Front Porch Tesselations

We have worked on framing the porch and here is the ceiling looking up from the first floor tile porch.

Ron and Paul are working out the electrical needs of the porch.  Gotta keep those holiday lights in mind!

Bruce is working above the ceiling on the new balcony floor.  Ice and water shields protect the new roof sheathing in preparation for the copper and roof tile installations.

Ed is working on the amazing built-in gutters.  It is a travesty no one will see them from the first floor...

While Ed is making a copper delivery he asked would we like "tesselations in the copper where you can see them ? " Like tesselations?"  I exclaimed, "Do we ever!"

From Wikipedia: Tessellation is the process of creating a two-dimensional plane using the repetition of a geometric shape with no overlaps and no gaps. Generalizations to higher dimensions are also possible. Tessellations frequently appeared in the art ofM. C. Escher, who was inspired by studying the Moorish use of symmetry in the Alhambra tiles during a visit in 1922. Tessellations are seen throughout art history, from ancient architecture to modern art. In Latin, tessella is a small cubical piece of clay, stone or glass used to make mosaics.^[1] The word "tessella" means "small square" (from "tessera", square, which in its turn is from the Greek word for "four"). It corresponds with the everyday term tiling which refers to applications of tessellations, often made of glazed clay.

There aren't many roofers that know nuances like tesselations but Ed is no ordinary roofer and we are no ordinary general contractor.  As we are big Escher and Alhambra fans, we are also big tesselation fans and so together we embark on Ed's signature balcony....

"Let's do diamonds Ed! echoing the Schwarzchild overmantels and coffered ceilings!"

                                                                    Buenisimo!!!!!!

OohLaLa with the Exterior Paint Colors!

This is what we are starting with- The windows are coming out and they will be completely rebuilt or remade entirely with the same profile if they are too far gone. (The window construction will be a separate post.)  Once the lead paint is responsibly removed, you can see the beautiful quality heart pine.  The first step to painting is a terrific primer.

Here's Martie...

Then paint color experimentation starts.  We need to stay with the Duron Paint Preservation Palette as to color but we can use whatever type of paints we want as long as they are tinted the Duron colors.  Look closely, there are a number of potential colors on the new balcony fascade.

The color below was too golden and even though the brick hadn't been cleaned yet, it was apparent the hue wasn't "just right"...

This color was making us think of Grey Poupon and not in a good way...

This was "just right".  We decided to go two-tone with colors that coordinate with the brick, the roof and the stone and we have the lighter color as an accent and underneath the soffits to bring as much light in as possible.  Wait until you see how it looks with the selection of tile that we have coming too! Magnifique!

The sashes are black, a construction finish eye-liner of sorts, making the windows pop!  They will really look great with cream draperies behind them.

Ooh LaLa!

CSI Monument (Construction Scene Investigation)

This is the old porch and we can deduce that there might have been a coffered ceiling at one time although the original specifications from the Library of Virginia don't address it.  The top layer of trim at the front entryway is actually stone rather than wood and there are some indentations that look like locations where coffered trim was attached.  It is a little bit of a Crime Scene Investigation too as the stone was painted and can't be striped completely without damaging the stone.  The antique front door and vestibule doors were also chopped up to accomodate for the doors to open outward...oh no!

One more demolition shot and then framing...

Microlam beams were installed over the columns and pressure treated framing was used for the basis of the porch.

Plywood patterns were cut and clamped to the existing stone columns to keep them braced and in place.  Straps were used for extra support in protecting the Indiana limestone columns.

                                                                 Bruce is "on deck"-

John is the "cut" man at the lumber staging area.

Matt is verifying measurements...

With the results from the post mortem, we have a great plan to reincarnate this porch to last well into the 21st century with no fatalities...

Out with the old (and rotten) and in with the new (and well preserved)

This is the porch ceiling.  It is a simple tongue and groove construction in really bad shape.  Peeling lead paint, rotten wood...

The adjacent roof tile is in terrible shape too.  It has been a hundred years and the party is over...  It has been band-aided so many times it is amazing that any water doesn't make it inside during a rain.

Here's the balcony with gravel and asphalt and more peeling lead paint and adjacent windows that are falling apart ... 

Let the demo begin!  But we are preserving anything we can including the old glass and beautifully beveled windows.  The heart pine under all this lead paint is amazing too and we are bringing it back to life.

Up goes the scaffording.

Bruce starts the healing process.

 This is what is going on in the dining room, striping the cofferred ceiling among other things, inch by inch...It's foreshadowing as to what will happen to the porch ceiling ultimately too. Hope you are on the edge of your seat!