Billie's Folly

This  phrase from the late 1700s seems apropos to send off 2020!  However, in christening my house in stone above the entry, I'll forever be reminded of this unprecedented year.     I’m the first to admit that my life and perspective were altered minimally throughout this year.  I’ve been extremely fortunate that my “pod” of family and friends has been free of illness or financial distress.  So far, the virus has not touched  my immediate sphere; and almost everyone I know is able to work from home.  It was a year of many firsts--my first year in 70 not spending the holidays with my parents.  But  my house building has been uninterrupted by restrictions,  shortages,  or tradesmen illness.  And I admit, my suburban bubble has kept me on the periphery of many people's harsh realities. For the first time in my life, I’m concerned about the mental health of our country.  Without rehashing it —the fear, unce...

I should start by reporting that my latest ETA for move in is the end of February.  This is fortunate--since my final date for vacating my rental is the end of February!  We're in the home stretch, but there are lots of details to be attended to.  And to be honest, at this point, another month or two doesn't make a lot of difference.  I just don't want a rushed and stressful move out and in. While a lot is happening on the inside, things are happening on the outside too.  The folks from Tanglewood in Maryland are here putting up the greenhouse.  It's in a direct axis line from my south patio doors (and actually through the entire house and the fountain outside the front door), and these two trees obliged by framing it nicely.  There will be double doors going through the greenhouse, and raised beds for vegetables on the other side--for the most daytime sunshine.  I'll probably have to surround the whole area with a fence to keep critters out....

I'd say we're officially in the 'finishing' stage.  It's definitely the fun part for me--my purchases and design choices are being incorporated.  And I'm beginning to see if the visions I had are going to work out as planned and look the way I've imagined.  One marble fireplace is in, and parts for the others are at the house.  Dressers and tables, to be adapted into vanities, are on site.  Countertops are trickling in.  Bathroom and backsplash tiles are ready to go.  Painting and wallpapering has begun.  And an old Portland street light globe, made into a pendant, is the first light fixture to be hung.  Everything being installed is not unique.  But even commercial choices reflect the tastes of the homeowner.  Here are a few construction touches that also make the house distinct.   The breezeway is supposed to have an indoor-outdoor, mudroom feel--with a brick floor, skylights above and double doors at each end for the 'breeze...

I get excited with each delivery of new cabinets.  My rooms are coming to life.  At the bottom of the stairs, as a transition between the front rooms of the house and the kitchen & family room, sits this nice big cabinet.  It will hold serving pieces, cookbooks, and extra kitchen and food supplies below.  There will be a rail below the top row of windows with a sliding ladder.  On the back of this wall is the refrigerator and range.  You can see the end of the island beyond. At the top of the stairs, between the two guest rooms is a wall of bookcases and storage.  The hanging wire will hold a chandelier below the skylight, and there will be railing around the stairway well. On the other end of this upstairs hall is a deep window seat. Opposite the window seat is a narrow, but adequate laundry room--which also has a door into my closet. And finally, one of the guest rooms.  I had the carpenters make two twin box-frame holders so I can get rid o...

While building has gone on at a smooth and steady pace, with a few highlights in the progress, there's now a feeling of immediacy and a higher level of coordination between the subcontractors.  As the cabinets have gone in, I've had the various sinks delivered, so the stone fabricator can make his templates.  The painter is waiting in the wings.  And the staircase carpenter works around everyone trudging up and down his stairs.  Today I noticed the heat is actually on in the house.  Which means a push to get the last exterior doors installed.  It's beginning to feel a lot like HOME. Here's the pantry.  I have no extra dish storage in the kitchen, so this is where non-everyday dishes will be stored.  Yes, I have quite a few!  In the middle of the corner is my loathed appliance garage--which I'm hoping doesn't look typical. This is the view of the kitchen from the family room fireplace.  It's exactly the way I envisioned it--a casual, hub ...

We're approaching a whole new level of homeyness!  The cabinets are arriving and I'm recognizing all the details I obsessed over.  They look great in natural wood, but almost all will be painted, with a few stained countertops.  This is one end of the dining room.   Here's the butler's pantry and bar below. A long window seat in the upstairs hall and the laundry room. The master and a guest room, which will have a twin(bed)-size window seat.  

Living in the Bay Area since 1973, for the most part I thought of wildfires as a Southern California problem.  In recent years it definitely became a serious Northern California problem too.  But moving to the wet winters of Portland, I thought wildfires were in my past.  Not so.  With the hot, dry summer we've been having (much different from my childhood summers visiting my grandparents here), and the high winds of the last few days, the fires are nearby and on everyone's minds.  And, even though my friends and neighbors and I are still safe, we can't escape the reminders of how near the fires are.   This first photo shows how blue our skies can be.  By contrast, here are the skies today.  You can imagine the air quality!   I'm definitely new to being at Mother Nature's mercy.  (I somehow escaped the San Francisco area after 45 years without experiencing a major earthquake.)  My heart goes out to those who the fires have hit and d...

  I'm amazed and excited by how much is happening every day at the house.  But then I realize how much more needs to happen--if I'm really going to be in by the end of the year.  Skip is still saying Christmas, but I'm trying to be realistic and reasonable.  It will be great if I'm actually sleeping there on New Year's Eve.  But if everything isn't completely ready, I'm prepared to wait until it is.  I have some leeway on my rental lease, but I'm keeping that information close to the cuff.  No need to ease the pressure! I've had the tile for the kitchen backsplash and the living room fire surround for a couple years already.  But the five bathrooms have taken my tile decision-making to a new level of obsession.  With wallpaper choices in hand, I made the mistake of heading to handmade tile shops first.  I found some beautiful options, but they had long lead times (handmade) and high prices (handmade).  Riddled by guilt, I tried to ...

I recently realized I have a mini theme going on in my house.  I'm continually choosing diagonals.  Upon realizing this, at first I was pretty proud of myself for stepping outside my little mind-set of straight lines.  But of course it's really not so much venturing out of my comfort zone--it's for the aesthetic.  Diagonals are easier on the eyes; you're not as drawn in to follow regimented lines to a point in the distance.  And diagonals add interest, and sometimes even an element of surprise. My upstairs hallway floor will have two different stains on the white oak--only mine will be reversed--the inner squares will be the darker.  In this photo the pattern is done square to the room.  Mine will have the same pattern done on the diagonal. My breezeway floor pattern with brick and wood will also be set on the diagonal.   The master bath, one guest bath and the cottage bath floor tiles will all be laid on the diagonal. And I now realize my stair r...

If planning the house was Phase 1, and building the house is Phase 2, then the landscaping is Phase 3.  I've hired a Landscape Architect named Brian Bainnson--and he's been great.  He came up with a couple overall plans, but (as usual) I had a fairly well-established layout in mind, so we're pretty much back to my basic design--with his knowledge and input being invaluable--and his beautiful renderings helping me visualize.     The hardscape is the backbone and needs to be addressed first.  This includes, driveway, patios, paths, walls, trellises, fence and gate and water features.  These will provide the structure and flow of the garden.  Then comes defining the borders and beds.  After that irrigation and outdoor lighting.   My house, as most, is all right angles and straight lines.  And the stone exterior gives it an austere appearance.  So my rule-of-thumb for this garden is--no straight lines and loose, free-mingling planting. ...

  Finally, the scaffolding is gone, and my glass porch is revealed.  Facing North, it doesn't get too much direct sunlight.  But, it does not have air conditioning (it would have meant adding an additional AC unit just for this room), so the doors may stay open on warm afternoons.  However, it does have heat.  Notice the ridge cresting.  I had to decide on the detail.  It's more than just decorative though, it's meant to keep birds from perching--and leaving a mess. On another note.  After the dry wall cleaned up the skylight over the stairway, I'm having second thoughts about whether to put a lens (opaque plexiglass that let's light in) between the beams and the skylight.  My thinking is that the exposed shaft and skylight creates too contemporary a look for the house style, and I don't want the distraction from my chandelier.  But the peaked design of the skylight itself, and true light coming down, have made me question my choice. ...