Monday, August 22, 2016

Glass House Progress




Fits and Starts.....


I warned you, Dear Readers, that the Glass House walls were not attached and would fall over at the drop of a pin! Well, here you can see the parts in the early morning light... all tumbled around! I resolved that the best way forward with this project was going to be to attach the walls together while still making the framework removable from the base for all the painting fitting and trim work. And I thought it would be best to add the first coat of primer to the interior before assembling the walls. Because the plywood is thin but not too thin, (one quarter inch thick to be precise) I decided that the strongest method of attaching these pieces would be to screw them together with small screws. And while I was drilling all those screw holes, I could also be attaching the door hinges! Of course, I forgot to take any pictures of so many boring steps fits and starts!

Here you can see the basic framework is screwed together 
wherever the walls touch each other.
And there are my favorite hinges!
(I know they are a tiny bit large for this scale, 
but they will be getting a lot of use so I want them to be sturdy!)

Here is a slightly closer shot!
And before I went any further, I needed to cut out the pieces for the roof sections, 
also relying on the plywood "wall with a window cut into it" method.


Here you can see the two sections have been cut and the hinges attached.

And from the rear, opening side... (sorry it is a dark shot!)
I had to carefully trim the side of the roof frame 
to be able to swing open past the roof eaves of The Folly.
(Lots of fits and starts!)
And there will need to be an awkward roof line 
on the corner next to The Folly wall 
where the roof passes the window frame.

Here the framework has been removed for painting.....
primer then first coats of dark blue for the exterior.

And testing the structure in place..... 
is it too dark?
(Or is it jut the night?)
The frames on the windows will be the light blue, 
and the interior will all be the light blue.... 


Here it is in the morning light... with the light blue interior....

Perhaps I just need to get used to it!
 
 
Paining the many window frame pieces......

Gluing window frames together.....
(Sorry it is so dark again!)

And Gluing the window frames to the openings!
(Even more fits and starts!)
I had hoped to get at least One of the windows completed 
with glass panes, Dear Readers, 
but the glass cutting was not a smooth operation!
I only had a few small pieces to work with,
 and all my attempts were crooked "breaks" 
so the pieces were unusable.
(Way too many Starts and Fits!)
I will have to start fresh with a large pane of glass 
and plenty of "practice" material!

Here I am testing it in place again.....
Just when I was getting used to the dark blue.... 
the light blue frames change the whole look!
Of course, the dividers for the windows are not in place,
 nor is the glass, and the roof section will be divided too....
so there are plenty of parts that will change the look 
of the whole before it is done.

I guess it is still much too soon to judge....
and I do want the colors to be basically the same
 as those used on the Main House.

Here you can sort of see the interior through the back roof view....
(sorry! another dark shot!)

I guess it's still too soon to tell how it will look, Dear Readers,
But at any rate, through lots of Fits and Starts, 
Some Progress has been made!

23 comments:

  1. Hello Betsy,
    I think it is coming together beautifully. I for one like the color choice. It is the same palette as the house but still stands out like most glasses houses do. Should you not be happy with it, did you ever consider switching the 2 shades of blue. Maybe you would prefer the paler blue for the structure and the darker blue for the frame. Another idea might be to faux finish it to look like metal...or maybe a paler shade of the wall color...sorry, I'm just going on and on...
    It is really coming along and I can't wait to see more.
    Big hug
    Giac

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    1. Hi Giac! I am glad you like the colors! I really want to stay with the colors of The Folly, and I think I will like the over-all balance better when the windows have all their muntins added! But that is still a couple of steps ahead! So stay tuned!

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  2. In your opening shot, I thought that a materials manufacturer had been to the Folly and off-loaded the materials on-site for the construction crew to assemble in the morning! I checked the photo first to see if there were any mini hardhats in the area before I dived in to begin reading your post! :D

    I agree with you that it is hard to make a final decision while everything is still unfinished. I love your idea of carrying the same color pallet over onto the glass house, and after reading Giac's suggestion of reversing them I think that I would try out a mock up just to see, because your Folly is light with dark trim and if the colors on your glass house were reversed it would carry that part of the theme over too.
    Meanwhile, I am giving you 2 THUMBS WAY UP for your Brilliant solution for the hinged roof! I only just clued in that this structure is entirely enclosed and so getting inside would otherwise pose quite the problem.
    KUDOS for MORE of your ingenious problem solving Betsy!

    I can already see ivy scaling the brick walls and crawling across the glass house making it a secret little hideaway; a peaceful retreat from the outside world. :D

    elizabeth

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    1. Hi Elizabeth! Thank you for your vote of confidence on this little structure! It is posing more challenges than I thought it would! (I wish I had the little hard-hat guys here doing the construction! LOL!) I am holding to my initial "vision" with the colors... I think they will look more balanced when the windows are all completed. Meanwhile I can only dream about the ivy... and the Roses!!! (And the lilacs and the peonies.....!)

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  3. Hi Betsy! The glass house is coming nicely together, I know that it's a lot of work. Regarding the color: can you still change the colors? Maybe you can use the color of the walls of the Main house for the walls of the glass house and than you can paint the windows light blue with the darker blue? Anyway, you really have to decide this for yourself.....I think it's a hard decision, huh ;)!?
    Regarding the hinged roof, that's fantastic! It's also well thought, because on this way you can always reach the inside of the glass house. I bet that the whole glass house will look brilliant after it's done and that will take some time.
    Warm hugs, Ilona

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    1. Hi Ilona! I have thought of trying the walls of the glass house with the same "melon" color of The Folly walls... but there is room for only one "trim" color with the walls and I would have to choose between the dark and light blue... Right now I am relying on the idea that the "Glass House" is all windows and no walls... so the wall color is the one I have dropped if you see what I mean! I think it will look more balanced when the windows are all done! And the hinged roof is the only way inside... and has made quite a few "engineering" challenges! But I think it will work in the end!

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  4. hi betsy
    I like the look of the glass house, great job so far I dont think anyone will notice the hindges

    hugs
    Marisa :)

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    1. Hi Marisa! I have cleverly "disguised" the hinges with paint! LOL! I am glad you like it! :)

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  5. I like the overall shape of the structure. Looking forward to seeing your progress!

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    1. Thanks Troy! There are quite a few "technical" details to be worked out still! But I think it will all work in the end.

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  6. Consider the phrase, "fits and starts." Why fits? What kind of fits? Do you need a fit in order to start? How to stop? Just curious. I do think the dark blue trim on the conservatory door is a little prominent. It's a glass structure - it should be light & floaty. No?
    Sorry I'm late, as usual, with my comment -
    Lots of love, Mom

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    1. Well, if you saw how many times things "fell over" while I was trying to figure out how all the pieces should "Fit" together.... you would better understand all the "fits and starts"! (And I was trying to be Punny.....)

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  7. It's always great when you're celebrating your deep devotion and passion for hinges... ;O) Wonderful work so far, I like the idea of picking up the colors of the main house - although I too wonder if this isn't a bit too much of the dark blue in the front. But I know for sure - there fill be a true "Fit!" in the end!

    Hugs
    Birgit

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    1. Dear Birgit, you Understand my devotion to Hinges!!! LOL! I would be lost without them! And I think you will agree when I show the end result of the colors debate.... the balance in the end will look better when the windows are all completed... plus I have added another color to the recipe...!:) And in the end it better all "fit" together ... or I will be having real "fits"! LOL!

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  8. Oh I thought I had already commented but can't see it anymore. Anyway, wanted to say I like how it's coming together. I do adore the colour blue but it might be a bit too dominant. Maybe switch it around? Can't wait for the next stage!
    Hugs,
    veronique

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    1. Hi Veronique! I think you will agree with the next steps... I have added more colors... (who would have guessed that?!) And in the end I think the dark blue will be better balanced by the lighter blue when the windows have all their muntins added. It is never a good idea to panic too early in the process of building up the colors! If I still don't like it when it is ALL done.... that is soon enough to change the plan!

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  9. Hi, Betsy - I'm sorry for my belated comments on your glass house posts. (In fact, I think I missed the last one altogether.) We've been at our Sandhills home for about ten days and have no internet access there. But what a treat to return and catch up on the progress you've made on your wonderful (and complex) glass house. It's turning out beautifully, and what a good job you're making of it. I love the color scheme; the dark blue on the glass house seems to enrich the same blue on the main house, and the light blue (which I love) is such a perfect accent color. I'm so excited to see the finished windows, with glass and muntins. Good luck on all the re-cuts on the glass; I hope it goes well.
    Marjorie

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    1. Hi Marjorie! I am glad you had a chance for a Summer Escape! The colors needed to be the same as the ones on The Folly... so it is all about making them balance. I am glad you like it! I am beginning to question my sanity about wanting real glass!!!

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  10. That is very clever. Was it not a bit of a maths test working out all the angles? It fits in wonderfully well with the rest of the building - and I love your gate and arch.

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    1. Hi Irene! I used the "make a template" kind of math! LOL! I simply traced the shape of The Folly roof angles (it is an equilateral triangle!) and duplicated it for the little glass house. Everything else was just "make it fit the space"! Up close you can see my wiggly lines from the saw cuts. But I do think it makes the whole place look more "grand"!

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