Bookcase experiment - the after

You may recall my previous post on the planning process and before picture. Thanks to the great work of our friend and contractor, John DiDomenico, the bookcase looks awesome!

This bookcase is in our MCM ranch where we live -- up the hill from our Eichler neighborhood.

I happen to love the bookcase both ways -- with and without the color panels -- and think the flexible system is perfect for our needs. We can change them out or repaint them as we wish. We put a number on each panel so we know where it belongs in the sequence.

Right now we're enjoying this playful punch of color!

Bookcase experiment - the before

You'd think we would have had our fill of home improvement stuff after preparing our home for the Sacramento Mid-Century Modern Home Tour. But we have lots of Big Ideas and it's time to get back to work.

Our palette - colors chosen from George Nelson's Sunburst clock

When we designed and installed the bookcase, it was always our intention to paint the various shelves and their backings different colors. We simply never got around to it. That's a good thing as I'm not sure we would have picked the same palette.

Our bookcase sans paint - picture by John DiDomenico

Now that we are ready, we also want a system that will be flexible to changes over time -- something that would allow us to return the bookcase to neutral or switch out colors later on. We decided on painting wood panels and slipping them into place. Our friend and contractor John DiDomenico is helping us out with this.

Applying where we want the colors to John DiDomenico's excellent color layout

designed to avoid the same colors touching each other

The panels, primed and ready for color

I'll let you know how it turns out!

Day is done where people are looking for a cozy place to relax and recharge

Just heard from local designer and friend Curtis Popp that our bed/bath remodel (he designed the space and cabinetry, we added the stuff) is in Interni and Decor, a Korean design magazine. An article is posted for subscribers but a glimpse of it can be seen under the section "Theme" in the pull down menu. Our remodel is the first item. Trying to get our hands on a hard copy; in the meantime, a screen shot:

My brother, Nick, kindly went to work using an online translation tool --

"We also express out to be a means of warm family space, and residential design (2010.5)

Day is done where people are looking for a cozy place to relax and recharge is necessary for, and have come up with a warm feeling like home and for someone that I do possess the first goal and as a means to financial technology. However, as the house itself, with space to another important meaning of thi ..."

 Sounds good to me!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Part III

Even though we're not quite done, we celebrated our master bed/bath remodel at the wacky ranch last night. It feels great! Especially when I look at the "before" and "during" pix :)

Credits:
Interior architecture/custom cabinet design - Curtis Popp
Project construction - John DiDomenico Construction
Walnut paneling on cabinets and doors - Grass Cabinetry
Metal cabinet fabrication - Fusion Cor
Illumination - Sean Rollins, Lumens Light + Living
Interior/decor - us.

Going Green

I recently ran across and am amazed by Showcase for a Green Eichler Remodel. This blog outlines a family's vision, plan, and actions taken to remodel their entire Eichler Home in Monte Sereno using the latest green building innovations and techniques.

Owners Bryan and Jo-Anne Mekechuk purchased their 1969 Claude Oakland designed Eichler home from the original owners' estate in 1997 and have been living in it since. On re-evaluating their living space needs as their family has grown, they decided to remodel the main floor and build a second lower level underground!

Per their website:

"Unfortunately, Eichler houses consume an immense amount of resources (i.e., energy and water). Importantly, we want to have an environmentally friendly house that will have a minimal adverse impact on our environment.

Our design objectives for the project are to:

(1) increase comfort levels (e.g., cooler in the summer, warmer in the winter, and quieter throughout);

(2) simplify cleaning and maintenance requirements; and

(3) lower ongoing operating costs.

.... Our building objectives include:

(1) using innovative building materials (e.g., hollow core concrete panels);

(2) using innovative building practices; (e.g., building as much of the structure off-site and only assembling the components on-site; and

(3) managing the costs of construction.

Hats off to the Mekechuks -- they are a real inspiration!

Here are some resources that I have personally used locally for greening-up our 1961 MCM ranch:

Castle Window Covers - magnetized window covers that go on the inside of your existing windows and provide extra insulation for a fraction of the cost for replacement.

Our ranch has single pane aluminum and jalousie (Florida slat style) windows. You can imagine how poor they were at keeping out the weather, bugs and noise as a result. One of the first things we did at the house was to cover most of our windows with magnetized plastic covers from Castle Window Covers.


Green Fiber Insulation - During our recent master suite remodel, we had an opportunity to insulate some walls decided to further insulate our attic with an environmentally friendly mulch. It also is fire retardant and dampens noise really well. Green Fiber claims their product:

* Delivers high-efficiency thermal insulation and effective R-value.
* Offers permanent and proven fire resistance for the life of the structure.
* Reduces nuisance noise when used in walls.
* Offers a more comfortable living space.
* Is made from 85% recycled paper fiber.
* Supports energy conservation programs focused on environmental responsibility.

Click on the picture above to see more pictures of how it was installed in our remodel.

The Eichler Network also has a list of preferred service companies that you may contact with further questions on how to make your home more comfortable and energy-efficient.

Feel free to add any other products or services you have personally used to "go green" at your home in the comments section below.

The Flat Top

I don't know what it was about the 1950's that predisposed houses and hairstyles to be flat, but I did make an awesome discovery regarding our roof!

I revisited the plans left behind by the former owners. According to the plans drawn by Caywood and Associates back in 1979, extraordinary measures were taken to improve the roof, including a layer of foam insulation.


As most Eichler owners are aware, the roof can be a real challenge to maintain. At least two different installation companies in the Bay Area specialize in foam roofing for flat top and low slope roofs.


We are currently in the process of getting a two year certification for our roof and I will be sharing these extensive roof remodel plans from 1979 with our roofer.

Sacramento Eichler remodel featured in Inside the City, December 2008 issue

Here is an example of an Eichler in our neighborhood that was recently gutted and remodeled.


The couple did not know of the home's Eichler heritage when they purchased it. They were living in another modern home and wanted to downsize. Per the article:

"They gutted the house down to the original wood walls and followed a methodical plan that incorporated equal parts of practicality and philosophy. During the process, they discovered the original quality construction. The wood walls were perfect—just like the day they were put up... The pair wrote blessings, sayings and prayers on 4-by-6 cards, which they tacked to the 2-by-4s before the new Sheetrock went up."

You can read the entire article (pages 18, 21, and 23) of Inside the City, December 2008 issue here (pdf format - download "City_Dec_08 Web.pdf")

House frontage

We found some plans of work done on the house over the years by the previous owners. They took great effort to maintain the original Eichler style and essence.

Here is an example from 1962 when the garage was transformed into a rumpus room:

Front elevation before renovation:
Front elevation after renovation:The garage was moved to the left of the original, which increased the square footage of the home from 1582 sq. ft. to over 2000 sq. ft. Because the renovation was completed in 1962 with similar building materials from that era (including Arcadia sliding glass doors), the renovation seems to suit our Eichler quite well.

I personally find the remodel innovative, pleasing and useful. Buildings do change over time according to the needs of their occupants. For more on this concept, read "How Buildings Learn: What Happens After They're Built" by Stewart Brand.

This 1962 renovation was designed by Grant D. Caywood, a respected Sacramento architect. Per his recent obituary this August in the Sacramento Bee:

"In 1953, Mr. Caywood opened a Sacramento architectural firm that grew to five partners. He worked on many residential and public projects, including California State University, Sacramento; the Sacramento Zoo, and Sacramento International Airport. He retired in 1986 and was an emeritus member of the American Institute of Architects." http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/1188432.html

Mr. Caywood also built his personal (and lovely) mid-century home in the same neighborhood as ours.