Building a Staircase

Initial Stairway

Stairs are something we normally don't think much about.  They are tasked with the purpose of getting us from one level to another and we don't really think about them.  But building even the basic staircase can be complex.

There are a few things you need to decide before you begin the building task: where to place the staircase, the depth of the treads and the height of the riser and whether you want a straight stairway.  In this case we wanted a straight staircase; in other words no landing until the top. That being said, we allocated space for a 48" staircase on one side of the condo. You enter through a door in the garage to walk up the stairway. 

As soon as we were finished building the garage level, we needed access to the second floor and the initial access was a ladder secured to the 2 x 6 studs.  Going up and down a ladder can be hazardous,  so I was glad when construction of the temporary stairs began.

Temporary Stairs

Stringer construction

  The picture to the left begins the staircase building process. A stringer is a foundation on which the threads and risers sit. It's the first stringer and because our staircase is over 36" wide, we needed three stingers. In the older homes treads, which is the part of the stair you step on, was around 8" or 9", but after the Arts and Crafts period the depth was increased.  Our tread depth is 12" and the riser is 7" high.  The increased depth makes the stairs easier to walk on.


On the right is the completed temporary staircase. The temporary stairs were made out of plywood and various other wood around the garage.  They lasted several months but as you can see they are only one grade better than a ladder. Before we could proceed with anymore work on the upstairs, we  needed a more sturdy staircase. The staircase pictured below is the 48" wide permanent oak staircase. 


Our next big task will be installing drywall.  We protected the stairs from the constant wear that could occur when carrying drywall and other materials up the steps.  Hence, we got a rug and stapled it at various points on the steps and  we have a small rod that lays across the back of each thread.  Once the drywall is in place in the stairwell, we will replace the protective padding with a runner.  Until then though, the stairs need  to be protected.

As a K&B designer I don't usually have to calculate space required for a staircase, so I just loved the challenge of this task.  It brought back memories of my days in drafting classes.  So much fun.
     
      

In The Woodworker Shop - The Closet

Our workshop is full of wood in various stages of becoming something else. We have three projects going on simultaneously that involve shelving of some sort.

Projects work out better when you begin with a thoughtful plan that gives the client a vision of what the space will be like when completed.  While people agree with that when it comes to kitchens, bathrooms, offices they often just want to put shelves and rods randomly in the closet space. Resist the urge. Plan the closet space.

Closets are all about storage.  It helps if you know what you want to store in the closet before you start construction.  There are basically only two types: wall or reach-in closet, or a walk-in closet. Regardless which type you have in the room, think about what you want to store in it before you start any modifications. What you need to store will determine what you need to build. 

There are basic components that you will need to include:  Rods for long and/or short items,  open shelving of various heights, and some shoe space.  Think about whether or not you need drawers.  A wall closet is only 24" deep so that will be all wall but a walk-in closet could include drawers if you need them. If you have a lot of scarves than you may want a drawer, but scarves can also go on hangers with the blouse they accessorize or on open shelves or hooks.  Drawers are optional and need space for opening them.  Another issue with drawers is that they tend to be expensive compared to just shelves and rods.  Drawers need hardware - full extension glides and knobs/pulls. Our clients were right on top of their storage needs, so we just had to build, paint  and install.


The pictures on the right shows the various pieces necessary for this project. This job will be built on site. The shelves are done and the gray paint is being applied.  We spray paint our cabinets/shelves.  We have about 30 shelves with these units.

Installation day:

Wall Two

wall three

wall five

Wall four

  Lots of storage.                                                                   

A Sanctuary For the Human Spirit - Wharton Esherick Museum

Tucked away in the hillside around Paoli, Pa., The Wharton Esherick Museum is a treasure chest of  inspiring artistic masterpieces.  Wharton Esherick began his career as a artist and studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia. In was customary for artists to carve the frames for their oils so Esherick acquired a carving set and soon found himself fascinated with working with wood.  As Esherick became known for his carvings, sculptures and furniture, he became less involved with his painting career. This evolutionary process creates  a very inspirational journey when you tour this prolific artist's studio/residence that is now a museum.

The Studio began as the stone portion in 1926, the same year his last child, Peter, was born. In 1940 he constructed a two-story frame addition that included a dining room and a bedroom for Peter.  The spiral staircase pictured on the left was created to go from the dining room into the bedroom above.


Around 1965, he added the curved tower which he called the silo. Withn the silo he added a kitchen with a curved cherry countertop and a undermount copper sink with an indent for a cutting board. I found the whimsical nature of the hand carved utensils and a carved face as a pan handles an absolute delight.

As a kitchen designer there are two elements in the kitchen that really stood out.   In 2014 when I attended the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in Vegas. Mick deGiuilio was there introducing his fabulous multi-tiered undermount stainless steel sink with grooves that allow for a cutting board or a utensil tray. Designers loved it for its versatility and its functionality. And they knew it would allow working in the kitchen to be less time consuming for their clients.  I had absolutely no idea that in 1965, Wharton Esherick had designed what I would consider the prototype to that sink. I looked at that copper sink with its insert and thought 'WOW".


The second eye-catcher was the base cabinet with a light in it.
Now, the light isn't up to our standards today for cabinet lighting, but in 1965 this was not something that was being done.  One of the most pronounced design features when  I was at the EuroCucina Design Show in Milan, a few years ago, was lighting in all drawers and base cabinets in the kitchen.  So again, Wharton was ahead of his time.

There is so much more I can say about this prolific artist. The museum is filled with beauty in sculpted forms - such as the Oblivian,  unique furniture, oil paintings, and hand relief carvings.  If you would like to book a tour please contact them via their website: http://whartonesherickmuseum.org/contact.html.

If you go, enjoy the journey.

Think, Build, Live

A lively crowd attended the Garden State Woodworkers Show in Somerset, New Jersey last week.  The theme of the show was Think, Build, Live and evidence of those elements were enthusiastically displayed throughout the day. Log cylindering and sawmill equipment demonstrations held outside the convention doors created a crowd attraction before entering the woodworking world within.





Woodworkers from around the country were at the event to share tips and learn the secrets of their trade from the show exhibitors. It was  a wonderful display of creativity as well as an exceptional display of lumber and tools of the trade.  As an amateur wood carver and scroller,  I was  inspired by the workshops I attended and very much enthralled by conversations with the various vendors and other attendees. It was a great place to network with DIY trades women and men, and with other small business owners. 

As a media artist I've dabbled in artistic elements that can be created through hand carving, using a scroll saw or using a band saw. A scroll saw is necessary for intricate work.  It can create an art form such as the little animals in this picture.




A band saw is used to cut curves even in thick lumber but it can't do the intricate work, so depending on the project, both tools may be required. The small boxes in the picture on the left is an example of a piece of art created using the band saw.

I have a few projects in mind that require both of these tools so I am eager to get back to my studio.

Customized Wall Design

 

What to do with all that space around the fireplace?   There are a lot of options but it all depends on what you want to have there.  Some homeowners like the look of empty space with just a few objects such as pictures or a mirror, others, like the space filled in.  Our newest clients needed storage  in their new home for videos, cd's,  books  and some beautiful art pieces they wanted to display.  All that space around the fireplace in the living room where the TV sits offered just the right spot to fill their wishes.  This wall measures 163" with the fireplace positioned a little off centered.  We designed two bookcases that would surround the fireplace and created a mantle that would fit across the entire wall.  The mantle was the crux of the whole design and took the longest amount of time to put into place. 

 It had to fit correctly.  In order to make this happen, we first carried it into the living room and hoisted the mantle onto the wall units using the cabinet lift to place the mantle at the right level. Al then marked off  where all the cuts had to be made.  We then removed it and carried it outside for the cutting.  Then returned and placed it a second time.  As you can see by the markings on the picture on the left, there were several cuts to be made because the mantle needed to slid into the bookcases and lay flat against the fireplace.  The inserted strip of lighting only allowed you to cut so far into the wood of the mantel itself.
                      

By the end of the day we had the bookcases and mantle in place.  The crown molding will be placed on the bookcase units when we return next week to complete work in the kitchen area.  Below is a picture of the wall unit with deep full extension drawers across the bottom to align with the hearth, adjustable shelves that can be changed according to their needs with the exception of the mantle which runs the entire length of the wall.  There is  uplighting across the top of the units and inserted lighting on the underneath side of the mantle.








In The Woodworker Shop -- Closet MakeOver

Every now and then we get the chance to work on our own projects in between one's for our client's.  This week is one of those times.  And the task at hand is redesigning the closets. 

Closets drive me crazy. They accumulate clutter at an amazing rate and I hate clutter.  Every year I go through our closets and try throwing out things that we haven't worn or used within the last year.  Some things are exempt from my de-cluttering agenda though -  like Al's Navy uniform and the red fun fir that I bought with a Christmas bonus from my first real job. It's funny the attachment some things have on your heart.  Never throw out anything that you have a strong attachment to.  Let time handle it.  At some point the attachment won't be so strong.

Every closet design is different.  It all depends on the size of the closet and what you intend to store in the closet.  Sometimes you need more places for shirts/blouses or maybe you need more shelves for shoes.  Figuring out what you need is half the battle and must be done before you start tearing anything apart. The redesign of the bedroom closet has been done on paper for a few months now.  Last week Al was able to start work on the first closet and has finished his part in building the units for that one.  We have 3 other closets in the design process..

So, this morning I finished several cups of coffee and took one with me to the workshop for my part of this project: finishing work.  As you can see there are lots of parts to this little closet - the boxes, the frames, baseboard trim, shelves, face frames and the raised panel doors and drawer fronts.  I think as long as I can work at least 3 hours a day it should take me about 2 days for staining and then another one or two for the glazing process.  Let the fun begin.