Our Home - Part 3
When the subfloor was down, I moved onto the window trim. I really wanted drywall returns for some of the windows. A drywall return is a technique used in construction to finish the edge of a window opening where the drywall or plaster meets the window frame. Instead of using timber casings which are somewhat decorative, a drywall return is used to create a smooth and seamless transition between the two materials.
Timber window trim costs more than drywall, but are easier to install and more durable, however, for a few of the windows its just not an option. The big window in our office, is one example. It was meant to bridge the brick of the original house with the wood siding of the extension. Some designers believe that it is important to keep the integrity of the original house and create an extension that looks like it was there all along. Most of the time, I would agree, but this house wasn’t a stellar design to begin with. We were challenged to design an extension that was fresh and modern without it being too obvious where the old house stops and the new begins. By placing the window directly at the brick, there would be no need for additional exterior finishes.
In order to make this work we had to measure the outside brick wall to the what-would-be outside of the siding, and the soffit to the flashing. Covid delays meant that we had to have our window orders in long before we started building, so measuring on-site wasn’t an option. Once the window was in, it was a pretty good fit, but the design meant that the interior wall was brick, and not the good kind. Our contractor came up with the plan to essentially glue a sheet of drywall onto the brick so that the wall didn’t come out further than the window. I heard the drywall guys talking about the contractor as they were doing it. Saying that he always does weird stuff they never do for any other contractors. Nice! That’s my kind of contractor.
Long story short: With one wall running strait into the window frame, it didn’t make sense to trim the other three sides. I also did drywall returns on the mudroom door for its minimal look. And drywall returns on the sliding door to the garden because, to save money we kept the original PVC door, and it’s so awful looking that I don’t want it accentuated by a frame. Ditto for the powder room.
Building the returns was a little tricky. I shimmed out from the studs with various sized 2x4 pieces, picked up some free lengths of drywall strips from Home Depo, used corner beads and mudded and sanded like an amateur. If you’ve ever seen a drywaller work, you might think it looks like an easy job. It’s not. It’s an art and it takes a lot of practice to get a wall smooth and flawless. It took awhile, but it’s done and looks pretty good.
Then I painted… everywhere. I painted whole house.
To be continued…