Cool Staircase

In the San Antonio 2010 Parade of Homes, every builder will go for certain "wow" factors in their homes that showcase craftsmanship and unique design. One of ours this year will be a metal and wood stair case with open risers. In staircase language you normally deal with a few basics:

• Treads- the flat steps that you walk on
• Risers- the up and down vertical backs that you see as your walking up the stairs
• Stringers- the long run of material that leads up to the top and actually supports each individual tread
• Hand Rail- the grab rails that are used for assistance as you walk up the stairs
• Landing- sometimes there may be a midway point that is flat and allows you to stop and redirect the stairway in a different direction as shown in the above photo

I know this may sound crazy but I've probably had 5-6 meetings with different subcontractors on this detail alone. The "devil is in the details" and we like to make sure we've considered all design options to give you something really cool to look at.

We are going to have a combination wood and metal staircase that will incorporate a welder for the skeleton, custom hand rails and wooden treads that I think will create quite a buzz. It's not easy to do but that's what makes it fun. Hopefully you'll get an opportunity to come see it the first week of September when the show opens and see this remarkable work of craftsmanship for yourself.

San Antonio Parade of Homes 2010

Just a quick shot of the Mattern & FitzGerald Parade home entry just 3 weeks into construction. The home this year is going to have even more modern elements than last year, but we promise not to go too crazy. No chairs without seat backs or anything like that. If you'll notice the roof lines, the pitches are one direction in some cases and slightly lower than a more traditional roof line. A pitch means the relationship between rise and run. The Parade is going to be the first week of September, so we have about 90 days or so to finish. No pressure. Come out and see us if you get a chance, Cresta Bella is located at Camp Bullis and IH-10, just across the street from The Dominion. We are located at the top of the hill in the estate section.

Trim Color

In construction, the decorative baseboards and casing around a door opening that we use is commonly referred to as trim. There are many types of trim styles available to you. When it comes to painting them, typically you see the wall or base color one shade and then the trim color a contrasting color that stands out. A real elegant look that you can do is to paint the trim color the same color as the base color, but change the sheen. In the attached picture, we have used a base color that is flat and then painted the trim the exact same color, but painted it in egg shell. This creates a subtle variance to the eye, yet doesn't call attention to the trim as loudly. "Understated elegance" is a term I would use to describe this technique. The good news is it's cheap to do and makes a great impact. If you are contemplating doing a quick weekend remodel job, try painting the trim for instant impact.