Art Studio Update: The Messy Middle

We’ve just wrapped up the most chaotic 6 weeks of the art studio build, but the end is finally in sight! Looks like we will be done around the end of July, and there have been a lot of changes since my last update in May: Siding, exterior paint, insulation and drywall are done!

In my last post we had just finished the framing and sheathing, and had just installed the windows.

(And by “we” I mean my amazing construction crew!)

It was my first chance to see the view out of the windows - and also my last chance, because soon after this the windows were all covered with plastic sheeting to protect them. They have been covered ever since, and I probably won’t see through them again until the very end of the project. Glad I got some photos!

Onto the insulation:

Insulation went in quickly, only 2 days. We had the insulation company put in two inches of closed-cell-foam insulation covered by fiberglass batting. (Apparently there is open-cell- and closed-cell-foam, and closed is better.) The extra insulation and energy-efficient windows will hopefully keep the studio temperature cool in summer and warm in winter.

Then we were on to drywall.

Next, the siding was going up on the exterior.

First the building was wrapped with waterproof paper. Normally Tyvec paper is used under siding, but since we are using non-combustible Hardie board siding, we have to use a special paper that will not melt if the siding is ever exposed to fire. This paper is called “hydro-gap” and it is made to wick away any moisture that collects under the siding.

Flat siding went up first.

The vertical battens were added, and finally we were ready to paint the exterior.

Gray is hard to choose than you would think. A true neutral gray, without any color at all except black and white, looks so cool it can read as blue. I didn’t want it to look blue, but I also didn’t want the gray to look green or brown or purple. We were also planning to paint our main house the same color, so my husband and I spent quite a bit of time swatching paint samples.

Originally I wanted a darker gray trim around the windows and doors, and black for the roofline trim. But finding a gray that was darker than the main color, lighter than black, and also not blue, brown, green, or purple, proved to be just about impossible. We thought we found a good dark gray, but once it was painted we didn’t like it:

The dark gray trim was not enough contrast, even though it was very close to the black trim of the roofline. So we ended up repainting all the trim to be black. Here’s how it looks now:

The door will be black, too - and the exposed concrete of the foundation will be the darker gray we originally chose for the trim. It’s all much better than the icky yellow siding color!!

We also had our house painted to match the studio. We were excited to update our 1977 house with a more modern look than the old “state-park-bathroom-beige-and-maroon” palette.

The painters were working right outside our windows from 7:30am - 4:30pm, six days a week for three weeks, which was a bit disconcerting for us, and VERY upsetting to our dog. Luckily they are lovely people, and they also did an amazing job with the painting.

So June ended up being the most disruptive stage of the project, because right when the house was being painted, it was also time for other workers to dig deep trenches all across the yard for the water and electrical.

And it just so happened that my pond sprung a leak and needed repair right in the middle of it all. (I’ll write another post about the pond saga, it all turned out fine in the end!) It’s only been a few days since all the lines were laid and the trenches were filled in and the ground was made level again. Here’s how it looks today:

Oh right - and the gutters. Gutters! Who thinks about gutters? I sure don’t. So it was a surprise line item I had not included in the original budget. But my builder knew a gutter specialist who did a beautiful job. They even painted them black for us!

Next we are painting the interior, and yes I finally picked a color, and no it is not pink. I really wanted to go with at least a dusty rose, but in the end it was just too much pink and I chose a nice soft, slightly warm gray called Ashley Gray by Benjamin Moore.

Once the interior is painted we will install the flooring and trim, then the bathroom sink/toilet and the utility sink, the bathroom door, and the lighting and wall switches.

We will also be building the exterior landings and steps outside each of the three doors, and adding a lighted path of gravel-and-flagstones from the house to the studio.

The very last thing will likely be the spiral staircase up to the loft, which I have been told will probably be delivered at the end of this month.

Then: Moving in!!

If you have not checked out my online atelier website in a while, take a look! My husband Nowell recently redesigned and significantly upgraded all the course and registration pages.
It’s the time of year when we run a huge sale on all courses and memberships, so that’s a good reason to take a look, too!
www.SadieValeriAtelier.com