Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Whole House Renovation

For this project, we pretty much replaced everything.  This house was built in the late 80's or early 90's.  All the trim and baseboard and staircases and kitchen cabinets were done in the then ubiquitous 'golden oak'.


Also there was no custom millwork.  But there is now!  This front door was dressed up with a millwork surround and big crown moulding.  The foyer is of the two storey vaulted variety so the space can handle something on this scale.


Turning and facing in now, we see the results of many weeks of work on this staircase.  Like I said, it was entirely done in 'golden oak'.  We started by stripping the finish off the treads and banister, because they were to be stained to the coffee colour seen here.  Then the risers, stringers, and spindles had to be sanded, primed, and painted.
What you can't see in the picture is the ceiling.  Most of the ceilings in the house had a popcorn texture.  We scraped it all down and finished it smooth and flat, which in the above space involved building a temporary second floor out over the stairwell so the work could be done.


Here is the butler's pantry in the kitchen.  Features a wine fridge, and in-cabinet lighting.


The main part of the kitchen.  We added about two feet to this space by moving the far wall back.


A 36" range, pot filler, and 600 cubic feet per minute hood fan make a luxurious cooking station.



A look into the sunken living room.  This is the primary living space in the house, and the client wanted some luxury.  More custom millwork fits the bill.  Columns were fashioned to flank the built in cabinets.  Those columns then align with the box beam ceiling, tying it all together.  The aforementioned cabinets house the various components for TV and internet, and a chase feeds the cables up to the TV.  A recess was let into the wall behind the television, allowing the unit itself to sit flat against the wall.  Above is a niche for a speaker bar.  Below is a fireplace insert.  The hearth and cabinets are capped with granite.


And now we are heading up to the master suite.  This custom walnut piece was built in house by Jacobson Construction.


As was this vanity.

This was a large project, and many were involved in getting the look that the client wanted.

Jacobson Construction:
General Contractor
Project Management
Carpentry
Hardwood Flooring
Millwork
Custom Cabinetry (master suite)
Kitchen Installation

Other Services Provided by:
Cecil Walsh, plumber
Jim Clements, paint
Cheryl Ann White, paint
Gino Vani, electrical
Peter Sottosanti, tile setting
Randy "Muddy" Waters, plaster
Al's Vacuum, central vac
Palazzi, granite
Vanessa Cabral, kitchen design
Cabico, kitchen and living room cabinets

Monday, October 6, 2014

Walnut Cellar

A brand new cellar from Jacobson Construction.


The racking and the door are made from walnut.
As is the beautiful back-banded casing.


A full light on the door invites you inside.


This gorgeous tile is set with a 1/3 pattern and runs across the floor and straight up the wall, never breaking it's pattern.  On the back wall are metal racks for accent storage.  The cooling unit is mounted behind the louvered grill.


Display racks line both sides of the cellar.  The client requested a place to put her homemade pickles.  Three walnut doors provide the face of the nicest pickle cabinet I've ever seen.


On the other side of the galley sits a niche with a diamond bin below.  The walnut box in the corner conceals a sump pump and reservoir.


Unsupported plywood has a tendency to warp, especially one this big.  In order to keep the margins flush from the panel to panel, aircraft cable and a turnbuckle were installed on the back of the door, holding the large panel flat.  You can hardly see the door when it is closed.


Goodnight Walnut Wine Cellar:)

Designed and built by: Jacobson Construction

Services provided by:
Rosehill Wine Cellars
Hucker Floor Coverings
Milburn Electric
Mario's Heating and Air Conditioning
Jim Clements, Paint
Randy "Muddy" Waters, Plaster

Friday, July 4, 2014

Wondrous and Strange

Wondrous and Strange

Ok.  New design here for some end tables...


The idea that I had in my head was that the tops might emerge from the surface like a mushroom, and that the mushroom might be in high contrast.  Hence the antique timbers are paired with the stainless steel/glass mushroom.


The timbers came from Dankin.  I had them leftover from a previous renovation.
Feet were let out of the bottoms.


The glass is sandwiched between two custom made stainless steel parts: a washer and a cap nut.


Practically begging to have a drink set on them!



Ahhh.  Much better, thank you!

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Canada Day 2014

First time in the parade for Jacobson Construction!
Check out our float:


I built a pergola on top of a standard trike from Wike, which by the way, is a delightful way to travel.



Here we are before the parade started.  Also thanks to CCI for the excellent signage.


We had a great time! Well, my daughter was somewhat miserable, but in her defense I think she was a bit under the weather:)  My son fell asleep.  How do you fall asleep in the middle of a parade?

But we had a great time!

Happy Canada Day!

Company Swag

Does anybody really want a thermos with my company logo on it?
Or a travel mug? Or a hat or pen?

No!

But everybody wants one of these!


This spring we decided to thank our clients in a different sort of way.  The two silver maple trees in my front yard were tapped and produced about 47 litres of sap.  From this, we got about 1 litre of syrup:)

Well, it's not lucrative, but it was fun!

Monday, March 31, 2014

Custom Garage

A New Garage!
(Imagine Price is Right music here)


Well the snow hasn't melted yet (25 March).  Everyone is sad... but the garage looks great.


This is the existing garage attached to the house.  The new garage was designed as a compliment to it.
Note how the brick stands out slightly from the stucco, creating a rebate.


This feature was imitated on the new garage but without the use of brick.  Brick would require footings at 4' below grade, which would add significantly to the cost.
Instead, we used 2x4 framing at the rebates, and 2x6 framing everywhere else.


All in all a pleasing little structure...
Actually not little at all.  The footprint stands at 20'x32'.  The roof line is achieved with 14" wooden i-beams, so the space is entirely open on the inside.  Approximately 8 1/2' ceiling height at the front, up to 14' at the back!
It's downright voluminous in there!

Now, if the snow would just melt, we could get a new driveway in there...

Designed and built by:
Jacobson Construction

Services provided by:
Bart Sybenga (concrete)
Mark Goddyn Masonry
Randy "Muddy" Waters (stucco)
Sarnia Glass and Aluminum
Nisbet Robertson Surveyors
Robinson Design and Drafting

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Wood and Stone

This cellar was a treat to work on, and it looks great too!


Much of the work was done outside the cellar.  A dry-stack charcoal coloured stone with rust highlights dresses the entry wall.  This is complimented by the new wide-plank white oak flooring.
The African mask has been in the client's family for years.  He requested to have us give it a special place so we obliged with a custom redwood niche.
And of course, the custom redwood door with glass insert invites you inside.


The racks themselves are made with all-heart California redwood.  This cellar combines individual bottle storage along with some case storage.


A beautiful redwood veneer countertop and gable lit by track lighting provides a space to taste and talk...

Designed and built by:
Jacobson Construction

Services provided by:
Rosehill Wine Cellars
Hucker Floor Coverings
Mark Goddyn Masonry
Milburn Electric
Mario's Heating and Air Conditioning
Jim Clements Paint
Randy "Muddy" Waters Plaster

Monday, January 27, 2014

Primitive Modern

This set of tables began with an experiment.  The challenge was to go out to my shop and select a few scraps.  Take those scraps and assemble them.  The pieces were not even cut.  The table below is the result.


It has to be one of the strangest things I have ever built.


A bird's mouth was let into the longest leg for the top to sit on.  Then a 3/4" dowel was drilled into the throat and lashed back to the leg.


A jaunty angle.


It must be said that this table would not stand heavy use.  It best purpose may be as a display table for a sculpture of some kind.  But I like it quite a bit.  I have never really seen anything quite like it, and I am not just saying that because I built it.

It's so primitive, it's modern!



A low table of the same design.  I had more scraps, and now the primitive table has a friend!