Ceramics

The use of natural materials in this house includes ceramic tile.  Well, I know, ceramic in the form in which we use them for tile are not completely natural.  They are man-made products but are made from natural minerals, fire-clay and silica sand.  There is nothing more beautiful then the work of a craftsman and the gentleman who did our tile is certainly one.  We had decided from the beginning of our house design that it would handicap accessible.  All of the first floor rooms will be reachable by a wheelchair.  Our bathroom shower was no exception.  We decided to build an open shower that would easy to access and here are shots of the process of building and tiling that area.  I had read an article in Fine Homebuilding magazine about a similar project and I consulted with Steve Prescott at Webb Flooring and he and the tile setter made it happen.

Woodchucking

There is something captivating about wood.  The look, feel, smell, all capture a feeling of earthiness that I hoped one would get from our house.  I intended from the beginning to have lots of wood, both inside and out.  Sure, wood is more expensive than other materials and requires more upkeep but I consider it all worth the pleasure of being surrounded by it.  I have always had a passion for woodworking, though I fall way down the order when compared to so many other craftsmen who work with it.  It is a pastime that requires much time and effort to master.  I have a brother that I would put in the category of a true craftsman.  He does beautiful work and it seems to come naturally.

As I have already shown from some of the outside shots of our house, there is a lot of wood siding, cypress and cedar.

Almost a month ago, I embarked on the project of building cabinets.  I had acquired materials and begun the process working in my shop I put together at our business' warehouse.  Having never built a set of cabinets before, I had little clue how involved this would be.  I certainly have a keen respect for those craftsmen who do this for a living for this HARD work.  I suppose the difficulty, in my case, is heightened by the fact that I am learning as I have had to redo some things that were not done to a high enough standard.  By the time I was ready to finish and install these cabinets I had the floor covered with more boxes than you can imagine and have hauled off probably a ton of oak shavings.

An overflowing "dust" collector after planing a bunch of oak

Just this past weekend, I installed most of the cabinets and I am presently putting finishing touches on them (Wow, there are a LOT of finishing touches to be done).  One of the skills I hoped to attain was th use of hand planes for trimming and finishing.  I had bought a few used planes that needed desperately to be sharpened.  My brother, Mark, spent many hours sharpening four hand planes and they work wonderfully. 

After leveling and fastening the bases first, the cabinets were installed next.  The hanging cabinet in the last picture was a challenge because it took some creative bracing in order to safely get it to hang in place.