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.
When installed, the joint creates a small (usually 1/4 inch or less) gap between the individual wood planks.
Here is a before picture.
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.
Shiplap finished to window casingCloser view of the installed shiplap with the cased windows
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…
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
This Jack and Jill bathroom needed some updating as it was mostly original from 1959. The homeowners wanted a classic style bathroom remodel. As with all projects, deconstruction had to come first. The bathroom was stripped down to the studs and the ceiling joists. This process was messy, and all of the old plaster and tile had to go out the small window.
Demolition is very messy work!This bathroom was very dated and the tub was scratched and chipped.
Out with the old
One of the requested upgrades was the removal of the outward swinging doors that were taking up too much wall space in each of the adjoining bedrooms.
New pocket doors were installed, followed by new drywall on the ceiling and the walls.
In with the new
The shower surround has a niche for shampoo and soap, finished with metal tile trim.
The new bath/shower with subway tile surround.
The vanity was a pre-built piece that had to be placed before the door trim was put into place. The vanity was trimmed out with wood at the same time that the base and crown moldings were installed. The new pocket doors were put into place, and this bathroom was finished!
Finished vanity with marble top, crown molding, new light, and new doors
The floor was installed with minimum grout lines (laid out without spacers) for the cleanest look possible.
For those of you that want to learn how to cut crown molding with coped corners (I think the best way to do it), check out this video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3MT9iVtiOEY
This kitchen had last been updated several decades ago, and even then it did not address some of the huge issues that were limiting it’s potential. It was a small, galley style with a drop down ceiling and dated tile.
The homeowners wanted an open concept kitchen and great room, so this kitchen wall that housed the sink and ovens had to go. The sliding door at the far end had to come out too as this was to become the window over the new farmhouse style sink.
The layout was done to maximize the open site lines required for open concept, and also to provide enough storage for a functional kitchen.
New cabinet frames built in place. Just waiting on the cabinet and door fronts.
The new custom cabinets were built in place. The only thing left was to wait for the cabinet and door fronts to arrive to finish installation.
The range hood was installed and the granite countertops were laid to finish the kitchen.