Monday, August 15, 2011

One Way Or Another

Okay, if anybody is still willing to talk to me, I need some feedback! Seriously. In the photo below, you can see the gable end that I just finished running the siding on. I have put up a bit of trim but am undecided on how to finish the triangular spaces inside the trim. The other gable end of the house, opposite this one, has a gable vent, which you can see in another photo. This end of the house has vaulted ceilings so therefore, no attic or vent. I am not trying to make this look like a vent but rather just replicate a similar repetition of lines. Maybe.


Below you can see the actual gable vent. Now, one suggestion was that I continue to run the siding but ripped down into more narrow strips and allow only about a 3 inch reveal (the siding has a 7" reveal). This would repeat the lines of the vent.
Another suggestion was to completely forget siding there and run either sheet metal, similar to what is on my roof, or maybe even ceramic tile, which might have a design on it.



One thought was that if I made tile for this area, maybe I could take a small section of this pattern in the metal beam and repeat it in the tiles. If done right it might also vaguely resemble the rays of the sun, which I like. It is a passive solar house after all.



So, what do ya'll think? Any ideas? Also, look back at the first photo: now, should I paint the trim, that is light green now, the cedar color of the rafters or the red, like the gable vent in the next picture? Or just leave it like it is? The siding will be painted the light sage color, I just haven't gotten that far yet and it is still showing the grey primer.

11 comments:

sel said...

I vote the same red as the vent. Keeps continuity going.

fishy said...

Good Morning,
You sure are doing a great job with your home. My vote would be a combination. I like the vent/trim combination you have. I think to replicate this design element is a great option.

Because your ceramic/tile work is, like your home, reflective of your talents why not incorporate these design elements into your house?
That gable end is LARGE.
If the faux vent and the trim are painted the same sagey green as the siding, couldn't you make a ceramic piece to mount central to the gable space, maybe octagonal or oval and trimmed out like a non operative window? This would make your ceramic work more visible and you could scale the piece to be proportional to the gable.

TMI
Have a delightful day

newcracker52 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
newcracker52 said...

Hey Annie,
How about a stained glass window there? That would look cool. The one you made for the bathroom was beautiful. with your passive heat design , it might set it off. Either color would look great on your trim, but I like red. Jim

Ed said...

I was thinking tile to make it looked like stained glass. But then, I have never been told I have taste when it comes to decorating so take it with a grain of salt.

Rich said...

How difficult would it be to actually install and maintain tilework on an exterior wall high up on a gable?

I'd vote for making it match the vent.

Or, figure out some way to make something out of metal to match your metal beam patterns. Although keeping rust from running down the wall from the metalwork might cause even more headaches than trying to maintain tile.

Jenn said...

"ripped down into more narrow strips and allow only about a 3 inch reveal" and then paint the red. Easy on the eyes, easy on the manufacture.

There's not enough up there to go to the trouble of a 'special' finish like the steel design. Save that energy for areas that will have real impact. (although I understand the value in little surprises, too.)

MamaHen said...

Hey Everybody!! Thanks so much for your ideas! I appreciate them all. I wanted to wait before I really commented on any of them until I was sure most anybody that wanted to comment had. Didn't want to influence anybody's opinion any ya know.
So, if anybody else wants to put their 2 cents in still, please do!

Island Rider said...

I agree with Jen. Do the simpliest thing that you can live with and then, put your energy into something that you will really notice.

MamaHen said...

Hey IR! point taken! thanks for commenting!

Woody said...

I like the stained glass option.