My asphalt kick your asphalts....

Selecting roofing material for your home can be quite a bore. Let’s put it up there with 8th grade algebra. You know you need to pay attention (after all you could be stuck with your selection for the next 30 years!) but all this technical talk and terms is dull. The outcome (like a correct answer) is emotional. This is how I feel about my new Timberline 30(yr) Architectural shingle. I literally would like to crawl up on my roof and hug it all over! Timberline is now manufactured by GAF/ELK. This is very exciting to those in the industry because ELK produces a shingle that you would swear is not actually asphalt! An asphalt shingle is what 90% of us use to cap our home. Other choices include cedar, metal or slate but those are left for another entry. Let’s just focus (FOCUS) on the versatility that today’s asphalt shingle will provide to you! I’m having a hard time containing my enthusiasm for shingles! Ahhh!

Here is a picture of the GAF Grand Sequoia. Isn't it just piece of asphalty heaven! Look at that texture and color! Here are some benefits of this shingle:

* Has a Super Heavyweight "PLUS" design. This means this roof will last longer than your marriage and for sure your décor so you better love it! FYI- “Heavyweight” means that you will be charged more for install because it is thicker than most.
* Lifetime limited transferable Warranty. If you move the warranty goes with to the new homeowner. Not very many products will say/ do this.
* 110 mph Limited Wind Warranty. Oh! It’s comforting to know that if a tornado comes and blows away your house your shingles will stay in tack!
* Is a fiberglass asphalt shingle. You will have to ask Bob Vila to explain this to you cause it is confusing and dull. When do we look at the colors???
* Algae-Eater™ Protection. OK- you better watch out you algae bugs my asphalt is gonna kick your ….

Here is a before and after of my house. We went with the Timberline 30 year Weathered Wood. The 30 year shingle has a standard weight which is much easier to install (so I've been told) and you don't need any out of the ordinary tools. We choose Weathered Wood after we picked the general color for our exterior. See future posts about how to make you exterior work for you and your neighbors!

Not the best picture but you can see right off the bat this color had to go. YUCK! The three-tab drove me crazy and even if for some reason we wanted to keep it I'm pretty sure this color has been discontinued so our addition would not have made sense. Unless we went with a nice contrasting metal roof like I really dream and drool for.

AHH and the after. Much better. We have dimension and a nice taupy warm gray that will look great with the exterior color selection.

4" Silhouettes are here!!!!

Here are some photos of a Hunter Douglas project I just finished up. This client has a lovely Cudd home with a 2-story wall of window that face straight west! The glass does have some protection but it wasn't enough. They had only been there for two days when the Silhouettes were installed but they had mentioned it was an uncomfortable two days! Good timing on my part huh!


Here is the before....

I absolutely love the new 4 inch Silhouette! The upper windows have the platinum technology motorization which is like BUTTER! I will never use anything else. My installer did a fabulous job programing the remote and showing the client how they operate.

And the Toujours fabric is just yummy!












The linen texture really helps create some depth and character with the huge run of Silhouettes. I typically use the Originale fabric (good colors, no texture) in the Silhouettes but this job needed a little more and I think it turned out perfect!

Thanks Cudd! Keep building more of these that face West...on hills!

Cohoe's Under Construction- Fireplace

Here is the awesome after shot of our fireplace! Hubby did the cabinets and mantle himself. The design goal is mod rustic. The contrast between the Lake Tahoe River Rock and the straight lines on the mantel achieve the exact look we are going for. I can't tell you how rewarding the little piano windows are! They are situated on the south wall and the main part of the room faces east....with a hill. The room would feel cave like with out them. Small investment people....big return!

And let me tell you I love the detail on the trim. Who doesn't dig maple with a walnut accent? The is more of that to come...just you wait!!!!

Oh also big KUDOS to Uncle Mike for the stellar stone job!

Cohoe's Under Construction

I will be posting about my own fixer-upper on this blog forever. I am not exaggerating. My husband and I (boyfriend at the time) purchased an "older" home in 2003. It is not so much the house but the location. We are nested in the suburbs but in a very rural setting. Close to a huge nature preserve and one block north of a great lake and near Emma's elementry school. We are in the woods with not may accessible neighbors. There is one neighbor that we share our long driveway with but that is a story for a different day. See Bill.

One of our first projects was tearing out the wood burning brick fireplace and taking out the large chimney on the exterior. I was pregnant at the time and a wood burning fireplace was a definite 'NO'! So poor hubby was sucked right into the nesting phase with me. Good for me not for him. Here are some pictures of that nasty fireplace coming down. The two small "piano" windows were installed durning this project also.

Here is a picture from the interior:

Change of Plans

Hello! Since I have last posted I have decided to leave the "going nowhere fast" position I was in a the cabinet shop. They have kept me on as an outside sales-rep, commission only. I don't get much sales and marketing support from them but the price and product rocks and the lead times kill the competition. I am on a serious grass-roots marketing/ networking campaign for them and so far so good. I speak with contractors about their cabinets needs and most of them will hire me for the design selections or pass my name along. My days of working for myself aren't as relaxing as I had anticipated. Emma is in daycare everyday while I am working 10+ hours with clients and networking. My goal is to become more established over the next 12 months so I can keep her home with me at least one day a week. Stay tuned as I post about current project (including my own) and topics such and: "How to keep your marriage in tact while remodeling"!