Fruits Of My Labor (A-113)

[ebb]

AND you and your partner getting your own cottage!

The IPE deck next door here has another anomally that you may have alluded to in your post above .... it's a bloody dark and heavy wood.
The wood used as an exposed deck material at another structure on the property here has never been coated and gone grey. The deck next door was, as I said, oiled. The house-keeper for the estate lives there and the sliding glass wall-doors, year round, were kept totally covered inside and out in an attempt to ward off heat generated by the wood! The dark non-porus wood blasts heat like iron metal when the sun beats on it. The owner called in his favorite contractor and most of the decks have now been covered with roof and tinted polycarbonate panels. Good landlord!
You could stand on the deck in the spring sunshine and feel the heat growing underfoot, like standing on a stove burner.
The other grayed-out Ipe deck produces nowhere near the same noticable heat.

So, those varnished trim pieces on the boat in Mike's pic - in hot sun - would be rather uncomfortable, IF they were any darker.
The blond trim looks right-on.
Wonder if there's any varnish that has reflective flecks in its formula, looks the same but bounces some of the sun away?

Tony, It would not be amiss to see befor and afters of your '30's bungalow !
Your next home should have a keel.

[Tony G]

It's been a while so I thought a general message was in order. I haven't forgotten this sailboat site,or, that it is a sailboat site. Because so, I'll keep it brief.

Things haven't slowed down one bit here with work and the house taking all of our time and money. There was a list of projects that had to be done before winter and a recent cold snap followed by an early snow threw a monkey wrench in the machine. It isn't going to stick around but the furnace now takes priority over the dash coat on the stucco. I have been in the shop recreating some trim pieces and profiles and what not but not a lick of boat work. It hurts to see her there and not do anything more than run my hand along the curves and admire the inherent beauty in front of me. The pangs are only eased by knowing this house fits into the master plan as a home base and income for future cruising. And this house is a beauty in its own right too weighing in with little more than 700 sq.ft. per floor. As a household we are trying to decrease our footprint more and more and liking it. Like so many have said before, with everything we "give up" it seems we get so much more back.

Once the snow comes to stay we will have a chance to filter through the myriad of pictures and find some that will hopefully capture the character of this house and post one or two. Until then, we must press on...

Everyone, keep posting and adding pictures and links to this site.