Sunday, August 12, 2018

Stone, Doors & Windows

Another weekend where a lot got done but not so many pictures of it.  I think I took ten pictures the whole weekend and some of them are duplicates.

To be fair my hands were pretty messy, between paint, grout and spackle.

So I started by painting the stone.  Of course this I forgot to take a picture of.  But while it was drying I made a couple attempts to age the stone floor.  I did one layer of paint, water and white glue.  The glue was so it would stick since I'd coated the stones with poly and if I sanded them I might go through the paint on the stone.

Here's the first layer.  Not bad.  But still a little light in some places.


Here's my second time around.


I think its a bit better.  It looks a lot darker in person than it does in the picture.

Because of how white the stucco grout looked I decided to use mortar for the outside bricks.


I like how it looks actually.  A bit darker, but it makes sense for the outside I think.  I tried the windows out in the wall but I'm not completely happy with the contrast of the wood and brick around the windows.


With the dark wood the brick/stone around the windows just blends into everything else.  So I got some paint and darkened it, then got a bit of spackle, mixed it with a touch of the mortar and added that to the top.


Between the slightly lighter grout and the darker 'stone' it pops a little more.


I like the look, though a slightly darker wash over the 'spackle grout' might be called for.  I think I'm going to leave it for a bit to see how I like it though.

I did a bit of work on the front door.  It's not easy to see, but I added a little bit of dark green to the 'leaves' of the tree and a slight touch of blue to the center that looks like a dragon head to me.  It probably won't show in the pictures but I know its there and it makes me happy.

I added 'strap' hinges and got the door installed in the frame.  But one of the hinges broke when I left the glue overnight.  I've ordered another set so I can replace the broken one and maybe add another to the middle for added support.



I need to spackle a bit over the joins of the walls inside around the bay window and the door alcove.  And I'm starting to measure for the beams and underside of the ceiling.  I need to make sure the upper floor will fit perfectly before I start to add the beams.  I do not want to get the ceiling all done and pretty and have to hack away at it in order to make the second floor fit.

And I'm checking the fit of my panels for the bedroom.  That line above them on the back wall is where I need to make a wall for behind the fireplace.  It'll be pretty thin and go all the way to the ceiling but all I need is the illusion of the wall.  The panels also go halfway over the door to the tower so I'll need to work on that too.



All the wood on the walls will have to be much lighter than the bedroom furniture or the ceiling beams or else the whole thing will look so dark we won't get to see much of anything.

I need to age the fireplace some too.  That'll wait until I get the wall built.  More things to add to the list.

The other thing I want to figure out is how much of the roof I want to make removable.  I'm not sure.  The roof beams will need to stay mostly in place or there won't be any sort of support.  Though I could use the magnets in the beams to help hold everything in place.  Really debating about all that.  I think it'll depend on how low my cross beams end up being.  Lots more thinking to do.

Hope everyone is have a good weekend.


Drill & Route out channels for lighting wires.
Finish shutters & interior trim for all windows on main cottage. 
Build Fireplaces & chimneys
Cut bricks and stone for outside of lower walls and tower.
(Test Magic Brik) - in progress
Add brick/stone to fireplaces.
Age fireplaces.
Bedroom mantle.
Plaster upper walls and third floor of tower.
Add timber to upper walls and third floor of tower. (testing)
Paint stone.
Add grout to stone and brick.
Ceiling beams on first floor.
Ceiling beams and roof support for lofted ceiling on second floor.
Ceiling beams and roof support for the tower.
Build furniture:
          Make sink
          Make curved table for tower room
          Make loom
          Adjust tables for lab
          Make stool
          Make telescope 1/2 done
          Make orrey 1/4 done
          Make tapestry
          Make rush mats
          Make bedding
          Make books & scrolls
          Make paper pottery
Furniture in place finalize lights.
          Make sconces
          Make candelabras
                 Standing Candelabra
                 2 small Candelabras
Add flooring
Plaster inside walls
Inside window trim & shutters
Build base for house.
Create 'slate' roof
Create front garden
          Make tree?
          Make stream?
          Make lake/river to go alongside house
          Make stone wall to go around garden
          Iron front gate. 

20 comments:

  1. The floor and walls are looking great! The hinges on the door are great as well, but indeed it may be better to put one in the middle as well to avoid breaking. Keep going, it's all looking so good! I think the Wicked Queen will be so happy to live here :-).

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    1. Thanks! I've got more hinges ordered so I'll get going on that when they arrive.

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  2. The stone looks very realistic now Sheila. Much older and more natural. I am not so sure what you are talking about with beams and crossbeams, but if they are to make a grid for supporting the second floor, could you glue them all together and make the whole grid removable? The ends of each beam could sit in a rebated notch in the main structure. Anyway, you have probably already thought of that! Haha! Hope the upcoming week is a good one. Xx

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    1. The second floor of a traditional tudor overhangs the first and is supported by beams that cross the house and protrude on either side. The upper floor is laid across the beams. In order to get that look I need to measure the beams for the inside of the house. I want to glue them to the second floor underside and then glue the whole second floor in place. So I need to make sure everything fits as precisely as possible before I start cutting my beams.

      I'm trying to avoid cutting anymore MDF as it's so dust and breaks so easily. If it was a real house that's close to what would actually happen only with a top plate beam for the cross beams to rest on.

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    2. Ahhh Ok. Gotcha! I thought you wanted them removable. I am tired....

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    3. No, I'm making the side wall with the windows removable which is why I need to think carefully about the attic supports.

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  3. I really, really like the stone floor! It looks like you laid each one from real pebbles! I think the mortar looks like the right choice, too - the contrast is fabulous, and darkening the window frame stones really did make them pop! The hinges really bring out the richness of the door stain, and send you right back in time. Great progress Sheila!

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    1. Thank you! I'm really glad it turned out as well as it did. I wish the bottom hinge hadn't broken but with another set to replace the one I can add a third in the middle.

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  4. It's always a pleasure to see what you have achieved. What a great progress!
    The stones look so natural and the floor is fabulous. The wooden panels too, look fabulous.
    Hugs, Drora

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    1. Thank you! I'm hoping it'll progress more quickly from this point.

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  5. Hi Sheila, I just about squealed when I saw the door in this post! I've spent the night catching up on what everyone has been up to and I'm so excited to see all your progress. I love the stain you picked for the door, and the hardware! I think painting the dragons head in that subtle way was really perfect.

    Overall I've just been amazed at reading all about the stone floor and walls. I just cannot get over the way the stone looks on the exterior with the wood trim. So fantastic. I can really envision the stream running along side the cottage and how fun it will be to accessorize. The panelling is going to be gorgeous in the bedroom with the stone. It's such a nice contrast and yet doesn't seem to be all dark because of the light stone colour.

    You are just knocking things off that list, despite all those life curve balls! I hope your husband is feeling better. And I was wondering if your building inspector ever tries to sit inside the cottage? It's kind of like a box... :) I'm sure you have to be careful!

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    1. I was so excited to finally get the door in place! I really wanted to make sure I got it right you know?

      I really want this to be special. I've got a good clear vision of how I want things to look and so far I've been pretty happy with how it's been turning out. I've ordered some more stain so I can have a bit more variation with all the woods.

      Thankfully the weekends have still been mine, so I've been able to get things done. So far she hasn't tried to sit inside the house yet. At least not that I've seen. I should put up webcams to see what the cats do when I'm not around.

      I can't wait to see what you've been up to!

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  6. What you did is again absolutely wonderful! The stone floor looks so great.
    And I love the windows!

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    1. Thank you! I'm hoping to make more progress this weekend!

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  7. Hi Sheila! I am always amazed (not really in a good way) at how long it takes to "age" the new construction! It is all so relative.... until you see the parts together, with the amount of light that will be there, you can't tell if you are overdoing it or being too cautious. I always err on the side of caution at first... because it is usually not possible to undo the "aging" once it is done! I think you are proceeding at just the right pace; test and wait for it to dry, reassemble and stand back to look.... over and over again! But so far the progress is looking very good and every step counts! I could never ever get through a build with a deadline.... I think you are doing a fantastic job! :)

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    1. Thanks! I've found waiting and living with something for a bit is best because it's so hard to go back and make something look new after it's been aged.

      If I don't have a deadline I'd never get anything done. I need that motivation to keep me going.

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  8. EXCELLENT stonework Sheila and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the way it works with the dark woods.
    Your cottage is really is taking on a special character and a personality with each new thing you do, and although laying stone and aging,is time consuming and labor intensive, when I look at your FAB results, I can easily see that your effort has been TOTALLY Worth It!

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    1. Thank you! Working on the lower level interior a bit today and with luck I'll get a bit of it actually assembled.

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  9. Your stone walls are looking absolutely stunning!

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    1. Thanks! I really wanted them to look older than the rest of the house.

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