Custom Rustic Stone Wall Designed by Landscape Architecture, Inc.

With respect the Desnoyer home renovation in St. Paul we are looking to put the creative touches of salvaged stone on a design feature as simple as an egress window. First of all with any window well maximizing light into the window is always critical. Thus, we want to specify a stone wall material that is generally lighter in color. Secondly, we would like to have a stepped design to not only allow for additional light but also create a code compliant means for escape if needed.  Incorporating these design principles on this project is especially a hit since the window is facing south and there is also a large shade tree in the front yard creating some dappled shade in the summer and full sun during the winter months.  With these parameters in place we recently stumbled into some gorgeous salvaged sandstone that we are really excited about incorporating for this design element. This stone material that is pictured was reclaimed as part of a local demolition project for reuse by folks like us. The sandstone was originally quarried in north central Minnesota for bridge abutments most likely more than 100 years ago. In addition to the striking character and rustic staining, this is a perfect color mix for this home renovation project. We hope to incorporate this green and creative feature within the next week so I will update the blog with process and finish photos soon.

Recycled / Salvaged Sandstone

Stephen Mastey, ASLA, CLARB, LEED AP
Landscape Architecture, Inc.
856 Raymond Avenue, Suite C
St. Paul, MN 55114
651.646.1020 office
651.246.1151 mobile
www.landarcinc.com

Before I turned on the jack, my friend stood back. We thought all hell would break loose as the jack hammered the old floor into rubble. We thought the very foundation would shake and we would have trouble staying upright. Well, it turns out to be quite a bit mellower then that. It may have been the fact that the concrete floor was 4-5″ thick, it may have been that there was more Portland cement in the original mix then a sane man would specify. Whatever the reason, the floor barely budged. After a few hours of trial and error, I started to get the hang of it, with the last hour cruising by. Needless to say, it was not a walk in the park, but it was better then just using an 8LB hammer like the first time (I felt like I was going to die from strain.) After 6 hours we had a 12′ diameter hole. That was enough for one day.

The next day my girlfriend and I laid down some foam (for a little insulation) and 17 bags of sand mix cement. That’s over 1,200lbs of concrete. It took us 6.5 hours. And man is laying concrete hard (especially when you care about how flat it is. One thing I learned was that sand mix can be easily smoothed out when dry, so about 1.5 hours of back-breaking work perfecting the skimming was wasted time. Live and learn.

How to control all of this you ask? Well, my dear, with my iPhone of course! Yes, I said my iPhone. Or maybe a iPod touch if I want to let visitors have fun too. The Buletooth controllers on the PS3 and the Wii only five bout 30′ of distance so they will ne installing a Bluetooth repeater in the kitchen (the basement media room is abutted to the stair, so that is not an issue. The Wii controllers also use a control bar which emits light, so another remote bar will be installed in the 1st floor. Sick, isn’t it? One can walk from the basement to the 1st floor, Guitar Hero “guitar” in hand, jamming all the time. Now that’s class my friends. Or some kind of digital excess yet to be named.

One great advantage to this madness (or brilliance, depending on your Luddite or Jobs tendencies) is that fan noise is greatly reduced or eliminated. The PS3 is still screaming out billions of cycles and driving it’s fans like rented mules, but it is safely ensconced in a separate room, in a tidy rack. Ahhh, peace and quiet. Now, when I am watching a classic film, with plenty of moody silence, like The Third Man I won’t be distracted by the steady roar of the PS3′s insane fans.

Another advantage is the savings of not having to have duplicate hardware;  in space, cash, and energy (I guess that’s kind of a Geen Renovation thing as well. Nice!)

Stay tuned for updates and photos.

One thing he explained is how he was going to mount the basement ducts a couple inches lower then I had first assumed. He said these critical few inches would make the ducts that much more quiet, as they would better isolate the vibrations of ducts and movement of floor. Brilliant! He was also very concerned with the placement of vents for cosmetic and functional reasons. He explained many situations where ducts would be a problem. If it were up to me I would have ended up choosing locations that would have essentially heated the outside and the furniture. Nothing like a great HVAC contractor to save the day!

Next was the Stafford Electric team. Kris came in on Thursday and walked through the entire space with me and Jason from Stinson Builders. Even though we had blueprints (do they still call them that?) and had previously discussed many of the options, Kris insisted on walking through every detail again and making sure we were all on the same page and that we were moving forward in the best possible way. As we walked through, Kris proposed new options that were better then the old, like recessed lighting in the basement guest bedroom and workout/craft area. Jason and Kris pointed out that those spaces would benefit by having finished ceilings. I am so happy that I began this process with Stinson Builders; Jason’s subcontractors are friendly, committed to the job and my satisfaction, and unbelievably helpful.

One exciting idea Kris cooked up, for the rest of the basement was to put in conduit and cage lights, in between the floor rafters Something like this (but cheaper, more industrial, and steel instead of brass):

This is perfect for the industrial look I am going for. I had the ceiling spray painted with BIN paint which has shellac in it (the only thing sure to lock out the lingering dog and cigarette smoke odors.) which I tinted a light blue-grey. I think it’s going to look great. Thanks Kris!

As we walked around the space I got a glimpse at the complexity of a good electrician‘s job. The melding of practicality, ease of use, efficiency, code compliancy, cosmetics and the like creates for a difficult terrain. Make sure you have a great firm like Stafford Home Services’ electric department to navigate the landscape or you may find yourself pulling things out later (at much higher expense), and being disappointed with the results.

One simple, electrical Green Renovation solution that Stafford is installing is dimmer switches at all locations. (there are even 3-way, adjustable light switches!) Did you know light dimmer switches were Green? Well they are. Kris and Dan told me about a Green Home workshop they attended that trained electricians and home services on going Green. Evidently the human eye only needs about 80% of a room’s full lighting. They were shown a demo and said they could not tell the difference, once their eyes adjusted. I assume that’s a 20% savings in lighting bills! Nice!

As we walked through the space, Kris stopped one of his electricians and had him move a flush, floor-mounted electrical outlet. It was just a rotation of a outlet that already had been installed. The electrician did not look happy but Kris insisted. I went back later and saw why: to rotate the box, there had to be new framing to support each unit. To think, here they are making more work for themselves, work that I would not have thought of until another contractor was done and gone, and they doing it just to make sure the aesthetics are just right. That’s the kind of electrician I want!

All said and done, this has been a good week. Stay tuned next week for updates on the Green electrical and Green HVAC installations.

-M

• Use sand mix. Some places do not sell this and will try to sell you morter mix if you ask for sand mix. Don’t do it. The sand mix is the ideal thing for the small cracks in the existing concrete floor and the 1-2″ depth.
• I didn’t use a bonding agent and it looks fine. To better seal the new concrete to the old, the concrete guys recommend mixing this in.
• Get a mixer! I rented an electric mixer that we brought right into the basement. It was $40 for the day and worth every penny. Mixing concrete is hard work!
• Follow the instructions and then test it, for each batch, before using. Batch to batch inconsistencies make for necessary testing.
• The wetter the mix, within reason, the harder it sets and the longer it takes.
• Rent, or buy tools. Get a rough trowel and a smooth. To go more quickly, get a few more rough trowels and have multiple people going at it at once. It’s tough for more then one, possibly two, working on the finish trowel.
• Expect to be very sore. Icing a floor with stone frosting is hard work! That and you are hunched over for hours. Stretch when you are done and drink water!
• Wear gloves and masks. It’s dusty work.
• It took four of us 7 hours. We were all rookies though.

Good luck!

So far I have Phillip Broussard from Architron as my St. Paul-based architect and JasonStinson from Stinson Builders, Inc. in Minneapolis, as my general contractor. We will also be working with Stafford Home Services for Electrical, HVAC (for a new Furnace, AC unit and ducts), home sound installation, and the new Media Room; and Landscape Architects for Landscape design and Landscape work. They all do amazing work, so check their sites out.

It is worth mentioning that Charlie comes from an interior design background and obviously has a good eye and a deep understanding of building. It is worth further mention that Charlie is meticulous; he is always pressed and polished and you could eat off of his car interior. Point is, he is a demanding and detail-oriented man and that comes in handy for finding you a home and particularly handy in vetting a general contractor.

Where was I? Oh yes, Jason. Jason is a ray of sunshine in a dark world. He always wears a smile and is one of the most accommodating and helpful people I have ever worked with. (You may notice a trend here, as each person on my “team” seems to be “that great.” I think that is because they all came to me through two really great people.) Jason has some amazing projects under his belt and has given my small project his utmost attention. He’s not one of those guys who will only work with an “ideal” and does not know how to find the best compromise (very important when it comes to renovating as opposed to building anew.) He has more then enough ideas to throw at you when you are stumped and is great at taking the rains when you remain stumped.

So far, we have been in the early development stages, so look for new updates on our collaborations and results.

-M