Jan 04
FINE Construction broke ground recently on a new remodel project on north Admiral in West Seattle. This brick Tudor family home was is in serious need of updating, the bricks were loose and the exterior needed attention. We have almost completed the tuckpointing.
Tuckpointing Definition: The process of repairing a mortar joint in a brick wall is called “tuckpointing.” The term comes from the process of tucking mortar into the damaged mortar joint with the point of a trowel called a “pointing trowel.” Tuckpointing is a critical maintenance task and keeps water from entering the brick wall cavity. If water is allowed to get past the mortar and into the wall, brick failure may occur such as cracking or spalling (popping off of the brick face). In addition to the brick on the gable ends we will be applying traditional 3 coat Stucco, giving this Tudor another 40 plus years of maintenance free life, Yeah!
The electrical is presently a knob and tube wiring system which we will replace as much as we possibly can in this home. 
The new light fixtures are period reproductions from Rejuvenation Seattle. We are installing a Pella French Door with Mahogany interior millwork. The interior trim for the main floor will be replaced with Mahogany trim and stained. The main floor bathroom is totally gutted and will have a claw foot tub, representing the original 1920’s look and feel.
The back yard has been laid out for a new multi-level deck utilizing IPE Decking to enjoy the beautiful garden.
Sep 09
We’ve got the next renovation underway and a deadline in mind. This renovation consists of expanding the house to the North increasing the size of two bedrooms, relocating one bathroom and adding another. With this addition we are reconfiguring the front of the house for better street appeal, so friends and family members know where to go tot he front door. The last project had the same problem.
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.
Aug 11
Brazilian Cherry landing and Stairs
This project was a great project from start to finish. The client were great to deal with and we exceeded their expectations.
The entry was very important to the clients. In the original design of the house, when you arrived at the front of the house you didn’t know where the front door was. We moved the front door towards the front of the house by 25′. The exterior has colored concrete with large slate pieces laid in the concrete walkway. In addition to the walkway, we poured a curved concrete wall with LED lights in the concrete wall.
Beautiful Fir Stained Doors and Slate Floor
The entry is so sweet! There is a lot of room in this entryway to comfortably remove your coat, shoes, hat, backpack, skies, snowshoes and roller blades. Now you are ready to stroll thru what we’ve completed. The entry has Fir doors a with clear coat. The floors are a slate 12″ x 24″ tiles. The door has a remote entry so all you do is come near the door and it unlocks. A great feature is the mail slot located outside (of course, better outside than inside) and we made a custom metal chute for the mail to slide to a convenient out of site place for the mail. Another great feature is the video camera the front door with video monitors on each floor so the homeowners can see who is at he front door and communicate with whom ever is at the front door.
A stairway to relaxation
The railing was a great part of this project, we brought the railing design to the clients and together the team approach developed a beautiful piece of art. The top rail is Brazilian cherry mounted to black powder coated steel and stainless steel cables integrated horizontally.
A great place to relax and get reinvigorated
The Soaking tub in this master is just what the homeowners were looking for when we designed this master bath. The added benefit is the window, they can open the window a little and have a view of the sound and the Olympic mountains, soaking doesn’t get any better than that. Quartz counter top with under mount sink and the in-wall faucets set this bathroom apart form your typical bathroom.
Showering in Style, Custom Glass Panel on the Right Wall
The shower provides an experience on it’s own with the tiles on the wall cascading down tot he floor giving the illusion of a waterfall. But look to your left and out the window and you’ll see the Puget Sound waterway and beyond that the Olympic mountains. Showering doesn’t get any better than this.
This project was a true pleasure form the design to the end and now the our clients get to enjoy these wonderful spaces with their family and friends.
Jul 02
I recently found a great product that is relatively inexpensive, it is a screen for your windows and it reduces the sun’s heat gain by 80%, WOW! I don’t know if it is truly 80% but it does cut the heat gain and reduces the visibility some.
Stop the UV Rays in
The product is made by Phifer and the product is called Suntex. They offer an exterior screen and an interior shade, so no matter your application it appears they have a solution.
Neat product, especially when the sun is beating down on some of your windows.
This is significantly less money then installing a film on the glass or changing windows/glass with new windows/glass that have mirror glazing (glass).
This item is mildew resistant
Check it, or if you need new windows, contact me. 206-938-2300 x201
May 28
Fine Construction has designed and produced a beautiful fence that keep’s the children safe and the dog from wondering off, looking to find new friends. The fence is made out of Azek material which is made of plastic. One of the great benefits of this product is that their is no need for painting, just think of that, not having to ever paint your fence again.
A Fine Fence True Art
We were introduced to this material on a new house that we built on Three Tree Point. The house at Three Tree Point is located adjacent to Puget Sound and south of Seattle. The salt water takes it toll on building products.
The benefits of Azek is it is easy to use, it’s life span is very long, it requires very low maintenance and should last forever.
Back to the fence, the panels are T & G (tongue and groove) bead board and the fence is made up of multiple layers to provide more depth perception. We used, 5/4 boards, 1x boards, T & G the list goes on. Presently the front yard is complete and now we are working on the back gate that is an automatic gate for the driveway. The back gate will match the front fence and the owners will be able to pull up and the gate automatically opens, so sweet!
Scallop Gate
As any project the first step is design. Finding out what the clients needs are, so we are not over building. That’s why it is critical that every project reflect the owners personal style and the project has a sense of personality. Whether it’s a fence or a kitchen or a remodel, taking the time to find the clients style, and bring their feeling into the project, with the material, color and the finishes. Fine Construction serves Seattle metro area and the Eastside. 
Jan 26
We are happy to launch our new blog. Come here to learn more about our great work.
