Author: Peter Summa

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Creating an Outdoor Room: A Patio Cover Transformation

This patio cover was really going to create an outdoor room. We designed it with one wall and windows to block out some of the prevailing springtime Boise winds.

I would say that we started off with building the wall, but the project actually started well before that when we moved the fireplace in the family room to make room for the 16 foot wide double sliders.

The stucco arches had to go too, but that was just a demo project.

The wall was framed.

The beam was really heavy, and the HULK with the forklift attachment really helped get the biggest one into place!

The manufactured beams turned out to be much better looking than what was planned, so we shifted the plans to leave them exposed rather than casing them in.

Framing was mostly finished.

Added outdoor speakers, fireplace, patio heater, giant sized ceiling fan and some lights.

Added the refrigerator, drawers, garbage slide out and the pellet grill. This cooking island also has natural gas run to it for pizza oven, or any other style of grill or griddle.

Finished.

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Backyard Shed Design: Function Meets Style

This shed was modeled after the main house since it was going to be somewhat prominent in the backyard.

It is 10 feet by 15, so it can actually hold a decent amount of stuff! It even has electric run to it so it has lights and outlets.

Not much to look at when we started.

Starting to take shape…

Nice to get some siding on it!

Completed the shed.

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Family Room Built In Cabinet

This large family room was beautiful before the built in, but looks even better after.

The room had shiplap on the fireplace wall, but over 16 feet of open wall that the TV was situated in front of.

Taking shape! The base cabinet is over 13 feet long! Cabinet carcass is installed, and just waiting for paint.

Only thing left to do was to install the base cabinet doors.

We think the cabinet turned out great. Spray ‘n Coat Painting did a fantastic job on the cabinet base and doors.

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Shiplap Siding with Cased Windows

Shiplap siding is a popular finish these days. It helps create some depth and texture without having to introduce a new color.

Shiplap was traditionally used for walls. It’s overlapping joints helped to keep air and water from moving through it. The “lap” from “shiplap” refers to the overlap of the joints.

shiplap side view

When installed, the joint creates a small (usually 1/4 inch or less) gap between the individual wood planks.

Here is a before picture.

Shiplap siding with three cased windows

When installed on walls that have windows, the windows must be cased first. If the windows are not cased, the shiplap will not have anything to butt against.

Cased windows and shiplap siding
Shiplap finished to window casing
shiplap with cased windows close
Closer view of the installed shiplap with the cased windows

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Dog Wash tub and cabinets

This room was home to one piece of laundry equipment. It was a dual purpose washer/dryer. The homeowner has two big dogs that are very active, and very messy! They needed a dog wash.

This was our starting point.

This was the starting point. The tile floor is in great shape.

Tile done and grouted.

The tile was finished and grouted. Then onto the paint!

The drawer fronts were sprayed while the cabinet carcass was rolled and brushed.

This is the finished product- with the cleaning supplies left on top of the washer/dryer even though there is plenty of room to store them in cabinets above, and now below. I was apparently too excited to take the final picture to remember to put these things away…

Finished product!
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Garden Shed

This garden shed had been planned for a number of years by the homeowner. Once we got the go ahead to build the shed, we were done in a little over a week.

Framing the walls took less than a day.

The shed was built to closely the match the finish of the main house that can be seen further back in the yard.

The paint really finished it off. The eaves were closed in, and the fascia was painted to match the main house.

The windows that we framed in were used ones supplied by the homeowner that had been removed from the main house during a previous remodel.

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Workbench with rollout tool chests

Workbench with rollout tool chests for extra worktop.

Garage workbench with rollout tool chests for extra worktop space.

The side of the garage had almost 15 feet of unused space, and no workbench, so this looked like a pretty obvious choice for the spot.

Framing out the workbench

The workbench was pretty easy to frame out, and the rollouts were quick too. The part that took a bit of time was adding the drawers. Each one is an individually built box. Nothing complex about it, but it does take some time!

The framing is done, now just need to build some drawers!

This workbench and drawers replaced two full height metal tool chests. The drawers have full extension hardware so that all of the space in the drawers can be utilized.

Workbench with full extension drawer hardware
Drawers all have heavyweight, full extension hardware.

The hardware can support 100 pounds each, so the middle drawers are holding the heavy power tools.

This garage needed more workspace than just that on top of the workbench. The two end workchests pull out for extra worktops.

Workbench with the slideouts removed for extra workspace

The pullouts are on heavy duty castors that have locks on all four corners. The result is a super steady workspace.

Workbench with the slideouts removed for extra workspace

The two slide outs are the exact same height so that they can be put together for a double width worktop too. This garage workbench with rollout tool chests for extra worktop space really helps complete so many other projects around the house!

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RV Garage storage loft

This RV garage has over 16 feet of height and the owner needed more storage space. This raised storage loft provides over 80 square feet of ground space, and 520 cubic feet.

We made it high enough for the exterior doors to clear easily and the homeowner still has room to put storage racks below it. They now essentially have a two story storage area.

This RV Garage storage loft is framed out with 2×8 lumber at 16″ and blocked every 4 feet so that it can hold just about any weight that the homeowner wants to put up there.

The homeowner had discussed putting in stairs on the side for access, but decided against taking away that much wall space on either side. They have a large stepladder that provides easy access and the pass through handrails give plenty of room to move the storage boxes up and down.

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Double Tray Ceiling with Crown Molding

This dining room had a tray ceiling that was painted the same color as the walls. The homeowner wanted the ceiling to really stand out, so we painted it white and installed crown molding in the tray, and base plus crown molding around the edge. The base molding went under the crown to build it up and make it look even more significant.

Dining room ceiling before crown molding
Here is the dining room before we got started.

We started by painting the ceiling (you really don’t have to cut in if you are installing crown molding all the way around). The light fixture came down too as the homeowner had one that was to be installed when everything was completed.

Painted Crown Molding
I like to paint any molding before I install it.

I cut and coped each corner as I think it gives the best fit you can get with either base or crown molding. Trying to cut crown so that it just 45 degree butts into eachother will never give you a great finish. The walls (especially where the walls meet eachother or the ceiling is never truly square). Drywall and plaster have the same problem- the corners are finished with a trowel or taping knife and are almost impossible to get perfect.

Tray ceiling crown
The crown molding in the upper tray is the same as the crown down below on the walls. The lower crown is sitting on top of upside down base molding for a more substantial look.
Crown with base underneath

Here is the finished product with both courses of crown molding done. The one around the edge also has the base molding under it. Once it is up and caulked and painted, it looks great, and really sets the ceiling apart!