How to Restore a Wingback

The wing chair is a sensible, comfortable, durable and economic hearth-side staple, an indispensable element for”curling up by the fire with a fantastic book.” The blinders, or side fires, originated as a innovation at the 17th century; they gathered the warmth of the fire and blocked loopholes that were freezing in rooms. Every time there is a wing chair worn or when you inherit or acquire one invest a little time by restoring it yourself and save a little money.

Hoof and Wing

Wing seats have observable legs but are covered in upholstery, so the legs are a fantastic place. For shabby decor, paint or distressed wood might be the end you desire. Slick on a coat of matte polyurethane to stabilize the deterioration. Update a classic wing for a modern room by painting the thighs together with glossy enamel — shiny ebony for black-and-white faux zebra upholstery, gleaming ivory to get a chair covered in embroidered brocade, yelling banana yellow to get a lime raw silk wing chair using a fuzzy watermelon-ice-pop-colored mohair pillow.

Guts — No Glory

Do-it-yourself restorations are messy, but they might be successful with solid preparation. Step one would be to document each piece of cushioning or old cloth as you remove it. Take the cloth off the frame carefully; you will utilize it as the blueprint for cutting edge fabric that is new. Label and number each piece and photograph every period of deconstruction — your meticulous preparation will save yourself effort and time afterwards. Foam that is still in great shape can be left in place and re-used. But replace the batting with a fresh coating, stapled on closely to make a padded substructure for the fresh upholstery material you can not wait to apply. A pneumatic stapler is a lifesaver on this job — unless you enjoy aching arms and hands. You will do a lot of stapling.

Protective Coloration

Your favorite part prior to the final moment when you get to step back and respect your handiwork that is back-breaking, will select fabric. It might also be the most irritating. You need sturdy, upholstery-quality material, even if it wasn’t made for furniture. Hunt for remnants to save big on designer fabrics that are expensive. Consider a mix of fabrics that are associated but non-matching which can turn a wing chair into a boho masterpiece of cloth scraps which didn’t blow the decorating budget, a hodgepodge layout. Look for linen grain sacking for the chair and cushion upholstery and utilize rougher burlap sack material on the outside of the back and the arms; simply make sure you center any stenciling and match up stripes onto the sheet bits.

Photo-Finish

Create a family heirloom in the household castoff with wing chair upholstery cloth printed with photographs. The ancestral wedding photos are perfect for the front piece of a small pillow, the padded blouse, and the armrests which may be used for support. A family reunion photograph might grace the chair back, and the seat cushion could brighten up. Any photos would work to get a memento chair and matching ottoman. For urbane modern decor, an oversizeiconic photo of a classic film still, a cityscape, or headline news events that are black-and-white create original decor as well as a conversation piece.

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How to Prevent Birds From Building a Nest in an External Light Fixture

Birds’ nests in parks or even on roads can be heralds of spring, but when birds take up residence on your light fixtures, they get messy, noisy pests. Federal law prohibits bothering them, once there are eggs in the nest — After you notice birds building a nest on your outdoor lighting, do it. A number of products that are humanist are available without harming the birds to control bird problems. Until you find the one which works best on your 15, experiment with different items.

Install bird netting over the top of this fixture to obstruct the birds’ access to it. Pick a netting which is nonflammable and safe to use around bulbs. Beware the netting is set up so that it does not entangle birds. Try another method, if you can not use netting on your fixture.

Hide a ultra-sonic or sonic bird repeller close to the light fixture. Because you’re protecting a comparatively small place, a device that is low-range ought to be sufficient. Ultra-sonic products aren’t audible to humans. Choose one so it goes away when the birds approach, if you use a sonic device.

Hang visual deterrents, close to the fixture, such as fake snakes owls or iridescent tape. The birds frighten away, and they’re especially powerful when coupled with ultra-sonic or sonic devices. You might have to move the visual deterrent every few days so that the birds don’t learn it isn’t a danger.

A surface repeller into the light fixture. These include bird endings, which make it impossible for birds to land on a surface; and dyes and dyes, which have an unpleasant taste or odor into birds. Should you use a spray or gel, make certain until you apply it, it is nonflammable, nontoxic and safe to use nearby light bulbs.

Eliminate a nest that is partially-built by hand. Disassemble the nest several times and you might have to return, but the birds will eventually give up and move on to some other location. When the nest is fully built and contains eggsit is illegal to interfere with this.

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Flood Insurance Questions & Answers

Homeowners who live in proximity to some seacoast or from river floodplains are able to take advantage of this National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which offers low-cost coverage that is sold through private insurance companies. The high cost of flood damage prompted the passing of this program by Congress in 1968. The program was meant to mitigate the public cost of cleanup in areas declared disaster areas, but it has also raised controversy, as it has encouraged extensive brand new building in hazardous areas which remain vulnerable to storm surges and flooding.

Does Flood Insurance Cover Structure and Contents?

Flood insurance specifically covers the dwelling construction, not extraneous items such as decks, outside fixtures or furniture, piers, seawalls or landscaping characteristics of the home. Contents insurance is available, but has to be bought individually. Homeowners’ insurance policies don’t contain flood coverage; this insurance coverage has to be bought individually.

What’s the Deductible Amount?

The allowable amount of national flood insurance varies with the cost of this policy elected. Deductibles start at a minimum of $500 and operate around $5,000, for construction as well as for contents.

Is Flood Insurance Required by Federal Law?

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has mapped out Special Flood Hazard Areas, which are flood-prone zones where all new development must comply with local building ordinances, and where insurable structures which are bought with secured loans, or built with the aid of federal money or investment, has to carry national flood insurance. Contact FEMA for a copy of this SFHA map covering the area where you live.

When Can I Purchase Flood Insurance?

You are able to make an application for national flood insurance at any given moment, but there is a 30-day waiting period after you have signed and begun paying premiums to the policy before the policy is considered to be in effect.

What Are the Coverage Limits?

Coverage limits for national flood insurance currently stand at $250,000 for residential properties and $500,000 for commercial properties; those constraints comprise around 10 percent policy for a detached garage, which in combination with the principal building cannot exceed the residential or commercial limitation. The limits on materials are 100,000 for residential properties and $500,000 for commercial. Some insurance companies provide Excess Flood Protection that exceeds these policies.

How Do I File a Claim?

You must submit a Proof of Loss, which the adjustor (who’s an independent contractor) can prepare you as a courtesy. This document has to carry damages estimated from the qualified adjustor assigned to a case, and be filed within 60 days of the damage really occurring into the insurance carrier which issued the policy.

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Can You Deduct Home Equity Loan Interest in The Taxes?

It is possible to use home equity loans and lines of credit to make improvements such as adding a new roof, consolidating debt or completely remodeling a kitchen or bathroom. The difference between the amount owed on an existing mortgage and a home’s market value is deemed available equity and serves as collateral for home equity loans. Many homeowners prefer these types of loans along with other debt because the interest is generally tax-deductible, with particular restrictions defined by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

How to Obtain a House Equity Loan and Receive Tax Benefits

Decide whether to acquire a home equity loan or home equity credit line (HELOC). Home equity loans are received as a lump sum and repaid in installments over time, typically at a fixed rate of interest and payment, according to MSN Money. Lines of credit borrowed against home equity operate like credit cards: they have variable rates of interest and cash is used and reimbursed to a maximum sum. Both loans are recorded as exemptions from the home and foreclosure is a risk in the event the homeowner falls behind on payments.

Use the proceeds from your home equity loan to your chosen purpose and keep an eye on the total sum borrowed and the interest paid. IRS rules limit the maximum amount of deductible home equity debt to $100,000 as of 2010. Main amounts exceeding $100,000 do not be eligible for interest deductions.

Determine whether you will itemize your tax deductions or take the standard deduction established by the IRS. Deductions for home equity loan interest are applied only to an itemized tax return. If you do plan to itemize, make sure your loan is secured by your qualified home and does not qualify as acquisition debt, or even a loan used to purchase, build or substantially improve a home, according to IRS guidelines. Also, make sure that the home equity loan and the home acquisition debt together do not exceed the fair market value of the home. If that’s the case, you may not be able to deduct all of the interest on the home equity loan or credit line.

Complete the worksheets and follow the directions attached to Schedule A for Form 1040 to ascertain the total amount of deductible interest resulting from your home equity loan. To calculate the total amount of interest paid for the year, consult the statements received from your lender and reconcile that amount with the figure supplied by the lending company on Form 1098 at the close of the year.

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Fundamentals of Convertible Debentures

A convertible debenture is a hybrid security: half-stock, half-loan. Companies issue convertible debentures as a means to raise money. Investors buy them, not due to their great interest rates (they’re low in contrast to traditional bonds), but also for the option of converting them into inventory –shares of their company–if the debenture matures.

Benefits for the Issuer

Convertible debentures are delicate loans for companies in need of capital to expand or maintain their businesses. They provide businesses with much-needed cash at excellent rates when traditional lenders might need nothing to do together.

Benefits for the Investor

Investors in convertible debentures get a fixed-income and the choice of buying inventory in an up-and-coming company. This is like getting your cake, eating it and becoming to get a different one if you do not like the taste. Investors buy convertible debentures in promising companies they’re not completely sure about. When the new venture booms, they money in their debentures for inventory. If business goes bad, they can always ask for their money back and keep the attention.

Conversion Premium

The conversion premium is the rate you use to convert the debentures from bonds to fully refundable stocks. The ratio determines the amount of shares you get for each bond. As an example, a conversion premium of 50:1 means you get 50 shares for each and every bond.

The Downside

The downside for the issuer is, if their company does well investors are going to want to convert to inventory and become shareholders. This will dilute their ownership of the business. The main downside for investors is that convertible debentures are unsecured. If the issuing company goes bankrupt, they might have to wait in line behind secured creditors to get compensated. A second downside is the inherent complexity of convertible debentures, which can easily confuse investors. Investors have to keep a watch out for the rates of interest, which affect the worth of bonds, while retaining their additional eye firmly on the stock exchange, which determines the worth of the potential inventory hidden inside every debenture.

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Turn the Party Heat — the Sultry Decorating Secret Up

Light a candle, and a cold room feels instantly warmer. A poor mood improves. A lovely fragrance arises, and an alluring spectacle is set. And everything can be achieved using a single scented candle on any arbitrary night.

Place a little more effort into your candle selection and structure for a house party, and the effects can be much more striking: Everybody looks fantastic and feels sexy at the glow. Yep, even a house overrun by children, pets and squeaky toys can be transformed into a den of sultriness with the help of candles. Below are some suggestions for using candles — in the easy to the over-the-top — for a home soiree that is sultry.

Atlantic Archives, Inc..

Let guests know what is in store. Line the entry and front porch with candles. Dim or remove as many electric lights as possible to allow the candles do the greeting.

Caution: Always make safety your No. 1 priority when burning candles. When there’s any doubt about security (say, children or pets are in attendance, or exposed candles on the floor could set fire to a dress or jacket), substitute battery-operated candles for actual ones. Nothing kills a seductive atmosphere faster than needing to unload a fire extinguisher onto somebody’s fabulous outfit.

LLC, Melaragno Design Company

If you’re hosting a massive crowd, make the front door open so guests can allow themselves in. Allow the candles lead them into the phenomena. Again, keep electric light to a minimum to keep everyone’s eyes corrected.

S.I.D.Ltd.

In the coatroom. Before guests enter the party scene, give them an opportunity to drop off their outerwear. Whichever bedroom you select as a coatroom, in case you don’t have a committed coatroom, use candles to direct folks to it. Rooms in this way are good places to elect for candles.

The Core of the celebration. Continue your luminous theme in the heart of the celebration area with heaps of candles.

I really don’t understand how these homeowners can possible mild these by hand and then blow them out every time without becoming annoyed and lightheaded, however they win the sexy factor in my match book. OK I think that it’s safe to presume that these suckers are battery operated and on timers.

1800Lighting

In case you have a fireplace, use it to increase the radiance. Here a wood-burning fireplace is provided additional vibrance with tall columns.

Candle color. There is no rule about what coloured candles you should use en masse, although an all-off-white arrangement makes a cohesive look that shows the fires off nicely. If you’re using colored wax candles (as opposed to soy candles, which burn more evenly) you will want to use more of these than you’d white wax candles to produce precisely the same illumination. Regardless of what color you choose, limit big groups to a single color family. In other words, off-white and beiges are nice together, but don’t start throwing in random green or red ones.

A brick cutout within this fireplace allows votives to burn safely as guests congregate.

Candle fragrance. Scented candles are fantastic … but only when the occasion warrants a gentle air freshener. Should you wish to use scented candles for a celebration, do so sparingly (like one in the bathroom or foyer) and never use numerous aromas in precisely the same room. Also, keep scented candles from the food table so you don’t overwhelm guests’ senses of smell and flavor.

Whitney Lyons

In case you have a fireplace that’s not functioning (or you don’t want to babysit a wood-burning one), mimic its function by layering different-size candles indoors.

Cynthia Lynn Photography

This fireplace has an inverted impact: Various-size candles decorate the mantel. Below, the firebox keeps a lovely arrangement of logs tucked securely indoors so guests can’t trip.

Interiors with Attitude, LLC

Tip: wherever you place your candles, set a mirror behind them to amplify their glow. This is particularly helpful in darker corners of a celebration area where you may not have as many candles, or surfaces for candles, as you’d like.

Debbiedoo’s

Rather than concentrating all the candles in one part of the space, spread them out; your guests will probably distribute as well, making for a better flow across the house.

Gary J Ahern, AIA – Focal Point Style

Do not forget the restroom. After people have a couple of cocktails, a candlelit toilet is useful. This bath is ready with built-in candle shelves.

Stadler Custom Homes

Not that guests have to imbibe to love the eloquent, retina-pleasing transition from celebration to powder area. This bath too was constructed with sensuous ambience in mind: Notice the row of built-in wall sconces.

premier health living

The dining area. Whilst candlelight makes people look their best, food may be difficult to discern if there is not enough light. This dining table space takes care of that using a centerpiece of candles on a tray (for simple removal) and candles tucked within cutouts in the wall. An electric chandelier onto a dimmer combines the soul.

Paula Grace Designs, Inc..

Candles in martini glasses illuminate this table.

LLC, IMI Design

This dining area includes floating shelves to keep candles from interfering with any other table decorations or the meals design.

The Virginia House

Materials. Candleholders don’t have to be elaborate. Fill mason jars with stones, dried beans, cranberries, acorns, seasonal candies etc. before adding a metal-rimmed votive inside. Wax wills stop from slipping you’ve chosen.

Kirkpatrick Design

And finally, light up the great outdoors. Party revelers constantly wind up out however cold it may be. The more bodies you have inside, the faster this will happen. Even if the temperature drops drastically outdoors, the air can feel warm and inviting with ample candle protection.

Your turn: Please show us your favourite candle display.

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What's That Sound? 9 Home Noises and How to Fix Them

Don’t go calling the Ghost Hunters people just yet if you’re hearing odd noises around your house. There’s likely an earthly reason for what’s going bump in the night time. In reality, at times the sounds in a house are a warning to prevent something very frightening from happening — such as a backed-up sewer line. But it’s all about being aware of what you’re hearing and that can help. If you’re hearing at least one of these sounds, then it may be time to call a specialist.

Normandy Remodeling

Gurgling From the Toilet

Cause: This could be one of 2 things.
1. Your sewer line could be backed up. Sometimes tree roots grow into the pipes. You then innocently flush a couple of baby wipes, that snag on those origins, partly blocking the sewer line and, well, the you-know-what may be getting ready to hit the fan.

2. A weary toilet valve may cause a gurgling sound, but the constantly running toilet will tip you off. If that’s the situation you only have to replace the gasket in the tank.

Who to phone : A plumber. You can even lease a sewer snake and attempt to clean the problem yourself. You can lease one, and purchase toilet valves, at many local hardware stores.

Knocking or Banging Inside the Walls

Cause:
This typically occurs when you turn your water taps on and off. It is referred to as a pressure hammer, and it occurs when air pressure builds up in your water pipes, causing them to vibrate when the pressure is released.

When the pipe wasn’t mounted correctly, or it’s loosened over the years, then it bangs from the stud on your wall. “It may go crazy,” says home remedy specialist Tapley Dawson, a partner in The Home Physicians in Novato, California. “The interior of a stud bay is like a guitar or piano, so yeah, you’re likely to hear it.” If the sound gets to you — à la “The Tell-Tale Heart” — you are going to have to open up the wall and put a sleeve on the tube.

Who to phone: A house repair specialist

Camber Construction

Pops and Clicks From the Radiator

Cause:
Expanding metal. “I used to live at New York, and also my furnace would hiss and groan; it was like having a dragon at the house,” says Dawson.

While there’s not much you can perform, Dawson states a few loop systems that circulate warm water get air bubbles in them and need to be “bled” like automobile brakes do. Should you hear a banging sound similar to what occurs with the water pipes, this might be your problem. You may buy or make decorative boxes for radiators that may cut down on the sound a bit, but they’re mainly for decorative purposes.

Who to phone : An HVAC specialist

Normandy Remodeling

Humming From the Refrigerator

Cause: “That is the gremlins in eating your meals,” jokes Dawson. Actually, it could be the compressor motor. Fridges are full of electric devices, he states, that can cause all kinds of problems. New refrigerators shouldn’t make any sounds.

Who to phone: A appliance repair specialist

Squeaking From the Dryer

Cause: Many older versions have a belt which wraps around the drum similar to that in a car engine. After the belt becomes loose and worn out, “it begins to squeak like bedsprings,” Dawson says.

Who to phone : An appliance repair specialist

Thumping From the Washing Machine

overload: This is most likely due to the spin cycle’s being thrown off balance by clothes bunched on one side, often when the machine is overloaded. Only open the machine and spread out the clothing evenly.

Jamie Laubhan-Oliver

Creaking Floors and Stairs

Impact:
This most often occurs when a loosened hardwood flooring plank goes up and down from a nail. Other times timber planks are rubbing against one another. The sound is notorious in older houses.

You can tighten the boards by nailing, screwing or gluing the boards, but it’s likely to be the “aggravation versus how much you ruin your floor,” Dawson says. In some cases he’s been in a position to tighten the subfloor underneath the house with things such as a 2-by-4 joist and construction glue. “It is not always effective, but there are tricks,” he states. You may want to choose if you really want that noise to evaporate. “In older Victorians that’s part of the charm of the house,” Dawson says.

Who to phone: A house repair specialist

Lloyd Architects

Whooshing or Rattling Windows

Impact:
When weather stripping fails on older windows, such as double-hung timber windows, drafts happen. If your house faces powerful winds, the air whipping in the spaces may cause the windows to rattle. You can use storm sashes, such as the one found here, to pay aged windows. They’re most often found on the East Coast. Tilt Pac windows and block-frame windows are also choices.

Who to phone : A window fix specialist

Running or Hissing Faucets

Cause: When a faucet is leaking, it may sound like it’s running. When it’s barely available, it may make a hissing sound, such as air moving through a reed to a saxophone, Dawson says. Most probably you’ve got an old faucet having a washer issue, which is something many homeowners may fix themselves.

Who to phone: Request your community hardware store to get assistance. When in doubt, call a house repair specialist.

Thrifty Decor Chick

Scratching, Rustling or Chewing in the Ceiling or Walls

Cause: I hate to say it, but if you hear prolonged scratching, then you most likely have a rodent problem. Sometimes you can unmistakably hear rats chewing their way through walls.

Who to phone : A pest control specialist

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Railing Detail: The Diagonal Cross Balustrade

Our front porch railings are ornamental black wrought iron, and if they’re beautiful on many homes, they clash terribly with our cute little Craftsman. While traveling in Bend, Oregon, I seen a bungalow with angled cross balustrades and made it my life’s mission to switch out our wrought iron guys for timber railings with angled cross balustrades.

The wooden railing design features a X spanning the newel posts, fastened between the bottom rail and the handrail. It is frequently painted white, and the design is used on front, back and screened-in porches.

The following step in accomplishing this life mission is to convince my husband that it is also among his. I am certain these fine cases will do just fine.

Arcanum Architecture

It’s easy to see why diagonal crosses are usually referred to as farmhouse railings. Is this not the very quintessential modern farmhouse you have ever seen?

Texas Construction Company

The diagonal crosses within this balustrade mimic the angled lines of the exposed rafters above. Both in bright white, they pop from the darkened clapboard exterior.

Philip Clayton-Thompson

Designed for island alive, this fine railing is enriched with decorative post caps.

Michael Abraham Architecture

With carefully placed articles, the X’s on this Illinois house are taller than they are wide.

Siemasko + Verbridge

Combining quatrefoil railings, angled cross railings and ornamental porch brackets … this front elevation is a vintage woodworking fantasy!

Van Wicklen Design

With only one diagonal piece per part, this porch looks longer and leaner.

Ron Brenner Architects

Diagonal cross balustrades are perfectly appropriate to the traditional American Dutch colonial. Here they help sew a porch.

Rethink Design Studio

Greeted upon entrance by a custom screened-in front porch with angled cross balustrades, it is impossible to not fall in love with this Georgia house.

McHale Landscape Design, Inc..

It is a bonanza! This attractively landcaped Virgina home features diagonally crossed balustrades below, embellished Union Jack balustrades square and above spindles between.

Wayne Windham Architect, P.A.

Located in South Carolina’s Lowcountry, this small guesthouse porch covers the bigger porch of the sprawling principal residence for architectural continuity.

More:
Wraparound Porches Have Curb Appeal Covered

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View a Guesthouse Carved Into a Washington Cliff

Living smack dab on the rim of the Columbia River Gorge in Washington state, Vince and Carol Bryan possess some postcard-perfect views. Grassy plateaus along with charcoal-gray basalt cliffs plunge thousands of feet down to the canyon and twisting waterway below, while the bright blue sky stretches apparently to infinity. It’s the kind of opinion you do not need to muck about with.

So when they set out to create a royal guesthouse and entertainment space that sleeps four — a four-car garage is on the ground floor — they made certain the encompassing beauty not only took center stage, but eventually become a part of the layout also. Four large dormer windows capture the magnificent scenery outside, while the structure backs right up to a western-facing cliff, with 6 feet of natural, untreated basalt stone rising into the large second-floor living space. The twisted rocks discuss inside space using a Ping-Pong table along with a billiards table.

in a Glance
Who lives here: This really is a guesthouse owned by Vincent and Carol Bryan.
Location: Near George, Washington, on the Columbia River Gorge
Size: 4 bedroom alcoves, 1 bath and recreation room upstairs; 4-car garage downstairs

Kimberley Bryan

To capture the perspective, the building required to be oriented into the west, which meant backing to the west shore face. The Bryans heard a lot about building around basalt stone while constructing their main house; their grandma’s outgrowing that home lacked the few to construct the new guesthouse (dubbed The Carriage House).

“We knew that the rock found anywhere here wasn’t going anywhere, and we also knew we can build to it with very little disruption to the surroundings,” Vince says. “This property is about a melding of structures and nature, a mix of inside and outside. We love that.”

Kimberley Bryan

The guesthouse sits atop a four-car garage and comprises one large room with four bed alcoves created by large dormer windows. Rising well more than 6 feet in the floor, the natural basalt stone creates the entire back wall of the space. It was left completely natural and untreated. “There’s really a small odor it provides off,” says Vince. “When we built, there was lots of lichen growing on the rocks. That’s no longer there, but the odor remains one of vegetation, very much like the yeasty odor of [wine] fermentation, which,” states this wine grower and winery owner, “is a scent we love and are very knowledgeable about.”

The Ping-Pong table was made by joining a Ping-Pong surface into a large farm table.

Kimberley Bryan

Every dormer window confronts the jaw-dropping gorge. The four-car garage below homes machinery and supplies — and wine occasionally — utilized from the Bryans’ agricultural processes.

Having learned the hard way that clay roof was exposed to the often-high winds of the gorge, the Bryans chosen for steel roof in a color of red that complements the clay tiles on the main residence.

Mediterranean-inspired iron sconces flank every garage doorway, adding another layer to the mixture of stone, sagebrush, wood and cement plaster.

Kimberley Bryan

“This chamber is about get-togethers and having fun,” Carol says. “We needed a place for everyone to sleep, but also for children and grandchildren to just hang out and have fun. The main home is a wonderful gathering place, however it wasn’t designed with a lot of bedrooms or a lot of solitude — it’s very open. This guesthouse has made visiting much more comfy.”

Kimberley Bryan

Just large enough to accommodate a complete bed, every alcove delivers a gorgeous view, an adjoining closet and enough comparative privacy for multiple visiting family members to sleep in comfort.

Kimberley Bryan

A short, steep staircase contributes to a large storage space tucked behind the basalt. The large beam is composite wood.

Wide-plank wood laminate covers the floors and stairs, and highlights the identical tone from the variegated colors of the basalt.

Kimberley Bryan

The dormers let daytime light flooding into the space, while may lights illuminate it at night.

Kimberley Bryan

“We’ve naturally gathered items throughout the years that reflect our family and our interests,” Carol says. “This chamber is turning into a memorabilia room. The furniture is frankly hodgepodge right now, but it’s also private: The couch belonged to Vince’s mother, the blue chairs are out of our house in Edmonds 30 decades ago, along with the cane seat comes in the Mercer Island house we lived in throughout the 1990s.”

Kimberley Bryan

The basalt stone cliff blends seamlessly into the rock-faced carriage home wall, making a natural, unobtrusive appearance.

Kimberley Bryan

Keeping the base of the cliff intact meant making a sloping path up into the second-floor quarters. The basalt made for a durable surface with traction, significant throughout the snowy, freezing winters of Central Washington. The roofline extends out at a small angle in the pond, mimicking the point of the cliff tops in the distance and allowing for snow and water drainage.

Kimberley Bryan

Just across the driveway from the main home, the carriage house “helped bring about a feeling of completion” into the residence, says Carol.

Kimberley Bryan

The fountain was a DIY labor of love. “When our upcoming son-in-law told us that he was planning to marry our daughter, we suggested that he do a labor of love,” Vince says. “The result was this fountain.” The roses are mulched with grape seeds, a by-product of the winery operations; this mixture is just one of the few mulches the Bryans have tried that have enough weight and density to withstand the gorge’s high winds.

Kimberley Bryan

An effective visual halt for cars making their way down the steep driveway, the fountain anchors the space between the carriage house and the main house.

Kimberley Bryan

The Bryans planted a small orchard at the bottom of the cliff above the main house to supply pears and peaches as well as shade for grandchildren along with the bountiful wild rabbits.

Watch the Bryans’ Most Important Property

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