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French Quarter House


Kells

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I had a thread about this on the General Mini Talk page but as with my Colonial gambrel house, I'm just not comfortable having constant updates to my threads bump everyone else's posts out of the way. I feel so... rude? You may already have read some of what I'm going to say here.

Anyway, I'm working on my French Quarter house simultaneously with the gambrel. Probably have bitten off more than I can chew at one time! It helps me to bounce to another project if I get frustrated with some aspect of the other. Is anyone else like that?

Gallery (such as it is at the moment) is here:

Below is what the house is supposed to look like. Very pretty but it's been done. My Photoshop mock-up is what I hope to turn it into. So far so good! The milled-in clapboard simply vanished beneath a belt sander. I was okay with some slight waviness where the clapboard had been but hubby is a perfectionist. He got it smooth as glass. It doesn't even require spackle! I can just go ahead and prime it now.

Like the gambrel, I am going to attempt to add a rear piece to enclose this and make it front-opening. The gambrel can handle it. The wood on that is nearly 3/4" thick plywood. I'm pretty iffy on this one though. It's MDF. I am NOT A FAN. Not sure how that's going to hold screws or hold up to piano hinges. The front is pretty light but with columns and a porch? I dunno. Anyone ever done it?

As always, I welcome all ideas, comments, suggestions, criticisms, or just shootin' the breeze.

Lincoln_House01.jpg

French Quarter Photoshop Mock-up.jpg

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No fan of MDF here, either, but I believe most, if not all of the DHE dollhouse kits are made of MDF, and they're all front opening, so they must hold hinges.  I wish MikeUK were still an active Forum member, and could answer your question.

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1 hour ago, havanaholly said:

No fan of MDF here, either, but I believe most, if not all of the DHE dollhouse kits are made of MDF, and they're all front opening, so they must hold hinges.  I wish MikeUK were still an active Forum member, and could answer your question.

That is helpful, thank you. I knew DHE uses MDF and that their houses are hinged and front-opening but hadn't thought of that. What's really funny is that I was on DHE's site less than 12 hours ago and it never occurred to me!

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Not putting this into the gallery because this was just me messing around. I forgot I even did this when I created my mock-ups. This would be so easy to do. Just add a fairly simple box underneath the house, have the door enter into a central staircase hall that goes up to the home above, add a pre-made shop front or two from DHE . . .

I've never had a shop before, except for a Tudor pewter shop I inherited that I am not in love with. I could see a Royal Street Michalopoulos art gallery on one side, maybe a little antique shop on the other. Or even put the door to one side and have a bigger shop/gallery occupying most of the street level.

I have to stop myself from getting carried away on projects! Somebody reign me in.

French Quarter with Shops.jpg

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One of the Vieux Carre shops I remember was a wee gallery that carried a lot of Erte's work and had a TV monitor in the window that played a loop of the artist at work casting.  I hate to think of all that lovely brickwork covered by some really cruddy paint color, though.

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20 hours ago, havanaholly said:

I hate to think of all that lovely brickwork covered by some really cruddy paint color, though.

All the grays I tried sure qualified as cruddy, I wouldn't argue about that! I think the parchment color with the green shutters looks pretty good though.

My only complaint is that the shutters cover up so much of the brick. The shutters on the windows to either side of the door practically butt up against the door frame. You can see maybe 1/8" brick between them, if that. I mocked it up without the shutters thinking I'd just leave them off. Nope. They're an architectural element that add visual interest. The facade is too busy with them, too barren without. Ya just can't win sometimes!

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1 hour ago, Kells said:

All the grays I tried sure qualified as cruddy, I wouldn't argue about that! I think the parchment color with the green shutters looks pretty good though.

My only complaint is that the shutters cover up so much of the brick. The shutters on the windows to either side of the door practically butt up against the door frame. You can see maybe 1/8" brick between them, if that. I mocked it up without the shutters thinking I'd just leave them off. Nope. They're an architectural element that add visual interest. The facade is too busy with them, too barren without. Ya just can't win sometimes!

  .Image result for pictures of new orleans shutters

I think that you will find that in the French Quarter. Really like what you are doing!

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Hi Kells!

I am watching your projects with a lot of interest.  I lived in the FQ for 15+ years (just moved uptown 1.5 years ago) and am in that neighborhood at least once a week.  You seem to be on target with your plans!  I love the Hermann-Grima and Gallier houses.  They are great sources of inspiration.  Let me know if you need any photos of places or architectural items as I would love to just wander around taking pictures.

Matt

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12 hours ago, jrchob said:

  .Image result for pictures of new orleans shutters

I think that you will find that in the French Quarter. Really like what you are doing!

That is a helpful picture, thank you! I notice architectural details but I never paid much attention to what was behind them, i.e.; no brick is showing. I'm also happy to see that dentil moulding and how the underside of the gallery is planked.

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7 hours ago, madtex1967 said:

Hi Kells!

I am watching your projects with a lot of interest.  I lived in the FQ for 15+ years (just moved uptown 1.5 years ago) and am in that neighborhood at least once a week.  You seem to be on target with your plans!  I love the Hermann-Grima and Gallier houses.  They are great sources of inspiration.  Let me know if you need any photos of places or architectural items as I would love to just wander around taking pictures.

Matt

That is very generous offer Matt! You don't need to take pictures of this but I do have a question you may be able to answer. See pic below. What is that oval shape I highlighted in red? I assume a vent to keep moisture from building up in the foundations so rot doesn't set in?

I've seen some antique oval-shaped bronze buttons I think will work to duplicate those in miniature. Haven't found just the right size and shape yet - sort of far down on my list of priorities - but it's a detail I want to add because they seem to be on most houses in the Quarter.

French Quarter Shotgun.jpg

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1 hour ago, Kells said:

What is that oval shape I highlighted in red? I assume a vent to keep moisture from building up in the foundations so rot doesn't set in?

Yep. Air vent. 

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4 hours ago, KathieB said:

Yep. Air vent. 

Thank you Kathie. I couldn't imagine what else it could be, but I don't think I've seen those anywhere but New Orleans. Or I just haven't been paying attention (that's the most likely!).

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3 hours ago, Kells said:

Thank you Kathie. I couldn't imagine what else it could be, but I don't think I've seen those anywhere but New Orleans. Or I just haven't been paying attention (that's the most likely!).

I can't recall seeing the ornate oval design elsewhere, either;. most foundation vents are rectangular and not nearly so pretty.  Some houses are  open on all sides, but more finished houses have some kind of skirting, sometimes latticework, sometimes solid walls with vents. Google "foundation vents New Orleans" images for some nice detailed pictures.

Lloyd's aunt Louise, who is now nearly 90, says she and her cousins used to play under the house, where it was shady and cool during the hot NOLA summers. She and a cousin were curious about the birth of another cousin that was taking place. They were banished from the house, so they crept under it, thinking to spy on the home birth through cracks in the flooring. They were disappointed that the cracks in the bedroom floor were not large enough for them to see anything. :D 

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1 hour ago, Sable said:

The only thing I can envision under that house is snakes.

Maybe under that particular house, but try to replace the image with chickens under better kept houses. :) It was a good place to keep the chickens. 

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Nice close-up pictures in that Google search. I've walked by hundreds of those but never stooped down to have a closer look. This is the first time I've seen that they have open grilles. They look solid in pictures and in person. Probably the grilles are all gunked up, which kind of defeats the purpose of having them. Nice story about the floorboard cracks Kathie, lol.

Snakes don't bother me. Spiders are another story. You couldn't pay me to crawl under there!

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On 8/2/2019, 5:31:46, Kells said:

That is very generous offer Matt! You don't need to take pictures of this but I do have a question you may be able to answer. See pic below. What is that oval shape I highlighted in red? I assume a vent to keep moisture from building up in the foundations so rot doesn't set in?

I've seen some antique oval-shaped bronze buttons I think will work to duplicate those in miniature. Haven't found just the right size and shape yet - sort of far down on my list of priorities - but it's a detail I want to add because they seem to be on most houses in the Quarter.

French Quarter Shotgun.jpg

Yep, Kathie beat me to it.  Most of these decorative air vents are on the front/street side of a house with the side and back being open as the house will be setting on piers.  As said before, it allows for good air circulation and the area under the house to be kept cool and dry.

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