Inside: Wood Floors and Stairs

Hardwood Flooring in bedroom

Installing HW Flooring

 The carpenters have moved indoors and continue installing the oak hard-wood flooring. All the wood floors are done upstairs, and they are now working on the main level. As mentioned in the previous post about the hardwood flooring, it was a design decision to have continuity by using the same flooring material throughout the house. Much of the first floor (kitchen, living room, and dining area - even wide halls and the foyer) are all open to each other, and since this is not a large house, it is better to not have too many transitions or changes in material. That would make the New House Next Door feel choppy and smaller than it's petite 1950 square feet.

What we did do is rotate the direction the flooring runs in the two largest rooms - the art studio (or largest bedroom) and the living room. Running it the long way makes the room feel larger, and having the direction change between the hall or dinette and the living room adds interest.

In other inside news, the stairs have been installed in the foyer. These are made off site and delivered and installed. There is no newel post or hand rail yet, and the top section needs some tweaking, but it's a big change from using/seeing a ladder! The treads are oak (like the flooring) and the risers and stringers (which will be painted) are poplar. The stairs below the landing are open stringer style - meaning the tread has an overhang on the open side, which is finished, and the stringer is cut out to be below the treads and risers. The top third of the steps are closed stringer type - meaning the treads are simply between the stringers and walls and have no finished sides.

The fact that his parents don't have to climb up ladders to see the second floor during construction makes my DH relieved. (There will still be ladders outside for a while, though, to get onto the porches.)

Stairs in Front Entry Space