The house was in need of refreshing and we accomplished that. Fine Construction partnered with Kathy Banak of Authentic Home to work with the clients for the material selection and color choices. Kathy also worked with the owners for the furniture selection.

The owners had great ideas and we all collaborated to make this a successful project. The family actually occupied the lower level while Fine renovated the main floor.  Upon completion of the main floor the owners moved upstairs and Fine moved to the lower level to complete that portion of the project.  Timing worked well, while the owners made arrangements for several long trips and a couple of long weekends, making floor finishing and other dust producing tasks, a non event for the owners and a less stressful event for Fine Construction and its subs.

New interior doors are Fir. We applied a clear coat to see the nice wood grains in the doors. New mill work throughout was installed.

The scope of work consisted of removing a main wall between the living room, kitchen and dining room. The North wall had many windows to take advantage of the view of the Sound.  Fine designed the removal of the windows and installed a large sliding glass door to open up the living space to the outdoor deck.

The outdoor deck was not structurally sound and rot was found hidden between boards. New stainless steel railings where installed with new waterproof decking membrane applied with a pattern to the new decking. Lights are installed in the railing to provide accent lighting at night.  Powered screens were installed to help reduce the sun light heat gain, in addition to the new powered awning to provide a relief from the blazing Seattle sunlight.

The interior walls were realigned to provide a good flow throughout the house.  New French doors were installed in the hall leading to a garden patio. A large 4′ wide fir door was installed to provide separation from the living room to the master suite.  Both bathrooms were modernized.  We added a new Frame-less shower door in the master bath to give it a new fresh modern look adding a more open and larger look and feel to the bath.

On the exterior, Fine installed a custom front door with an integral weatherization system. Fine also installed new fences to keep the owners important little house guests, their dogs, close to home and so they don’t leave their wonderful new palace grounds.  Also added to the exterior;  lighting on the house and low voltage lighting for the driveway.  Finally the exterior of the house was cleaned and painted, bringing this home back to life for many years to come.

Come to the open house on October 15 and 16th.  Contact Fine Construction for any information regarding renovations to your home.

Window Replacement
The type and quality of the window frame usually affect a window’s air infiltration and heat loss characteristics. Many window frames are available–all with varying degrees of energy efficiency. Some of the more common are fixed-pane, casement, awning, single and double-hung and horizontal sliding.

Fixed-Pane

When properly installed, fixed-pane windows are airtight and inexpensive and can be custom designed for a wide variety of applications. But because they cannot be opened, fixed-pane windows are unsuitable in places where ventilation is required.

Casement and Awning

Casement and awning windows with compression seals are moderately airtight and provide good ventilation when opened. Casement windows open sideways with hand cranks. Awning windows are similar to casement windows except that their hinges are located at the top of the window instead of at the sides. Windows with compression seals allow about half as much air leakage as double-hung and horizontal sliding window with sliding seals

Single and Double Hung.

Double-hung windows have top and bottom sashes (the sliding sections of the window) and can be opened by pulling up the lower sashes or pulling down the upper sash. Although they are among the most popular type of window, double-hung windows can be inefficient because they are often leaky. Single-hung windows are somewhat better because only one sash moves.

Horizontal Sliding

Horizontal sliding windows are like double-hung windows except that the sashes are located on the left and right edges rather than on the tops and bottoms. Horizontal sliding windows open on the side and are especially suitable for spaces that require a long, narrow view..

Frame Materials

Window frames are available in a variety of materials including aluminum, wood, vinyl, and fiberglass. Frames may be primarily composed of one material, or they may be a combination of different materials such as wood and vinyl. Each frame material has its advantages and disadvantages.

Aluminum

Though ideal for customized window design at low cost, aluminum frames cause conductive heat loss and condensation.

Wood

Wood frames have higher R-values, are unaffected by temperature extremes and are less prone to condensation, but they require considerable maintenance in the form of periodic painting. If wood frames are not properly protected from moisture, they can warp, crack, and stick.

Vinyl

Vinyl window frames, which are made primarily from polyvinyl chloride (pvc), offer many advantages. They are available in a wide range of styles and shapes, have moderate to high R-values, are easily customized, are competitively priced, require low maintenance, and mold easily into almost any shape. But vinyl frames are not strong or rigid, which limits the weight of glass that can be used. In addition, vinyl frames can soften, warp, twist, and bow.

Fiberglass

Fiberglass frames can be made in a variety of colors and can hold large expanses of glass. Some fiberglass frames are hollow; others are filled with fiberglass insulation.

More on door replacement products and choices in our next blog entry…

Metal Stair System with Stainless Steel Cables

This is a chance for you to meet and talk with contractors like myself and see, touch and feel the finishes. We have a project in West Seattle. This home was just recently renovated, we added a third story addition

This project consists of renovations to  multiple areas of the house.  The project was developed by the Fine Construction Design Team and the Homeowners. Our design meetings are simple, we meet to discuss the clients needs and requirements, then we discuss their dreams and wish-list. From this we start off in the right direction, instead of us just designing something to see if the clients like it.   We designed the addition to the clients desires.

For these clients they had 3 bedrooms and needed 4 bedrooms. So it made sense to add a new suite for the parents with a new bathroom. The home sits on top of a hill with views to the south and southwest.

It made sense to do an addition to the house by adding a third floor for the new master suite.  The position  of the addition is great providing  incredible views from the bedroom and bathroom. Of course we put a window int he shower and at the soaking tub.  As you walk from the main floor to the master suite the stair treads are Tigerwood hardwood flooring, rich colors come out from the wood flooring and the Tigerwood runs through the master suite and into the master closet. The handrail is a black powder coated metal handrail with stainless steel cables running horizontally.   For the new windows we applied a mirrored glazing on the exterior to minimize the heat gain, minimizing the heat that comes into t e rooms.

The master bathroom has oval tiles running down the wall, giving the faux look of water running down the wall to the floor with more oval tiles. On the west wall there is a window (obscure glass of course)  in the shower, it’s great that they can stand in the shower and open the window and enjoy the incredible views. What a great way to start your day! The bathroom floor is comfortable during the cold mornings with the heated floor under your feet.  There are two vanities, with one vanity that has a sink and faucet and the other is setup for makeup. It’s nice that there is plenty of storage with both. On the mirrors are strip fluorescent light fixtures.

The entry is a open space with room to great guest, family and friends. The front door is a Fir, 5 panel door with opaque glass and a custom door lever with a remote entry lock. You can be in your car and unlock the front door. Also at the front door is a video camera and on each floor inside the house are video monitors. For the main floor we added Tech lighting and 7.1 surround sound system for the enjoyment of the living room music system and large flat screen TV. It’s nice having the music going while relaxing in the living room. Tech lighting is a favorite of the owners and we installed several new Tech fixtures throughout the house.

The new concrete walkway to the front door had a  dark gray color added tot he concrete and large pavers where placed in a random pattern. A curved retaining wall was built and we installed LED walkway lights in the wall.

The exterior front of the house has a trellis made of clear cedar which is the left of the garage doors. The garage doors are black aluminum with opaque glass panels.  The Trellis is made of clear cedar and large timber. In addition to the front of the house, all new siding was installed due tot he installation of plywood to the framing, (the house had no plywood or and shear walls, the siding was nailed right to the siding) we used Hardie Plank siding. With the building of the third floor master suite, this made part of the the deck on the second floor covered for  a good portion of it. Now they can cook on the grill and even eat outside under the covered deck and enjoy eating outside. The new deck has Trex decking that was installed with hidden fasteners and a aluminum railing with glass panels, so this doesn’t block any of the view and also cuts down some of the wind.

We thoroughly enjoyed working with these clients, the kids liked having our carpenters see them off to school and their activities.  The design provides a nice flow through the house and the addition looks like it was originally part of the house. They will have a great place to entertain and relax.  If you would like to discuss your dreams an ideas, contact Fine Construction today to begin making your dreams come to reality.

Fine Construction participated for years with the Home Show,take a look at our first Home Show Booth, from 2003. It’s great seeing the progression in booths. I bought a trade show display booth off eBay and I posted pictures on the display, I used a sink and for people that signed up to discuss their project had a chance in wining a gift certificate. The item that made my booth stick out was the robot from Lost in Space. My brother was into Lost in Space so i borrowed it for the show. It was interesting the group of visitors that where really interested in the robot. Some of the guys, their eye’s lite up and a smile came on their face and all they wanted to talk about was the robot. It worked!  It brought people into my booth to talk about the robot and what they wanted to remodel.

The next Seattle Home Show was the 2004 and I hooked up with Windsor One who offers a great line of high quality millwork for the interior and exterior for your home. We received materials and we put together a great booth.

We used this booth for 4 years and ti was great that visitors to the Seattle Home Show can actually see the finished product, they could come up close to touch and feel the millwork and joinery. Brian Kemly of Kemly Electric provided the lighting consulting and recess light installation for the booth.

Not only did we get the brothers and father involved with the Home Show’s but Kathryn, (Tom’s Oldest Daughter) is featured in a video about a project completed on the Fine house. Kate’s love for acting show’s in the video. Sit back and enjoy the Fine Construction Thanksgiving 2006 Video

Click on this link to see Kathryn Fine showing a bathroom remodel    MVI_1029_xvid

I look forward to seeing you at the Seattle Home Show 2

The MBA Remodel Homes Tour is coming October 16th & 17th, come and see our renovated project located in West Seattle.  

I love the front of the house, why change it?

The homeowners had ideas of what they wanted and we sat down and started drawing. it didn’t take long to take their needs and put it on paper and then refine their ideas and our suggestions to come up with a nice flowing addition.  Thee design process went well. We produced a simple expansion so we could spend money on other parts of the house.  Stand by for Phase II coming up soon.

What I am enjoying right now is working with wonderful people. It’s nice when we communicate and keep the channels open and discuss what is coming and how it’s going to happen and what the impact will be for the clients so thy know what to expect.  The homeowners asked if they could stay int he house during the renovation and I said yes, but you will most likely be uncomfortable. Dust, inconvenience, interruption of utilities during the day, especially for the husband who works from home.

Out of my way, I've got concrete in my shovel

We excavated out the foundation and used Pacific Rim Equipment, Lee Forte is great and I’m glad he’s back in the game. We hauled out 30 yards of soil and for Phase II coming up shortly, we are looking at 40 yards and the only access is a small buggy, oh that’s going to be labor intensive.

Jeffery's On-site and Checking that everything is neat and organized

The Floor is framed and ready for walls

of We’ve got the trailer on-site, I’m so glad I made that investment, misc. parts are keep in it, in addition to some items being saved, especially for Seattle a place to keep things out of the rain.

The walls will be going up next and the following week we’ll get the trusses installed and ready for a roof.

Stay tuned for updates on this project, and watch for the next project, we’ve got in design. It’s a cute brick Tudor with a client that is organized and ready to make her dreams come true.

The Rex was for a single father who traveled a lot and in his travels loved the hotels, spa’s and resorts that he had got so acquainted with, the Four Seasons and on.

As you walk through the foyer it has a vaulted ceiling with over a thousand led lights drilled through acrylic panels to give the illusion of the solar system. The marble floors bring you to the marble steps of the jetted 2+ person tub.

Look to the right and you’ll find a vanity with a marble top, a vessel sink and in the wall faucets, continuing ot the right is one of two closets and the next door goes to a room for the toilet.

Turn around and head back the other way and at the end of the room is the walk in shower, with no curb to step over, flush with the marble is a stone pebble flooring in the shower, the shower walls are linen tile with multiple showering devices, hand held to showering jets.

Please click on the images, especially the foyer picture.

Anyone can enjoy this room. If you would like to transform your bathroom or another room call me. Tom Fine