Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Carriage House Update: Specs

I can't even believe I'm typing this, but our carriage house build starts on MONDAY.  As in, six days from today.  We've been saving and planning for so long, it's immensely gratifying to know that in one short week, we will have a new structure in the backyard.  We are working with an Amish builder in the area (more on them later), who will deliver part of the carriage house in pre-fabricated pieces (think "WIDE LOAD" down the Pennsylvania Turnpike).  The rest of the structure will be built on site.  In eager anticipation of the upcoming build, I thought I would share some of the design specifications with you today...



 

We've decided to paint the building a warm shade of pale gray.  I wanted something more gray-tan, Dave wanted a color that felt more gray-silver.  In the end, we chose Benjamin Moore's "Gray Owl" OC-52, which in my opinion is the best shade of gray-tan (haha).  The trim will be painted in a bright white, and the shutters and side door will be black-- both paint colors will be provided by the builder.  After a great debate over roofing materials, we decided to go with architectural shingles in a classic black.  We had once considered using slate shingles (or faux slate), since that's what our home originally had in the 1890s.  But, the EXTREMELY high price tag made us take a closer look.  We came to the conclusion that architectural shingles are just fine for us (however, if you have faux slate shingles, please share your review in the comments!  I'm dying to know how they hold up).




We will be building hipped dormers, rather than the gable dormers, and we're still thrilled with this impulsive decision.  Each one will hold two windows, so there should be lots of light on the second floor (should we decide to convert it into a guest house someday).  We will be building a small cupola because we just have to have one of those.  And, while we're at it, let's install a weather vane with an eagle on it, mmmkay? :)

In terms of lighting, I looked high and low for the perfectly affordable large square lantern.  The lanterns add so much interest to the front elevation of the carriage house, it was important that we selected something good.  This guy is perfect:

 
I love the square silhouette and dark finish.  The scale is good, measuring almost 22" high by 12" wide.  I'm not sure how much I love that seedy glass, but I'm going for it anyway.  In addition to three of these lanterns, we'll also be installing something simple over the side door.  I found this fixture at HomeDepot.com and I kind of love it...
 
180-Degree Outdoor Motion-Sensing Wall Lantern-HB48017MP-237 at The Home Depot
 
Dave and I haven't officially agreed on this piece yet, but I think it could be perfect. It's simple enough and the best part is that it's MOTION SENSING. Love that. Also, it's cheap.  What do ya think?

UPDATE:  We definitely will NOT be selecting this light fixture.  Thanks to your wonderful comments (and poor reviews of this product!), we can see that we'll need to select something else.  Bummer.
 
 
Finally, to dress up the entry, we'll be flanking the garage doors with three large square black planters (positioned under each lantern).  I like this option from Grandin Road...
 
 
 
 
We've also considered building our own planters, or buying something like this and painting it.  Another good option would be to go with a fiberglass "zinc look-a-like".  Or, zinc itself.  We'll see.  That won't happen right away.


Six more days...
 
 
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cdsdds said...

I just found your blog and have to share my experience on the home depot motion sensor light. I purchased four of these and used the dawn to dusk feature. They worked great for about three months and then all the sensors went out. The company sent me new ones but I had to have them installed by a handman ($75). Then about a month later two went out again. I had to then pay to have them taken out and then new ones (different kind) put in at another $50. Home depot did accept my return so at least I wasn't out the money for the light. Read the reviews on them...not good

Unknown said...

my entire house is painted in Owl Gray. It is the perfect colour in my opinion. Sometimes I even use it at 50%, lighter and still lovely. Black and white are our accents of choice. ha ha
Your carriage house will be gorgeous, can't wait to see.

Kelly Robson said...

Oh my gosh, thank you so much for this review!! No, I never found any reviews on this product (positive or negative). Guess its back to the drawing board.

Sad, it's such a cute little motion light. :(

xx
Kelly

Kelly Robson said...

Thanks Nataliya!! We can't wait to see the color. So excited! xo

Kristen said...

I second that review of the Home Depot light. It used to make me so happy. Putting my house on the market and it is one more thing we need to fix before Saturday.

Fiona said...

I love everything you chose, especially the doors. (Are they actual garage doors that can be used with a remote or do they need to be manually opened? My mom's house needs a much more attractive garage door!

I know nothing about dormers, but it was still interesting to read about them! I have wondered about the faux slate tiles, because I live in an area where the houses all originally had slate roofs, and I think people are mandated to keep them. In any event, slate is beautiful on a roof.

Fran said...

Beautiful design! So classic in every way......

elizabethripleyhorn said...

I love the idea of a carriage house. I am envious of your old house, too. I would love to own and fix up an old house!

Fran said...

Beautiful design! So classic in every way......

A Ship in the Slip said...

I just completed an addition on our 180 year old home outside of Pittsburgh. The main part of the house still has its original slate roof. So for the addition, we used faux slate in 3 different shades. We are thrilled with the result. The addition blends in seamlessly. I completely understand your logic; and if the addition were unattached I would struggle with the additional cost of the material. I'd be happy to share photos if you'd like.

I love your blog and can't wait to see how the carriage house turns out. That is next on my list for my house. Our current garage is white painted cinder block!

Kelly Robson said...

Thanks for all of the supportive comments! xo

Claire, that's so great to hear. We REALLY thought about it. And I just love the look of slate (gorgeous!). I'm so jealous of your original slate roof. Lucky girl!!

xoxo
Kelly

Tawna said...

Love your carriage house!! However, I have to persuade you, like one other person, to not use the Home Depot light. We bought one for my son's headboard. We thought it was so cute, and CHEAP! Why not? Well, when my hubby installed it, the metal was so cheap that it literally wrapped itself around the light bulb! Crazy, huh? So it was back to Home Depot and a "never again". Just thought I would give you the heads up!

redbrickbuilding said...

I'd definitely advise against getting the wood planters and painting them...go for the powder-coated iron. I got similar wood planters from Home Depot last year and spray painted them black. The color was wearing off by the end the first summer - and it's really hard to repaint once they've had earth in them.

I also like the bonus of removable plugs in the iron boxes you chose. That way if you ever want to use the planters indoors you can just find a smaller plastic liner pot and plug the drainage hole. I wish my HD boxes were so versatile. (You would not believe how hard it is to find large enough square drip trays to place underneath...)

faye said...

black and white.=)

desiree said...

I recently started following your blog and so excited to see all your renovations. I love philadelphia, not far from me at all. we're in Lancaster in an old house too. beautiful carriage house picks!!

Sixty-Fifth Avenue said...

The carriage house is adorable!! Love the huge lights they look great. I have to give my review on the cheap HD light, we installed ours over our garage side door and spray painted it to match the lights on the house. So far so good, paint and light. It has been up for a year now.

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