Living Room to wood stove and view - New Cottage in the Woods with Rick Bernard.

Final Thoughts

I’m at a point where some of my on-going thoughts are actually about other than New Cottage concerns, pursuing other construction jobs, and personal issues such as health care and physical fitness. For over a year it would seem that I was truly preoccupied with well drilling, permits, design, road construction, financing, and the building…

Living Room toward window and sky lights - New Cottage in the Woods with Rick Bernard.

Awakening

We are at the point where all of the previous selections and decisions are coming in harmony. Before this we were looking at the different aspects individually, now the full orchestra is assembling. The different instruments are tuning up, and WOW. We are also at the final stages where all of the individual hidden problems…

Doors - wood trim details on top of door - New Cottage in the Woods with Rick Bernard

Total Color Coordination Required

Things have changed for my approach to interior design over the last 35 years. I remember the first speculation home I built in Hillsboro. I did it myself and used orange shag rug, and whatever color the painter had in the back of his truck for that home. It was okay then as we lived…

Kitchen Stove and Cabinets - New Cottage in the Woods with Rick Bernard

Unexpected / Unanticipated Magic in My New Home

I find it a little difficult to admit to the absolutely unplanned magic in my new home. Six months ago I had a logger friend of mine haul off 5 to 6 tree trunks to his portable saw mill to create some veneers to skin the glu laminated beams exposed in my great room ceiling.…

Kitchen Faucet - auto-sensor - New Cottage in the Woods with Rick Bernard

Some Assembly Required. . .

I am at the stage where some of the systems that were installed months ago are coming to life. There is almost always a 30 to 40 page instruction manual written in 50 international languages to go with every house I build. Swell. Just give me the basics to get me started so I can…

What Do You Have In Your Drawers?

I have been involved in designing the cabinetry for “New Cottage” for the past month. Like a kind of play, I’ve been relying heavily on the rehearsal processes for my new life style in the New Cottage in the Woods. As I go through my day-to-day activities, I imagine the process I would take to…

View of the main windows in the living area overlooking the Tualitin Valley- New Cottage in the Woods.

Interior Design Coordination Decisions

Interior design and coordination seem basics enough and easy, right? If done well, I can honestly say that the end result is a spectacular home, a symphony of music from the envelope of warmth upon entering, through the hallways and rooms, one melding into the other, even the bathrooms are a part of the whole…

New Cottage in the Woods - Rick Bernard - Construction - Sheet Rock Stage dryers and heaters.

Buttoning Up the House

We finally have permanent power installed to the cottage. With a few job recess lights and plugged in the electric heaters to help dry out the final costs of sheet rock mud on the wall seams, and what a change! There is a feeling of warmth which I’ve never experienced in any of the interior…

New Cottage in the Woods - Sheet rock litters the floor.

A Bomb Exploded In My House!

This particular stage of the build process is absolutely one of the most difficult to tolerate. You can’t even walk around in the home. The floor is covered with debris. Welcome to the nailing of the sheet rock. Couple this disaster with generally an inability to communicate with the nailing crew. This is a tough…