John Highstreet's Carpentry

   The scope of the project was to install a new bedroom floor, design and build a large custom bookcase, a walk-in closet, a couple of built-ins and a new master bath. I started with sketches, then met with the owners to work on drawings.

  For help in planning some of the details, I constructed a foamboard model of what the owners wanted. Even though this design changed slightly during construction, it was helpful in getting an idea of scale.

  This is after the preliminary demo. Notice that the exterior wall by the window has a nice coat of horsehair plaster "insulation". To the right of the door is the existing chimney, sealed off, so I insulated all around it. I estimate a 30% savings in their heating bill, it was that drafty.

                      Future location of the 13+ foot long bookcase.  

      The wall here was removed in order to expand the bathroom. The ceiling joists were reinforced as well.

 

  The future site of the shower and walk-in closet behind it. This is when  I prepared for demo of the subfloor, finding the high point in the floor joists and preparing to level off of it in four directions.

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 More 'before' pictures...

 

 Walking into the old hall toward the bedroom.

      

 The master bedroom "parquet" flooring was not only ugly, it was falling apart.

  Directly opposite the sink and toilet was not only the world's smallest shower, but a very narrow storage cabinet.

 The floor was out of level almost two inches from end to end with a nice hump in the middle, this would be addressed as well.

 

 

  
  Access into this space was created by building a temporary exterior stairway outside the bathroom window, absolutely ideal for keeping the main house clean and distraction free for the inhabitants (for the most part)...

 I used rubber feet against the house to protect against marring the paint.

 

   Part of every job is stripping paint; I use a paste to strip old paint - no dust,  no danger.

  To create a nice flow from the bedroom to the hall and bath, I made an elliptical archway. Here I damaged a bit of the interior plaster, a result of a loose framing stud, not a problem. 

  I reattached the plaster with wood epoxy so after it's patched it won't crack. Some framing and sheetrock going on in the background.

    This process was fun and challenging, I took the elliptical shape and transferred it to the center of the bookcase to help visually tie things together even more. At this stage I used 1/4" flexible material to carry the plane of the arch from sheetrock to sheetrock, then it's just some flexible corner bead and we're ready for plaster.

  Not only is it important to level the joists accurately across the room, but because the old timbers are rarely straight I even made sure the new joists were level unto themselves.

        

     
  The owner requested electric radiant heat in the bathroom, and as it was to go under a wood floor, I had to plan where the nailing would occur very carefully. In the above picture I transfer the location of the wires to the floor by way of carbon paper.

      
 I very carefully nailed the floor over the wires.

  I used tar paper for under the flooring; it's great for noise reduction, stabilizes moisture content and will last a lifetime.
   

  The bottom of the bookcase carcass, a four inch kickspace and a middle compartment for laundry baskets.

  

  This is handmade trim for the bookcase and closet cubbies. For some reason I didn't get any before pictures of the walk-in closet, so hang in there.

On the other side of the bookcase.

 The doorknob just showing as you enter the hall, and a built-in bench at the end.

  A three inch cushion is going on top, and plenty of storage inside (the top slides off).

  It's all in the details. Some things you just make up as you go, like this one.



  We're getting close now - the bedroom floor in its finished state, red oak with a satin finish. For tips on how to sand and finish floors, e-mail me...

  The finished bookcase just waiting for artwork. The arch was fun to build - and the jig created to make it was so neat I submitted it to Fine Woodworking.

  To the right of the bureau is the refinished bathroom door which will receive a window treatment. To the left is a pocket door I made out of a couple fir 2x4's and some MDF. The walk-in closet has a sensor for the lights, neat.

  The owner made, glazed and fired the drawer knobs at a pottery class - they look great. I epoxied them onto extensions with screws in the center and just hand-tightened them in.

                                       THE BATHROOM

 Let's go to the bathroom...

 Custom shower with marble tile and a window opposite the shower head.

 The sailboat was for testing the shower pan, it only took a couple minutes to make, really.

    



 The upper cabinet has an outlet in it, kind of a signature for me at this point.

 Guess how much the sink weighs. Anyway, the little white thing on the floor under the sink hides the drain, which was located as tight as possible to the exterior wall without sacrificing the integrity of the floor joist.