"Coffee" Break

Staircase Window

The exterior layout of this Lake Forest IL. Georgian determined the Placement of this double hung window. I do not think the original owners were concerned about the safety of the house staff.

Arch top windows

These windows never yet looked right on this Highland Park, IL. home we inspected for the new owners. It turned out the previous owner was "GCing" the last remodel and reused the old rear patio doors as fixed windows in his new space over the garage. The stone jack arch is laid up against the glass and applied trim. The stone and windows or doors were removed, flashed properly, and the stone was laid.

Shower floor Drain?

Here is a shower floor that we inspected for a client. The tile that was laid looked beautiful, but the drain was a 1 1/2" PVC pipe that was caulked to the stone tile. We removed the entire shower and installed a proper drain assembly and shower pan.

Architectural research

I could tell you that I am trying understand the early agricultural influences to traditional design, but this is strictly a stress therapy that i enjoy. Tom

Ice Dams

This shows that the ice damming on the roof is making the water leak into the soffit and and through the wall. The icicles are coming out from behind the the shingles

The ice damming in this situation is created by insufficient insulation and venting in the attic and with no ice & water shield on the roof edge there was no barrier to keep the water out of the home.

Interior Door Hardware

This knob and backplate was fabricated by Wilmette Hardware. All the original interior hardware was missing for this project. The lockboxes were ordered to match the existing mortise in the doors. We fitted and installed all the door and window hardware in this home.

Hand Scraped Mahogany Door

I made this exterior door for a clients three seasons room. It is solid mahogany with the interior side of the door getting a heavy hand scraping. The tenons were pegged with walnut dowels and finished with three coats of spar varnish.

my first blog entry | i am online

Here is a photo of a dummy pair of doors that were installed with custom finish hardware.

In the coming weeks and months I hope to provide project detail photos for projects that I am working on here in Chicago's North Shore.

Thanks for checking out my blog!

Inset Book Shelves

This is one of two bookcases I made flanking an archway into the dining room. The arch on top follows the same 2:1 ratio used on the plastered archway and is continued on the front of each shelf.

The shelves are adjustable by a version of a sawtooth support or standards. Instead of the shelve cleats using a 45 degree point I cut them with a radius (I saw this in a butlers pantry we removed in a Lake Forest home) The shelve is rabbited onto the cleat and gives this unit a timeless and elegant look.

Window Sash Horn

Here is a classic example of a window sash horn on top of a double hung lower sash. This ogee sash horn adds to the window but it was a functional detail. The horn is also a stop so the lower sash when raised keep the sash lock from indenting the sash stop above. Chow

Curved Stair Treads

This set of curved treads and risers lead you up to the main foyer in this north shore home.

The stairs themselves are very comfortable going up and down and gives the lower entrance area enough space to make it feel larger without taking away from the foyer.