The white plaster has been applied.   Next, all the window and door trims will be painted with a dark green/black paint.  Authentic operating shutters with hinges and shutter dogs will complete the exterior.

The tile installation is underway on the 2nd floor hall bathroom.  In support of St. Mary’s, International Tile and Marble Systems have assisted with providing a portion of the bathroom tile materials.

The second floor bedrooms have vaulted ceilings.  The bedrooms that face the courtyard also have dormers on the side wall which add interesting lines to the ceilings.  Our talented framer built these dormers after much advanced planning and angle calculations.  Then our skilled drywall contractors finished the ceiling surfaces beautifully. 

The plasterers have applied several layers of sealer, base coats and mesh to the concrete block walls.  Once complete, the final coats of white plaster will be applied with a slight textured surface.

Roque, our faithful drywall finisher, spent countless hours finishing the ceilings between the beams.  Blue tape was placed on the edges of all the beams to protect them from the drywall mud.  Once the blue tape was removed crisp white edges were revealed which make the beams stand out against the white ceiling.  Thank you Roque for your attention to details!

Two box bays are located on the North wall which are being covered with cedar siding.  There are several cedar elements on the exterior including this siding, the cornice with exposed rafter tails and the pergola which will cover the additional parking space.  All of the cedar will be covered with a solid stain to add color and protection from the elements.

The hand-made cedar brackets attached to the wall will support a covered balcony off the 2^nd floor hallway.  This balcony will have a view of the side courtyard and pool below.  A second balcony will be located off the master suite with a view of the rear courtyard and the exterior fireplace.  Note:  Romeo not included.

The scaffold has been taken down and the concrete block walls are now revealed.  Soon the plasterers will arrive and begin their work.

At first glance this looks like a covered porch, but it is actually the home’s foyer.   This open-air foyer has been styled after a typical Charleston entry breezeway which leads from the street to inside the house and into the outdoor living area.  Wood doors will be hung at the street side as well as the courtyard side maintaining the courtyard privacy when desired.  Or the doors can be left open to welcome visitors in when entertaining.

This mason is protecting himself from the sun with an umbrella hat.  This is a novel sun protection tactic as well as a unique fashion statement.  We found umbrella hats on line if you are interested in beefing up the fight against skin cancer, http://umbrellahat.net/