Carriage House Update: Specs

I can't even believe I'm typing this, but our carriage house build starts on MONDAY.  As in, six days from today.  We've been saving and planning for so long, it's immensely gratifying to know that in one short week, we will have a new structure in the backyard.  We are working with an Amish builder in the area (more on them later), who will deliver part of the carriage house in pre-fabricated pieces (think "WIDE LOAD" down the Pennsylvania Turnpike).  The rest of the structure will be built on site.  In eager anticipation of the upcoming build, I thought I would share some of the design specifications with you today...

 

We've decided to paint the building a warm shade of pale gray.  I wanted something more gray-tan, Dave wanted a color that felt more gray-silver.  In the end, we chose Benjamin Moore's "Gray Owl" OC-52, which in my opinion is the best shade of gray-tan (haha).  The trim will be painted in a bright white, and the shutters and side door will be black-- both paint colors will be provided by the builder.  After a great debate over roofing materials, we decided to go with architectural shingles in a classic black.  We had once considered using slate shingles (or faux slate), since that's what our home originally had in the 1890s.  But, the EXTREMELY high price tag made us take a closer look.  We came to the conclusion that architectural shingles are just fine for us (however, if you have faux slate shingles, please share your review in the comments!  I'm dying to know how they hold up).




We will be building hipped dormers, rather than the gable dormers, and we're still thrilled with this impulsive decision.  Each one will hold two windows, so there should be lots of light on the second floor (should we decide to convert it into a guest house someday).  We will be building a small cupola because we just have to have one of those.  And, while we're at it, let's install a weather vane with an eagle on it, mmmkay? :)

In terms of lighting, I looked high and low for the perfectly affordable large square lantern.  The lanterns add so much interest to the front elevation of the carriage house, it was important that we selected something good.  This guy is perfect:

World Imports, Sutton Collection 4-Light Outdoor Wall Sconce

 

I love the square silhouette and dark finish.  The scale is good, measuring almost 22" high by 12" wide.  I'm not sure how much I love that seedy glass, but I'm going for it anyway.  In addition to three of these lanterns, we'll also be installing something simple over the side door.  I found this fixture at HomeDepot.com and I kind of love it...

 

180-Degree Outdoor Motion-Sensing Wall Lantern-HB48017MP-237 at The Home Depot

 

Dave and I haven't officially agreed on this piece yet, but I think it could be perfect. It's simple enough and the best part is that it's MOTION SENSING. Love that. Also, it's cheap.  What do ya think?

UPDATE:  We definitely will NOT be selecting this light fixture.  Thanks to your wonderful comments (and poor reviews of this product!), we can see that we'll need to select something else.  Bummer.

 

 

Finally, to dress up the entry, we'll be flanking the garage doors with three large square black planters (positioned under each lantern).  I like this option from Grandin Road...

 

 

Powder Coated Box Planter in Black

 

 

We've also considered building our own planters, or buying something like this and painting it.  Another good option would be to go with a fiberglass "zinc look-a-like".  Or, zinc itself.  We'll see.  That won't happen right away.

Six more days...

 

 

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