Brazilian Cherry

Michael and I decided that we wanted to do a wood wall in the study, so we decided to look into it.  On Saturday we decided to make a trip to Lumber Liquidators in Charlotte.  It is extremely close to the loft.  So, we went in just to look.   We walked around and were discussing how much we should spend per square foot on this project, trying to keep in mind that this was a completely unnecessary project for the completion of the condo.  We talked about different options all of them comprised of woods that were "utility" grade.  Utility grade is flooring that has major defects, knots, open knots, missing tongues, machine burns, splits in the wood and short pieces.  But, for our wood wall project we thought it would be cool to have all the variation.  And, the price of utility wood is about $0.89 per square foot.  However, you have to figure at least 15-20% in wastes.

We walked out of Lumber Liquidators with no decision on the oak utility.  Outside of the store, Lumber Liquidator had pallets of woods.  They didn't have signs on them; they were just sitting outside.  A pallet caught my eye.  I walked directly to it.  It was a beautiful unfinished dark wood.  The wood was 3" wide and all were the same length, 12".  Each bundled had 12 wood pieces.  Michael and I could not figure out what type of wood.  Michael also had a feeling that it was completely out of our price range.  I went back in the store to ask what it was and to see what the price.

The wood was Brazilian Cherry, short planks.  And, it was $1.19 a square foot.  The store had this wood for a very long time, and it had never sold.  A year ago they were selling it at $3 a square foot.  And, if we had to order more, it would be $5.50 a square foot.  No one wanted it, and they wanted to get it out of the store.  They wanted to move it.  The store paid $0.90 per square foot for the lumber and I paid $1.19.  I bought the whole pallet.  He told me that the pallet had 300 square feet on it, but looked to have much more than that.  So, all said and done, the sales manager said I got the best deal of the day by a long shot.

The moral of the story: always ask, even if you think it is out of your price range.  

Brazilian Cherry is a very hard wood.  We are going to use it in the upstairs bathroom.  We will be laying in a brick layout as shown in the picture.  The picture is two bundles layout in the bathroom.

Picture Update: Week 3

End of week three.  I'm ready for it to be done.

Next week is rough in inspection.  We are hoping this will go smoothly.

Looking from the kitchen to the den:

the new bedrooms:

Looking down the downstairs hall way to bedroom #1:

In Bedroom #1:

In bedroom #2 (upstairs):

Bedroom #2, closet and bathroom entrance:

Loft/Office:

Stairs relocated:

Lighting: Sconces

Ok blog followers, I need some help.  Because of the ceiling/floors, we are going to have to go with sconces in the hallway and the bedrooms.  The problem is I need something inexpensive but innovated.  My design choice would have been the new Kwark Wall Light (pictured to the above).  However, it is priced at $1800, which is completely absurd.  I've gotten several choices that I've sent to Michael.  If you see one at a reasonable price...below $100, and the more towards $50 the better,  please leave a comment or comment on my facebook wall.

Text from Contractor

So, this week has been crazy busy at work for me.  I have not kept up with the contractor as I normally would or should.  So, today I texted him to touch base on how everything was going.  And, he sent me this picture!  In this picture you can see that they reused the staircase, and turned it 90 degrees.  They built the landing necessary to have a laundry closet underneath.  They moved the electrical panel.  They have framed the downstairs bedroom.  And, they have moved the necessary plumbing and other utilities for the upper floors to the far wall.  The only thing left from the chase that we are moving is the cable lines.  We are in contact with the cable company to move them.

We'll post more pictures soon!

Surprise in the Mail

Today I received a package at my front door.  When I drove up, I thought, "What did I order for the loft?"  With out hesitation, I went around to the front door to see that the package was from McBee, SC.  In the package was a book, Frank Fontana's Dirty Little Secrets of Design.  My aunt, Anna Weir, sent me this book!  What a great surprise?!?  She saw it and said it had many loft style ideas and pictures, which I completely agree.  This book is full of great DIY projects.  One of which I would love to indulge, but I'm going to make it for someone.  I'll post it soon.

Thank you Anna.  The surprise made my week.  Love you!

Week 1: Pile of Debris

This past week was mainly demolition work.

Here's what happened:

• A/C unit is up and running.  Thankfully it works!
• They removed all the interior walls.  From the pictures you can tell the apartment is even more open than it was.  And there is a ton of debris.
• They prepared the floor for tile or wood flooring.
• They have made "friends" with the maintenance guy for the apartment complex.  This is great when you have a multiple unit dwellings.

Here's what we found out:

• The HVAC can be run in the crawl space.  This means we can put vents in the floor.
• The chase can be moved, but to a location different than what we were thinking.
• We need some kind of window coverings.  The windows are old and large.  The amount of heat loss/gain from the windows can be mitigated with blinds or drapery. We will be getting a quote for them soon.
• Since we are concerned with heat loss/gain, Chuck suggested to insulate the floor. 

Here's what we purchased this past week:

• Floor tile
• Returned one vanity, and replaced with a smaller one that fit the room.
• Toilet for the up stairs.
• The back splash for the kitchen.
• Chose the granite.  Will post more later, but here is a picture with the granite, back splash, and cabinet color (not style).

Lowering Energy Costs: Ceiling Fans

Michael and I are going to install ceiling fans in the den and kitchen.  Simple and modern for $64.  The only problem with this fan is the controller that is provided looks like it is from the 80's.  Pay the $12 to get an attractive fan controller.  Click the link and see pictures on amazon.

Westinghouse 7861400 Industrial 56-Inch Three-Blade Ceiling Fan with Ball Hanger Installation System, Brushed Nickel


One thing that people might overlook is the value of a ceiling fan.  Ceiling fans have the ability to circulate air throughout a living space with minimum amount of energy.  Most ceiling fans use 50-90 Watts to operate.  This particular fan uses around 60 Watts.  An air conditioning unit can use anywhere from 2000-3000 Watts. And, a window unit uses about 600-800.  While I understand what everyone is thinking.  You can't be comfortable with just a fan when it's 100 degrees outside.  I agree.  However with a fan on, it's much easier to raise the temperature on the air unit one or two degrees, saving you more than you think.  Raising your temperature by 2 degrees can save up to 10% on energy usage on A/C.

That's not your only savings.  In the wintertime reverse your fans (there is usually a switch on the fan) to keep warm air circulating down instead of letting all the heat rise through to the next unit or into the attic.  Turn the fan on low during the winter to bring that warm air from the top of the room to where you are.  In my case, a fan will be crucial during the winters with the 18' ceilings to get that warm air down.

Duke Energy, Progress Energy, Georgia Power, all lists it as one of the ways to lower an energy bill.
As Alabama Power states, Be a Fan of a Fan.