Architectural Bling: Copper Gutters, Cedar Gables and Wood Trim

Earlier in this year, we finished off the exterior details of the house structure.

Firstly, cedar was installed in the gable ends.   The contractor worked with us to get the bell curve (under windows) just right!

Next, (much to the dismay of the family of squirrels making a home up there), the architectural trim (soffit, fascia, crown moulding, etc.) was installed.

Below is a soffit and crown moulding detail.  The space between the stone and the crown is to allow fresh air into the attic.  There are venting strips in that space to keep critters out.

We considered dark trim but decided it would give a more formal look to the house than we wanted.  After I sampled several colours and received a few 'brush outs' from the supplier, we chose Benjamin Moore Stone Hearth (CC-490).

Finally, the copper gutter was installed.  Love it!  It's currently still the warm and shiny colour, but in a few more months will oxidize to a bronze colour and in many, many, many years turn the minty green colour (think roof of parliament buildings in Ottawa).

(The first set of gutter clips put on were very ornate.  Luckily we had a first class contractor who changed them out for these simpler clips.  Much better.)

As a friend of ours put it:  "It's like jewellery for your house!" 

Reclaimed Ontario Barn Timber Porch

Our first porch is now complete.  We started the structure late last fall so we're really looking forward to using it now that the weather is starting to warm up.  Here's a look at how it all came together.

From the beginning, we planned to have a porch so we included a foundation for the concrete pad in our house plans.

After the foundation was in place (way back in 2012), the form work was placed for the concrete pad:

Next, we added a simple, low cedar deck to extend the living space adjacent to the house.  This deck was designed after the house was built - we weren't sure how high or how large we wanted it until living in the house.

For the porch structure, we contemplated building a traditional mortise and tenon timber frame structure but felt that look would be too heavy and that new timber wouldn't have the right effect.  

We decided on a traditionally framed structure, but with reclaimed wood.  After months on the hunt, we located a barn in Eastern Ontario that had posts and beams in the sizes we needed.  These were used which in addition to four posts salvaged from our old house.  

The roof trusses were also salvaged from our old house.

After the roof trusses were put in place, plywood roof decking was installed.

Next, a layer of ice and water shield was installed and finally, cedar shakes.

The final piece that the porch needs is a steel beam at the end to stabilize the structure (there is a 2" x 4" and strapping there now in above photo).

Josh designed and built this porch structure - talented guy, he is!