Finishing, not finished. Yet. But soon. I hope! The icehouse main floor and staircase are slinking slowly toward completion. Sashaying? No. Sauntering. Slowly sauntering. But at last I can say that we’re finishing the floor and the staircase in Rosslyn’s icehouse.
Finishing Floor (Photo: Geo Davis)
We’ve been using Safecoat® Polyureseal BP to seal our hardwood floors for about twenty years. It’s an almost zero VOC alternative to conventional polyurethanes, and it performs really well. For the mixed species, ash and elm, variable with flooring we’re applying six coats with light, fine grit sanding in between coats. We’re not done yet, but the photo above captures the unique character of this homegrown, stump-to-floor hardwood, revealed and enhanced in no small part by the Polyureseal BP. Tony has been responsible for sealing all of the floors in the icehouse including the downstairs ash and elm, and the upstairs beach. Thanks, Tony. Almost done!
Near the top edge of the photograph above, you can catch a glimpse of the last section of the staircase to be completed. Let’s take a closer look.
Finishing Staircase (Photo: Geo Davis)
Supi has recently finished installing the T&G nickel gap paneling. Glen has been following with the paint brush. And Peter is working on the trims, cabinet doors (left), and the bookshelf (right). Home stretch! Well, except for the railings and balusters…Back on February 14, 2023 I was assured by a cabinetry carpenter named Bernie that tackling the banister (+/-2 weeks) and staircase railings would be “a piece of pie”. Unfortunately it’s proven to be a very slooow pie preparation. Hopefully we’ll see the cabinets and railing soon.
For such a nanoscopic space, it’s a little uncanny how much complex finish carpentry and how much cabinetry have been part of this final stretch in the icehouse rehab. Actually… it’s precisely *BECAUSE* of the nanoscopic proportions that we’ve emphasized builtins and detailed finish work. And degree-by-degree we’re measuring progress toward completion. Even the cabinetry in icehouse loft is beginning to take shape.
An endoskeleton for the soon-to-be loft shelving has begun to take shape. Shop-built carcasses fabricated by Bernie Liberty have been delivered and installation has begun. Lining the north and south knee walls, these reading repositories will soon be lined with bound words… (Source: Loft Shelving)
Cabinetry in Icehouse Loft (Photo: R.P. Murphy)
I accompanied my April 25, 2023 update with a haiku — a loft shelving haiku, of course, — brimming with bookish confidence. Bookshelf confidence, at least. I acknowledged my exuberance at the time.
A little forward leaning, I suppose. Aspirational. Projecting, courtesy of my imagination, a few weeks forward… (Source: Loft Shelving)
A few weeks forward?!?!
“Piece of pie,” the carpenter responded in January when we discussed the icehouse loft cabinetry. He estimated “a couple of weeks” to fabricate and install the cabinets. My optimistic update (referenced above) was posted three months later when some carcasses had been delivered, and the first units were installed. Hhhmmm… Almost two months after that the face frame is joining the ensemble. Hurrah!
Cabinetry in Icehouse Loft (Photo: R.P. Murphy)
I frequently remind Carley that anticipation is half the pleasure. She remains unconvinced, but lately I’ve been reminding myself that this isn’t just a patience mantra. There’s more than a kernel of truth in it. An aphoristic cousin to “distance makes the heart grow fonder”, perhaps?
However we account for it, I’m relieved and more than a little thrilled to see my loft cabinetry coming together. Since this space will be my study, the lofty locus of my productivity, I have a vested interest in the timely and reliable execution of this builtin storage. A tidy workspace is a productive workspace! Heck, I’m overflowing with aphorisms today. And even an autogamous poem…
Study & Studio Haiku
Lo lofty locus, penning’s, typing’s, doodling’s manufactory.
Speaking of anticipation, years of hope and expectation have fertilized the vision for my study-studio in the icehouse loft. A picture perfect panacea! And yet, I recognize the zealous overreach, understand that degrees of recalibration may be necessary. Soon.
Loft Cabinetry
With luck I’ll follow this post soon with a celebratory bookend to this project. Perhaps “a couple of weeks” will have extended into a couple of seasons, but I’ll be able to migrate my books and files and fountain pens and miscellaneous mementos into their new shelves and cabinets. I’ll be able to position my desk beneath the east side gable window and occupy the chair with a view for productive mornings in my loft. Ah, Elysium.
My mind meanders, doubling back on an exchange with Pam this past winter.
Geo: Builtins will combine open shelving (note dimension changes per our meeting) and cabinet doors (paint grade shaker style with flat panel and no panel molding) concealing deep cabinet storage. Please review plans and help me determine whether or not we can/should fabricate in-house or subcontract to a cabinetry shop. (Note: I’m hoping to evaluate whether or not our team is well suited to undertaking this mostly shop-work carpentry, and whether or not it is the most pragmatic use of our resources.
Pam: Builtins have been snapped out. I have a cabinet maker stopping in tomorrow to see the scope of work and discuss his availability.
Willing forward motion — cabinetry installation, final painting, hardware, and… migrating from the house to the icehouse — in the coming days.
An endoskeleton for the soon-to-be loft shelving has begun to take shape.
Loft Shelving (Photo: R.P. Murphy)
Shop-built carcasses fabricated by Bernie Liberty have been delivered and installation has begun. Lining the north and south knee walls, these reading repositories will soon be lined with bound words. One further step toward completion of my icehouse loft study.
Loft Shelving Haiku
Book bound words in a reading repository, icehouse loft shelving.
A little forward leaning, I suppose. Aspirational. Projecting, courtesy of my imagination, a few weeks forward…
