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He might deny it, but Brian, of LJ Allen Construction, was the one that said, "You should have a picture window on the living room wall." We had just arrived for our now daily afternoon intrusion, I mean check in, at the house. I was downstairs, having not yet scaled the ladder, when I heard Brian say it. I climbed the ladder to see the views for the first time from the subfloor decking where the living room will be. It honestly took my breath away.
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| Looking east from our planned living room |
While designing the house it was hard to picture what we'd see out a second story window about 15 feet over the slope. Quite frankly, we thought the east view would be our neighbors house. As it turns out we can see upriver across the the city, all the way to Tongue Point, over the houses to the Astoria Column, the foothills of the Coastal Range and on a clear day Mt Adams peaks it head out of the clouds. It's an incredibly interesting view that we wouldn't see unless out on the deck.
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| Original living room plan |
Back at the condo I mulled over the drawings trying see if a window on the living room wall would make sense with the rest of the interior design. The TV would have to move over. Could it still be the intended 75 inch or should it be smaller? Would the mini-split HVAC have to move as well or should it stay centered on the wall? I had to mock it up, using actual photos of the view! I think I was driving Scott crazy, but...
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| Mock up of living room with new picture window |
Yeah, it's pretty cool. And much more interesting than the corner shelves we had there. The following Monday we met with Daren and Lisa, Chadbourne+Doss Architects, on-site. I mentioned the window and they thought it was a great idea! The next task was to write an SK (field sketch, I had to ask) and see what the structural engineer required. An additional hold down on the first floor under the right edge of the window, additional strapping and voila! Window!
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| Our new window and the back deck in place! |
Other SKs currently in process:
- Changing the design of the deck stanchions, size, attachment method, etc. currently being reviewed by the structural engineer.
- We've added a wardrobe in the entry because it really is a nice size and we have room.
- And we're still messing around with the stain color for the tight knot cedar siding. The siding is approximately 70% of the house, it's a big deal! We're in the process now of mixing custom colors with the local Benjamin Moore dealer.