Blog
Custom Mixed Interior Paint Color
Posted by:admin | Posted on: May 12th, 2012 | 0 Comments
We have been working in a custom mixed color for the interior painting of this historic Portland home. The house was built in 1889 and has a lot of original features. The trim work is original, it is a stained an finished fir, we are taking precautions to keep it clean of paint. We have found that to get the blue tape masking to stick to it we have had to wash it first with a damp rag. The large color sample is a custom mixed color specified by a local designer.Thank you note
Posted by:admin | Posted on: April 19th, 2012 | 0 Comments
Everyone likes to be appreciated, this handwritten note from a recent project really made our day.Portland bathroom remodel: in place and working
Posted by:admin | Posted on: April 15th, 2012 | 0 Comments
The bathroom is all done and working. The alcove to recess the sinks in worked well. The bathroom is narrow however, with the change in the interior wall layout has made room for the double sinks. The Carrara marble has a semi transparent nature. We had a delay as some of the tile arrived scratched from Italy. Next time we will have the shipment in place and quality approved. The shower fixtures, towel bars and sink fixtures are all chrome finish. One wall of glass in the back of the shower is a textured water glass. The bathroom turned out well and the home owners love the new room.Bathroom Remodel: Walk in shower
Posted by:admin | Posted on: April 12th, 2012 | 0 Comments
The walk in shower is a special feature in this project. Carrara marble tile in 1 inch hex tiles was used on the floor. The small tiles are more slip resistant with many grout lines. The larger tile show the marble character more.The bench is roomy and with the handheld shower fixture one could sit for a while. The glass shower door is hinged to swing both in and out of the shower so that you can open the door turn on the water and get right before stepping in. The wide angle in the photo is curves the vertical lines. In the house the walls are not curved.
Bathroom Remodel: Marble floor
Posted by:admin | Posted on: April 11th, 2012 | 3 Comments
The Carrara marble tile floor is in place and looks amazing. The tiles are 12x12 they were set with a white thinset cement instead of the usual grey. This keeps the color of the marble a bit brighter. I like how the marble baseboard detail turned out. The dual sinks are slab Carrara marble.
The alcove design leaves space in the room in an area that would be a narrow passage by the shower. A pedestal sink would not work well in the room. Lots of storage under the sinks.Bathroom Remodel: The sheetrock is up
Posted by:admin | Posted on: April 5th, 2012 | 0 Comments
The sheetrock is in place and the alcove is taking shape. We are making some extra efforts to contain the dust from the sheet rock work. We covered the hot air vents to the room and will heat the room with portable oil filled heaters to reduce air movement while the work is being done. We also placed a furnace filter over the cold air return to keep the dust from circulating through the house. Soon we will be ready for tile an finishes.Bathroom Remodel: Framing sink alcove
Posted by:admin | Posted on: April 3rd, 2012 | 0 Comments
Bathroom Remodel: Framing for the sink alcove is in place. We put in a 2x8 across the front edge of the sinks they will be marble slab and we want it to be sturdy. The alcove will allow a for recessed lights in the ceiling over the sink. This new part of the room would be dark without additional lighting. The new electric and plumbing is roughed in.The heating duct location was changed from next to the toilet to a toe kick register by the sinks. We got the floor patched and fortified for the tile work. The interior wall between the bathroom and bedroom is insulated in recycled cotton insulation for noise. The Cotton insulation has no formaldehyde, it is not itchy and works great at reducing noise transmission. It has more mass than fiber glass or cellulose insulation. We like to work with it when possible.Bathroom Remodel: Demo started
Posted by:admin | Posted on: April 2nd, 2012 | 0 Comments
With a plan, budget and materials chosen we are ready to start the work. Often the most efficient way to run new plumbing and electric in a room is to remove all of the walls. To take the room to the studs. With the walls out it is faster to instal these systems. This can bring a cost savings on the plumbing and electric work. Changing locations of the toilet and shower means that parts of the floor must go also. Depending on the type of flooring material the floor may need to be strengthened. A tile floor will need more support than a floor covered in Marmolium. In this project the floor will be a 12x12 Carrara marble floor.Bathroom Remodel: Planning
Posted by:admin | Posted on: April 1st, 2012 | 0 Comments
Bathroom Remodel: Planning
In planing a bathroom remodel it is good to consider the possibilities of your home. It is often it is less expensive to redesign interior walls than to add more square feet to the house. We have made good designs by rearranging bedroom and closet walls. By doing this we have been able to create or expand bathrooms. In this bathroom remodel the home owners recessed the sinks in an alcove in the wall to keep floor space in a narrow part of the bathroom. On the bedroom side of the wall bookshelves and nightstands were built in along side the alcove area.Green changes for spring
Posted by:admin | Posted on: March 27th, 2012 | 0 Comments
Spring is here in Portland and I am trying out a new version of an old machine. The push mower so far it is working great it is a joy to push around an almost silent mower. It is cutting through everything, tall grass no problem. It feels great to be outside and knowing that mowing the lawn is not polluting and noisy as it used to be. One small change towards a more sustainable world.Interior Painting: Trim work and Cabinets
Posted by:admin | Posted on: March 22nd, 2012 | 0 Comments
For years the finest trim work, fireplace mantels, cabinets and classic wood windows would have been painted with oil enamel. This was the gold standard for interior work and took a skilled painter to prepare and apply correctly. The main disadvantages were that it had to be cleaned up with paint thinner and it had strong unhealthy fumes.
All of this has changed with a new low VOC oil enamel that cleans up with water.
Now walls and ceilings can be painted in zero voc paint and the trim work can be painted in a beautiful, durable low voc paint.
We find this high quality trim paint is best applied by brush. We can transform your home with minimal disruption.Interior Painting choosing a wall color
Posted by:admin | Posted on: March 21st, 2012 | 0 Comments
It is always a good time to brighten up you home with new colors. We are working with low and zero VOC paints which have almost no fumes. A great way to start is to brush color samples on the wall that you want to paint. Be sure to put a drop cloth or some newspaper down first. Several stores are selling small 4 once samples of paint. Brushing the sample color on the wall gives you a chance to see it at different times of the day under different lighting conditions. We like to brush on samples in a room before we paint it so that you can approve the color before the whole room is done. If you are stuck or unsure about your colors there are some great color consultants in Portland we will be happy to connect you with.Kitchen remodel endorsement
Posted by:admin | Posted on: March 18th, 2012 | 0 Comments
It is always our goal to have the projects go well and end up with happy clients. The testimonial from our last kitchen remodel I am proud to share.
My kitchen remodel was the biggest project we tackled. Maxwell and I put our heads together and he turned it from a dull '70s-era room (tile floors, linoleum countertops) to a stylish kitchen full of pizzazz – and beauty. The cherry cabinets stayed but everything else went. Translation: custom-made zinc counters, a custom-made madrone (ecologically correct) butcher block, wood floors to match the other red oak throughout the house, and new appliances.
It is gorgeous.
Green Light and its sub contractors finished in a mere two weeks, exactly as Rush promised. The hardwood floor crew was fanatical about perfecting the floors as was Green Light about every detail. Jeff the plumber cheerfully crawled under the sink, not everyone’s favorite place, and worked efficiently. Each guy was pleasant to have around, worked hard, and finished the remodel with a minimum of hassle.
I highly recommend Green Light for its conscientiousness, hard work, ability to communicate, attention to detail, consideration to the home-owner, and good taste. I will hire them again. Of that I’m sure.
Choosing Quality Materials
Posted by:admin | Posted on: March 7th, 2012 | 0 Comments
When you start to work on your house choosing what to build with is important. The amount of exposure to the weather and the visibility of the materials can influence choice. On this porch repair we went for best quality. The wood is straight grain Douglas fir no knots. We put it in place with stainless steel nails.
Historic Porch Repair
Posted by:admin | Posted on: March 5th, 2012 | 0 Comments
100 year old porch repair: Portland has some great porches however the weather can take it’s tole on them. The deck surface on this Laurlhurst porch was warn rotting and needed to be replaced. The deck deck flooring that is currently manufactured is ¾ inch thick the old material is closer to ⅞ inch thick. To keep the the solid look and fee of the porch we had boards milled to specification to match the old wood. Once installed we painted both the tops and bottoms to keep the wood from absorbing moisture and remain stable through the winter rains.