Hiring A Tiler

I have found that "craigslist" is good for hiring a tiler. It's a localized, competitive field while easy to get quotes with texts. We hired Marcio Services (862 754 7615) to install the subway and floor tiles here in two days with all products and materials supplied by us. (We tiled three bathrooms ourselves before this.)

I taped & numbered floor tiles for best placement of the marble veining, prior.

It took one day to superbly install all the tiles and another to grout them for $1200.

The floor & walls were perfectly seamed to preclude baseboard trim.

Grouted & done.

Two Tall Sculptures

Two more tall sculptures, wonderful!

A new garden seat and bowls below.

A Second Bathroom I

This modern house has two similar bathrooms with wooden ceilings and double paned metal windows. Both will have the same floating high gloss white vanities and large white floor tiles, but this one will have an electric heated floor.

Leif and Bill have just laid the Ditra Floor Heating matt to be wired soon. White subway tile will be installed in the tub surround.

First a new drain pipe was installed in the cement slab here which can connect to the laundry room with a pipe run behind the tub. Access to the exit pipe was through the adjacent storage area. Lovely to have nice new pipes and sheet rocked & insulated walls before tiling!

Wired!

Visiting Dienst & Dotter

Last week I had a chance to visit "Dienst & Dotter" the unparalleled Scandinavian antique store in NOHO showcasing gems from the owner's vast collection, on the floor. 

Click on images to enlarge.

Each piece unique & spectacular.

A First Egg Hunt

 Our first son's first Easter egg hunt; 1983.

Soon his 2yr. old son visits for his first egg hunt at Christian's farm, fun!

A 1717 Living Room

 

Old Farm's living room is a 12' square built around 1717 and now furnished for maximum seating, comfort and fun in such a small space.

Adding warmth...

The adjacent kitchen wood stove heats the entire downstairs and a cord of seasoned white oak was just delivered.

All three rooms here have fireplaces.

ROCKWOOL In Interior Walls

The interior insulation and electrical outlets near Leif's new glass sliding doors, now has superior ROCKWOOL bats and new electrical switches. One switch now operates a second exterior spotlight on the back of the house highlighting his panoramic view there.

ROCKWOOL is made of volcanic stone; fire, mold & mildew resistant and has an R value of 15 here. Building inspectors highly endorse it.

The downstairs bathroom is entirely insulated with it.

Salvaged, 1" thick mahogany boards create a new baseboard below the doors.

New radiators and a regulating thermostat finish the room. Leif heats his house mostly with a Jotul F500 woodstove (heats 2,300 sq. ft. and has a second one downstairs) across the room, so these are auxiliary.

A New Hot Water Heater

A new Weil-McLain hot water heater which includes four zones.

Lovely!

Christian's heating system with 6 zones.

Tall Sculptures

Every firing of the Takaezu Studio large kiln is unique as the heat and glazes vary. Bill's recent big pieces were in a kiln corner with wonderful results; what a pair.

Beautiful bowls, two garden stones and a tall seat were also in this firing.

Bill's mentor at Princeton University has her bronzed bell near Nassau Hall.

A House With A View

Leif's house is like Old Farm with a kitchen facing North and the living room (with 24' of glass doors) faces South. Having a sunny view of his backyard, creek bed and hillside to open acres most of the day is wonderful. This week he has had all of the clouded glass replaced in the living and dining room sliding doors, which helps heat the house starting at dawn. The company we hired removed and disassembeled doors inside to replace the glass, which was an enormous savings without a lift rented. All of the doors are on the second floor of the house and opened to a projected deck which previous owners foreshortened. 

The original projected decks on this house were a feature which gave it the company name "Acorn Deck House". It has been considered the first Mid Century Modern home available after WWII. Right: New glass in dining room. 

The creek bed view borders his 3 1/2 acres.