• Blackstar Construction Group

    Santabarbaraporchcolumns

    Santa Barbara-based Blackstar Construction Group (probably not named after my favorite Radiohead song) is a general contractor specializing in Mission / Craftsman woodwork, interior architecture and detailing.

    While their website does show off some very appealing jobs, many more of their projects are up on Flickr for the world to see, photographed by their friend Justin Wagner – I’m actually surprised more craftspeople don’t take this approach – and it’s easy to tell that they really take pride in the quality of their wood and skill. Some of my favorites:

  • Frank Lloyd Wright house tours in Oak Park

    Flw_harry_s_adams
    This Old House    ‘s terrific Hardware Aisle blog is always full of good stuff – tool and material reviews, pointers to new techniques, and last week an article on Frank Lloyd Wright house tours. Read the whole article on their site:

    Why does it captivate us to walk through the homes where legends lived or worked?

    It started with Superman’s Fortress of Solitude, then Ricky Schroder’s sweet living room on "Silver Spoons," and later the suggestive banister at Sigmund Freud’s pad.

    Come May 17, 2008 architecture devotees will flock to Oak Park, Illinois,
    which is base camp to explore a cluster of homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
    and his contemporaries.

    The homes range from a Civil War-era Italianate
    built around 1860 to the Harry S. Adams House (pictured) built in 1913-14.

  • finding arts & crafts in unexpected places

    One thing we talk about regularly is finding Arts & Crafts vernacular in what can only be called unexpected places. Sometimes the use might be inappropriate but still well-executed; sometimes neither. Reader Jean Emery wrote to tell us about her own experience at finding Spanish Colonial architecture in the last place you’d expect – upstate New York:

    This is a visual response to the post about transplanting or recreating the arts and crafts vernacular. I hope this picture comes through. I’m a fourth generation San Diegan transplanted to upstate New York and I’ve always taken a great interest in a group of about twenty or so Spanish colonial homes built in Albany, probably in the 1920s or so. They’re so California!  But, as you can see, they haven’t fared very well here. I would love to buy one, but they generally are in pretty poor shape, have been terribly re-muddled. The stucco doesn’t take well to repeated freezing and thawing, and the original windows weren’t at all energy efficient so have been replaced with ugly double-panes.

    Also, the new Stickley arts and crafts reproductions are big here in town because we’re near the manufacturer in Syracuse, but they just don’t have the soul and the patina of the originals. And American Bungalow has recently had some vulgar, expensive houses with customized woodwork run amuck!

    I’m not really sure what the moral of all this is. I do love these bits of Mediterrean architecture plunked down in the snow belt!

    Jean notes that one such home – 17 Rosemont Street in Albany (pics) – is for sale at an asking price of $178,900.

    Thanks for sharing these, Jean. We do love to see this kind of thing, so if other readers have pictures to share, please do send them in!

  • Mission Hills Development in Northern California

    Missionhillsrosenhouse
    "Mission Hills Development builds finer homes that
    are based on the Arts and Crafts movement from the early 1900’s.
    Featured architects are Henry and Charles Greene of Pasadena, CA.,
    circa 1900 to 1920."

    These are indeed "finer" homes – finer, by far, than most of the new development I see, and at first glace at least look to be far better designed and constructed than even the chicest McMansion.

    Sebastopol, CA – "the World in upheaval" is the site of Mission Hills
    Development’s current project. Situated on 5 acres in a valley between
    rolling hills, this 6200 square foot house is part Gamble House and
    part Blacker House. Build with the same detail as these two famous
    Greene & Greene homes in Southern California, it encompasses five
    different hardwoods for its central hallways and grand rooms.

  • remodeling causes stress – oh, really?

    This is certainly old news to anyone who has attempted, completed or is mired in the middle of a home remodel – especially if it’s your own house, and certainly if you are attempting to live there through the project:

    There’s no doubt that a remodeling, addition
    or new construction job brings stress to the homeowners. Just ask me.
    Last spring we added a new upstairs bedroom and a downstairs entryway
    and mudroom, losing our attic space, emptying our garage and losing a
    bay in the process. Where to put the stuff and how to find it again
    were just two of the stresses encountered. We chose to hire a project
    manager, so hiring of all the subs was his problem, but we stressed and
    sweated over every decision. In fact, most veterans of a remodeling
    project will tell you that the two key qualities you need to survive a
    home project are the ability to make decisions and spend money — fast.

    read the whole thing at bobvila.com

  • The Sun Valley Seasons: Greene & Greene-ish in Idaho

    181042_500
    The "Sun Valley Seasons" (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter) are four luxurious 4,000+ sq ft single-family homes designed by Ruscitto / Latham / Blanton and built by Intermountain Construction on three lots in Sun Valley, Idaho. What makes them interesting is the level of detail – they were designed and built to resembled Greene & Greene homes, and the gabling, roofline, and much of the interior architectural woodwork is certainly in that vein.

    I can’t speak to the quality of the homes – I haven’t visited them or seen construction pictures – and I sometimes feel a little odd looking at new construction that is so self-consciously "antiqued," in that it’s made to look very similar to a particular designer’s work in a particular era. However, you can see that at the very least the designers and builders certainly had a thing for the Greenes.

    The people who staged the homes and did some of the finishing, though, included a few items that are completely incongruous in such a home – an ornate chandelier and other light fixtures, for instance, that owe more to Louis XIV than the Arts & Crafts movement; white beadboard in the kitchen; fake-paneled appliances, and a fountain that looks like something out of a Berkeley hippie commune. Overall, though, the level of detail is certainly impressive.

  • What do you do when your house blows up?

    33277844
    You rebuild, of course. Dave Premer, of Huntington NY, rebuilt his 1830s farmhouse – leveled by a gas explosion and fire caused by a contractor who severed a gas line – as a very attractive Craftsman bungalow. Energy efficiency and other modern touches were important to Premer, whose 4 bed / 3 bath home should be ready next month, just about one month after the blast.

    The story itself is not especially noteworthy, although we certainly wish Mr. Premer the best. It is interesting to note, though, that he was able to cut the energy footprint of this rather large house – at 2,600 square feet, it’s almost double the side of my perfectly livable Mission Revival bungalow here in Sacramento – by half, without going over budget. You can indeed build "green" – as long as you have some sort of focus – without breaking the bank.

    The bungalow concept with energy-saving features began to take shape in
    late February, after his insurance company, Allstate, referred several
    contractors for the project. Armed with a set of plans from a local
    architect, Premer selected a project bid from a national firm with a
    franchise in Brentwood. Mark Gunthner, owner of Paul Davis Restoration
    & Remodeling of Long Island, Huntington architect Pete Smith and
    Premer worked together to revise the original house plans.

    The result will be a residence using about 50 percent less energy than a traditional home its size, about 2,600 square feet.

    read the full article at Newsday

  • Lead-based paint and real estate: how does it affect you?

    Tip7
    Reader and regular contributor Joel McDonald – a real estate professional who frequently writes on issues important to those considering buying, remodeling or restoring an older home – submits the following:

    Even though lead-based paint has been outlawed for a long time, it is still a very real issue for both homeowners and real estate agents. In 1992, the Housing and Community Development Act made it so that seller of real estate had to disclose potential lead-based paint hazards to the purchaser at the time of sale.  Lead was used as a paint additive for nearly 125 years before it was linked to health problems around 1978.  That year, it was determined that lead would not be added to paint as an additive any longer. Any home that was built prior to 1978 could potentially have a lead-based paint problem.

    The Hazards of Lead-Based Paint
    The presence of lead-based paint in a home environment can lead to lead poisoning.  Children under the age of six run the greatest risk of developing lead poisoning from lead-based paint because young, growing bodies absorb many of the minerals that they come into contact with, whether it is much needed calcium or very dangerous lead.  Continuously high levels of lead in the body can lead to brain damage, behavior problems, hearing problems, and damage to the nervous system.  These problems can occur in both adults and children, and additionally in children, normal growth can be impaired.

    Any home built prior to 1978 that has cracked, peeling, or chipping paint should be treated as a potential hazard and should be repaired immediately. If paint containing lead was used around the window or door frames in the home, the process of opening and closing these items may be creating a surprisingly large amount of dust containing lead. This dust is potentially hazardous and can be difficult to get rid of.  Vacuuming, sweeping, and dusting can cause the lead dust to reenter the air and dust will be kicked up every time you take a step within the home. The dust can also be tracked outside where it will contaminate the soil around the home.

    Does Your Home Have a Lead-Based Paint Problem?
    In order to discover whether your home has a lead-based paint problem, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends that every home built prior to 1978 receive a paint inspection conducted by a trained professional. A paint inspection will let the homeowner know the lead content of every painted surface in the home and will uncover any areas or sources of serious lead exposure.

    Although there are kits available commercially that allow the homeowner to conduct the testing on their own, the EPA recommends an inspection conducted by a professional inspector to uncover any dangerous areas that may be overlooked by the untrained eye. Some states have very specific rules and regulations dealing with the discovery and remedy of a lead-based paint issue, and the professional inspectors will be able to advise the homeowner of these rules and let them know the next step in the process of removing lead-based paint from their home.

    Article contributed by Colorado’s Fort Collins real estate service, Automated Homefinder.

    image courtesy of the Environmental Protection Agency

  • Architectural Salvage VI

    Given the seemingly endless popularity of the DIY movement, awareness of green practices and recycling as parts of the design/build process and the high cost of new materials, salvage businesses continue to thrive:

    and in the UK, where architectural salvage is a way of life:

    • Cheshire Demolition "offers one of the biggest salvage and reclamation yards in the North West. They offer everything from reclaimed doors to fireplaces."
    • The Salvage Doctor specializes in the "reclamation and restoration of cast iron architectural salvage and antiques," and carries an extensive range of radiators (cast iron, school- / hospital- /column- style, etc.), fireplaces & surrounds, woodburning stoves, rainwater systems (guttering, downpipes & fittings), gates and railings. They are located in Horsham, West Sussex.
    • In Situ trade out of their Manchester ex-pub warehouse and studio. They keep a large stock of the usual – with attention to fancy pavers, lighting, glass, flooring, entryways and doors / door furniture.
    • Cox's Architectural Salvage has operated their 12,500 sq ft covered warehouse in Moreton-in-Marsh since 1992. They are one of the largest Victorian ironmongers in Britain, and also refinish and sell their own line of nickel plate and brass hardware.
    • Toby's Architectural Antiques has shops in Exeter and Newton Abbot. They carry a wide range of exterior detail – gates, ironmongery, roofing, slate, stone, water features – as well as kitchen materials, doors, light fixtures etc.
    • Park Royal Salvage at the Lower Place Wharf in London sells everything from building materials, doors, windows and reclaimed plumbing to doors, windows, fireplaces and other old house parts.
    • Robert Mills Architectural Antiques are one of the more specialized shops of their kind, with an especially large stock of architectural woodwork, mainly panels, columns, balustrades, mouldings and friezes, window frames, etc.

  • Frank Lloyd Wright’s Kentuck Knob (1954), Ohiopyle PA

    This wonderful FLW property – built in the "deluxe" Usonian style on a beautiful 80-acre lot – is just a few miles from Fallingwater. Along with the extensive sculpture garden, it is open for public tours.

    The House on Kentuck Knob was designed in 1954 and completed in 1956 for I. N. and Bernardine Hagan, friends of the Kaufmans, for whom Wright built Fallingwater. The home, build of tidewater cypress, glass and 800 tons of local sandstone – and a very striking copper roof – is situated in western Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands, and includes a gorgeous view of the Youghiogheny River gorge and the surrounding hills.

    The Hagans lived in the house for 30 years, and sold it to Baron Peter Palumbo, an English developer, art collector and architecture conservationist, in 1986.

    • slideshow of images from Kentuck Knob and its sculpture garden, including a few of Fallingwater

    Thanks to Douglas Sanders’ wonderful Frank Lloyd Wright Newsblog for reminding us of this very pretty and unique home!