Built in 2006, the Collier+ Strachan House used fiber-cement siding and panels for the majority of the exterior enclosure. Unfortunately, fiber-cement trim was not really being used at that time, so the trim on the entire house was done in cedar. Cedar should last a very long time, but we found out the hard way that new cedar is not as water-resistant as old-growth cedar found in historic homes. In 2023 during my annual routine maintenance (caulking and repainting any loose or damaged trim), I discovered that the cedar trim was dissolving beneath the layer of paint around the entire house.
John and I decided that since we likely needed to remove a majority of the trim (ultimately all of the trim had to be replaced), perhaps we could make a few updates at the same time.
The small original back porch (which extended across less than half of the back of the house) was enlarged by nearly three times the original size to wrap around the west and south side of the house.
All Trim was replaced with fiber-cement trim. The entire house was recalked and repainted.
West-facing aluminum-clad windows had faded significantly in the sun, so all windows were recoated back to the original dark bronze finish.
The two river birch trees in the back yard had died, so John and I then decided we wanted to replace the landscaping in the back of the house. We designed a series of 4 large raised Corten steel planters and generated a landscape plan that extended the allée of Sweetbay Magnolia Trees from our neighbor’s yard. Their 4 trees align with our 4 trees. The balance and alignment is perfection.
Shady areas where grass often struggled were replaced with stone and porcelain pavers. New screens of weeping Norway Spruce were placed at each end of the new back porch for privacy and vertical interest.
Since the back yard was getting so much attention, it was decided to extend the Corten steel planters to the front yard too. Grassy areas around the house shrank significantly. It all came together at the end with new house numbers on a 1000 pound slab of cast stone at the end of the front sidewalk.
