Historic 1930 Spanish home I just bought....paint colors & windows?
arkiegrandma
9 years ago
I just purchased a Spanish style home in an historic district and want to paint it inside and out. The exterior is now 'sandbox sand' color but according to the neighbors had been white and pink by past owners. I could not find anyone who knew the original color. I searched through 107 pages of Houzz photos of which the vast majority of the exteriors were white and sand color was second most.
The clay tile roof is terracotta and green and very age and algae stained. The neighbor said part of it was a different color and painted over. I wonder if it could be pressure washed. Leaks have to be repaired.
Inside has lovely walnut stained hardwood floors which I love. Most of the facings have been painted over except in the master suite. The ceilings are high with about a 2" crown molding.
The kitchen has white tile counter tops and I plan to have the cabinets and walls painted white in it and in the adjoining den/family room. (Current cabinet fronts are 15 different colors.)
I have white sofa and burnt orange chairs that I purchased before I found the house. One of my dilemmas is what color to paint the living room walls. The fireplace has the original tile surround that is shades of tan and muted yellow.
My second dilemma is what do I do with the floor to ceiling arched windows.
Any thoughts would be welcome.
The clay tile roof is terracotta and green and very age and algae stained. The neighbor said part of it was a different color and painted over. I wonder if it could be pressure washed. Leaks have to be repaired.
Inside has lovely walnut stained hardwood floors which I love. Most of the facings have been painted over except in the master suite. The ceilings are high with about a 2" crown molding.
The kitchen has white tile counter tops and I plan to have the cabinets and walls painted white in it and in the adjoining den/family room. (Current cabinet fronts are 15 different colors.)
I have white sofa and burnt orange chairs that I purchased before I found the house. One of my dilemmas is what color to paint the living room walls. The fireplace has the original tile surround that is shades of tan and muted yellow.
My second dilemma is what do I do with the floor to ceiling arched windows.
Any thoughts would be welcome.
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arkiegrandma
9 years agoGetting where I can see some progress. First I got the rotted wall rebuilt, then the roofers came. It took them 4 weeks to reroof the house. While they were working, my commode commode quit flushing. A lot of paper towels had been used so I figured they had been flushed and stoopped it up. Later I noticed that the commode brush was missing. Plummer was unable to fix it so it would flush. After roofers finished I had a different plumber come to get the commode flushing. He spent 5 hours but could not find any problem. All the sewer lines were open and clean. He decided to run his tool through the commode and it wouldn't go. When he took it back out it had white bristles in it. He removed the commode and could see the head of the brush in it but was unable to get it out. I called the roofer and he refused to pay the $500 the plumber cost me. Here are pics of wall and roofing in progress.
arkiegrandma
9 years agoNext I had the electrician come in to replace some faulty outlets and lights. When they went to put new exhaust fan light combo in one room, they took a hammer to the plaster and lathing. After the first blow, I told them to quit but they continued later after I was gone.
arkiegrandma
9 years agoMy contractor who called himself a 'renovation specialist' and originally was to to all the inside work came back and ask would I let him work. I told him he could do the drywall work and the windows. He agreed to do it by the hour and I pay him weekly. He did a great job on installing and finishing the new drywall and on patching most of the small repair spots, but then one day put primer paint on a lot of the walls without cleaning them. The graffiti bled through. Another day when I was not there he put oil based primmer on the windows without cleaning up the peeling paint. I was angry and confronted him. He said he had to do that to see what needed to be done. When I told him to go back and clean up the peeling paint he had his workers take sandpaper and sand the top edges of the ridges off to make it a smooth slope intead of the ridges that were originally there. Also he caulked around all the facings. I told him this was not what I wanted. He was suppose to repair and re-attach the weights. He said he would do that from the outside. That was a Friday evening when I was paying him. I called him that evening to tell him to not do anymore work until I figured out what to do about the window situation. He didn't answer and I left a voice mail. Meanwhile on Sunday a contractor phoned and wanted work. I hired him. and since didn't hear back from goof up by Monday I text him to come get his tools. New guy didn't work out. He phoned me because he had car trouble and when I went to hang up I heard him still talking. Apparently he was talking to his wife and told here how he planned to make this job of cleaning and repairing the windows last six months or until my money ran out. I wondered why it had took him 4 days and he hadn't even done one window. Because he screemed at his wife so much I was afraid of him, so I had my son show up and fire him when he came back. pics are sheetrock work.
arkiegrandma
9 years agoA contractor who looked at my house said he thought this light fixture would look better in my dining room than the one that is there. He had taken it out of an old house he tore down and he gave it to me. If I use it am going to have to figure out what kind of globes to get to hide the bulb sockets.
PROMasterworks Window Fashions & Design, LLC
9 years agoarkiegrandma thanked Masterworks Window Fashions & Design, LLCarkiegrandma
9 years agoI have taken to heart all your advice and suggestions. I found a contractor who had good references and I let them do some sample work to see what they can do. I got a contract in detail and in writing. Also there is not any hourly pay but a set price. I hired them and they are bending over backwards, so to speak, to get it done to my specification. They have worked several days now and I am very pleased. Pics are of one working on windows from outside and the other from the inside. :-) Today they are working on the doors. Sustainable Dwellings, I did make a detailed list of tasks but prior contractors just would not follow it. Will attach if I can figure out how. It is in Microsoft Office Excel. Nope! can not figure out how to do it.
Thanks to all, Margaret
arkiegrandma
9 years agoLong time since I have updated. I had to fire the contractor that was moving along fast because despite my instructions, he kept screwing up things. Hired another and overheard him tell his wife that if they played it right they could make the work last until they used up all my money. Fired him too!
Hired a handyman service and they are doing fantastic. They are really paying attention to detail and continue to do so despite the fact that they underbid the job because it is taking four times as long as they expected. They are taking the paint off the window sashes, facings and doors and facings...all the way down to the wood and priming it.
My fridge is to be delivered next week and they stopped working on the windows and put my tile down. Will include a pic. After the old tile was removed they cut a hole in the floor to move the icemaker water line. It was six inches from the wall. I, yes I mean I myself, moved it and installed it in an adjacent wall with a box to get the cut off valve out of the way. The plumber wanted $385. I bought $64 worth of parts and with the tile setter helping me tighten two nuts, I finished the job in an hour.
I found that one corner of the living room and one wall of the dining room had problems. The cement behind the plaster had deteriated to crumbles. Got that fixed! Now need to figure out how to match the plaster finish over the patch to the rest of the room. I found a closet door with a mirror at the local Habitat for Humanity Restore and it matches all the other closet doors.
arkiegrandma
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