 of “ehh, it’s not something I usually do” continues.

Certain customers get different accommodation. This project is for customers who live in an amazing home on one of the most spectacular pieces of property… maybe anywhere. It was there over 25 years ago when working with Larry that I assisted in fabricating a custom kitchen for the first time.

They contacted me early this spring about addressing the sidelights on their driveway side door which were showing their age. The house was a custom build 70 years ago, and the door and windows were built specifically for the design. For size reference, that door is 48” wide! The intent for the property has been to maintain it in nearly the same construct as when it was built… more of a preservation than renovation. Certainly no updating!

I’m not a millwork shop, but I know how to fabricate window and door panels. Once the old ones were removed, matching replacements were fabricated from straight grain Douglas Fir, glass panels fitted and the assemblies had all edges primed and two coats of finish paint.

Next the weather damaged trim was removed and replaced, and the oak threshold cleaned up, then treated with a couple coats of timber oil. New window panels were installed, caulked in and sealed with another coat of paint.

I’m #stillnotatileguy or a millwork shop, but this really is actually closer to what I do.

Book shelf repair

A long time customer had a list of things needing to be done… the kinds of things I usually am not available for, but certain customers get different accommodation.

I’d nearly knocked the list out and then:

“We have this bookshelf that we’ve had many years… it was in the Cincinnati Public Library that closed a long time ago… at some point a cable tv installer put an awful hole through it to get a cord through… do you think you could somehow patch that hole?”

Ehh… I dunno… it’s not something I really do… I could probably make it look… better? It definitely wouldn’t be perfect.

“That’s ok, I’m sure whatever you do would look better than that terrible hole.”

I used one of the shelves for a filler piece… and then a bunch of sanding and blending with various stain colors. Certainly not perfect, but definitely better than the hole.

Closet added to inaccessible space in basement stairway

One of the challenges of an older home is lack of storage space. A customer asked if the unreachable shelving in a basement stairway could be better re-imagined by constructing a closet accessed from a utility room. The challenge was to maximize the closet area while maintaining head room in the stairway. Using the existing shelving as a guide, clumsily “marked up” photos were sent back and forth to the customer in the midwest until a design was agreed upon. In the process, the plaster was removed, electrical issues and lighting addressed, new framing and drywall were installed. A closet door matching the existing doors in the home was ordered, shelving and drawer were fabricated and installed. The result is a better use of under-used space.