A Victorian-style turret, or tower, is probably the most prominent homebuilding feature that most people picture in their minds when they think Victorian architecture. They may not necessarily know what it's called...for instance, they may say..."that really cool looking round tower thingy", but a turret, or tower, is what likely comes to mind. The Victorian home that I watched Bonner Custom Homes construct over a 16 month period has some very happy homeowners living in … [Read more...]
I've posted a gazillion photos of different styles of coffered ceilings in past posts (more here in the ever popular built in bookshelves post), but none quite as grand as the one I'm about to show you now. This particular coffered ceiling looms a full 12 feet over the floor of the great room (aka, big family room) of this full-blown Victorian home. It is magnificent to see in person. You may not get that chance so here's your next best shot. … [Read more...]
Barrel vaulted ceilings are yet another ceiling style that typical builders don't attempt to incorporate into traditional homes. Custom homes are where you'll typically find them and I've got a couple of examples of barrel vault ceilings on tap... ready to show you right here and now. If you have a keen interest in different ceiling styles for homes, stay tuned. I'll be putting up a few posts over the next couple of weeks showcasing varying styles from a couple of different homes but … [Read more...]
Undoubtedly one of the most overlooked features, or should I say building materials, used for this Victorian home is the smooth 3/4" solid cypress lap siding. One of the interesting things I found out several months ago after talking to Rhett Bonner was that true Victorian architecture calls for the lap siding to create deep shadow lines. Remember...back when they were building Victorian homes, all siding being used was solid wood and it was not a mere 5/16", as is available … [Read more...]
Roofing...how boring...right? Wrong!!! Not when you're talking about the fine craftsmanship of a Vermont black slate roofing installation. That's exactly what I'm about to share with you. The installation occurred at the Victorian home I've been visiting while under construction.This slate roof was no small task to complete. They used somewhere in the range of 100 square of Vermont black slate. That's a LOT of slate to have to install on a private residence! … [Read more...]
If you're looking for a gallery of images showing a Victorian style chimney and chimney pots, I think this post might fit the bill. I've also included quite a few pictures of chimney pots of various styles that are very interesting.The chimney and chimney pot photos that you'll see in the gallery were taken in a couple of separate visits I made recently at the construction site of the immense Victorian home that I am featuring over the next few weeks-to-months. I was not present for the … [Read more...]
Can't believe I'm saying this, but today I'm going to talk about butts...classic butts...to be specific. No kidding. I'm sure my mother is shaking her head and if my brother, Chris, is reading this...well...let's just say that sort of humor is right up his alley, but I'm not going to go there. Think I'm kidding? Look at the photo (found below). See! What I'm really talking about are clear heartwood, western red cedar, classic fish-scale butts (shingles).Classic fish-scale shingles (butts) … [Read more...]
Everyone knows how devastating a lightning strike can be. Protecting your home from a powerful lightning strike could save your life, the lives of your family members, your home, its' contents and electrical components that keep it up and running. How do you prevent a lightning strike on your home? The answer is..."you can't prevent a lightning strike", but you can certainly nullify or minimize the damaging effects of a lightning strike by having a lightning protection system … [Read more...]
I've revisited the Victorian home that's under construction and there is so much to report that I will need to take baby steps to get things started. That having been said, I think a good place to start would be the oval-shaped, iron foundation / crawl space vents that lace the front porch masonry below the porch. They are unusual, to say the least, but well within keeping of the Victorian architectural style of the house (and they look fantastic). They were suggested to the owners by the … [Read more...]
There's a new home on the horizon that's currently under construction and it's going to be a 'beaut'! The style of the home will showcase Victorian style architecture as it was intended. It's being built by Bonner Custom Homes on a lot once occupied by two-50's brick ranch style homes. Those two homes were demolished to make way for this very large project for the new owner.Regular readers might recognize the Bonner Custom Homes brand from my extensive coverage of the English cottage-style home … [Read more...]
Connect with us