Previous collaborations with designers and architects have helped us earn a reputation for premium quality and hard work. This reputation also helps us secure unique jobs and referrals.
This year we had the opportunity to bid on one such unique project designed by ‘CTX Architecture’. At first glance it looked like a simple cedar bay window, however looks can be deceiving!
CTX, along with the homeowners, did a fantastic job designing this feature. The design was quite complex, including requirements for the shelving to be adjustable and the lid for the back compartment be flush as to not interfere with the cushion. They had a good idea of how they needed the space to function and the items they wanted to store, so we had to ensure that the size and spacing was precise.
The first point of business was to consider the structure of the wood sub-frame so that it could support anyone who sat or even stood on it. Building the piece was very intricate. Laying out and fabricating the sub-frame was a major part of the project. It was important to get the sub-frame placement right so that every other component landed in a precise spot, as well as insuring the piece fit into the bay window properly when installed.
We then recorded the correct angles from the existing wall and transferred them to the sub-frame. This step is one we check several times over before cutting in order to ensure correct measurement.
We wanted to create a piece that looked aesthetically perfect, so another key feature we added was the ‘bread board ends’. It’s a small bit of joinery but we felt it added a pleasing visual by changing the direction of the grain.
Finally, with so many other wooden features in the room we wanted to guarantee that the new bay window matched. Colour matching can be very tricky, particularly with cedar. Luckily we are very good at wood staining, and have great staining products available to us that are difficult for the normal consumer to source.
The majority of the cedar currently used is solid Virginia cedar, with some parts being Virginia cedar plywood. In order to replicate the traditional Bermuda cedar look, we had to colour out the majority of the white checks found in the Virginia cedar. First we used a wood toner (not a stain) to deepen the colour of the Virginia cedar, which is typically very red as the tree is fast growing. Bermuda cedar naturally matures slower, and their fore has a deeper brown-red coloration (occasionally you can see the colour purple in the grain). Once we finished the toner application we coloured out the white checks and proceeded to build up the lacquer finish.
Overall it took approximately 3 weeks to complete the process from fabrication to finishing to installation. We believe that the cedar bay window is a very handsome home design feature, and we were thrilled to be recommended to build it. Hats off to the team at CTX Architecture for a job well done, and we look forward to working with their designs again.