Based in Alameda, Buestad Construction has proudly contributed to the growth of local community resources for 75 years. This work included building a new Alameda Public Golf Clubhouse in 1958.
In the striking facility, “natural building materials were left exposed” which “not only reduced construction costs but achieved an eye-pleasing design” says the vintage case study (see image of original document).
We recently stopped by the busy and thriving golf course, now named Corica Park. The building is clearly still serving the community (see our photos) and many of the original architectural elements are still beautifully present, albeit with some alterations to the interiors over time.
More about the golf course: coricapark.com/history
We can also report that the Reuben sandwich at Jim’s on the Course is super tasty.
Arana has proudly partnered with Buestad on their projects and are happy to highlight them as a featured industry colleague!
You may be surprised to learn that there are no “Victorians” in Alameda.
We are as guilty as anyone, talking about homes in our portfolio (in Alameda and other parts of the Bay Area) and using that term.
According to historian Dennis Evanofsky, who regularly leads architectural walking tours in Alameda and Oakland, there are no Victorians.
However there are many “Victorian-era” homes, a category comprised of seven distinct styles, which are, in chronological order of appearance: Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Stick (also called Stick-Eastlake), Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, and Craftsman.
As a sidenote: Who knew that “Craftsman” homes are considered Victorian-era? We did not! We are, however, proud that our craftsmen and craftswomen have restored, stained, and painted numerous homes from this historic period, which was marked by a high level of skilled artisan output and attention to fine detail.
If you like to nerd out on architecture like we do, we highly recommend Dennis’s walking tours, sponsored by the Alameda Post (calendar and registration, here: alamedapost.com/tours). He also provides this service for historical architecture in Oakland. Website: evanosky.info
Another option for diving deep INSIDE some of these elegant structures is The Alameda Architectural Preservation Society’s annual Legacy Home Tour. This year is the 50th anniversary of the tour, which invites folks into several local treasures that have been caringly stewarded by their current owners. Tickets are required for entry. Date and time: September 17, 2023, 10am – 4pm. Info: alameda-legacy-home-tour.org
AAPS notes, “Alameda is blessed with over 4000 buildings on the Historic Study list, including many architectural styles. Our organization helps homeowners and business people appreciate the historic nature of their properties and learn restoration techniques that help bring buildings back to their original splendor.”
The tour also features a festive gathering in Franklin Park with vendors and activities. For people who really want to go all-in on the event, you can sign up to be a volunteer docent, which also gains you free admission to the tour as well as an invitation to a special owners and docents dinner that evening at the Elks Lodge. Email AAPS lead Denise Brady to sign up: [email protected]
Longtime readers of our newsletter may recall an article we wrote a few years ago after having painted a particularly “gingerbread” festooned Victorian-era home.
Decoration during that era was not just about beauty, but also had meaning for the designers, and sometimes a spiritualist component. Read more here: craftsmanpainters.com/blog/anatomy-of-a-victorian-the-not-so-secret-symbolism-of-decoration
NOTE: All homes featured in the images accompanying this article were painted by Arana
What is the “Color of the Year” and why is it relevant? Is there just one? Under the heading of nothing is as simple as it sounds, there are multiple answers to these questions. Color of the Year, as announced by the Pantone company annually in December, is a relatively new phenomenon that began not that long ago, in 2000.
Pantone’s annual announcement doesn’t just relate to house painting, but rather is an analysis of past color trends in industries including fashion, marketing, and business, as well as the mood of the culture, influences in the environment, for products and design, and a prediction (although some would say, this announcement drives rather than foretells the market) of what color will be relevant for the coming year.
This annual event originated as Pantone’s way to generate excitement about color. And the paint companies soon followed suit, announcing their own colors of the year. Basically, it’s all about marketing and P.R. But it’s also A LOT of fun to witness the reveals.
The color for 2023, according to Pantone, is a bright, deep almost-red: Viva Magenta. Read more about this selection in our Color Trends 2023 guide.
At Arana, we like to use the annual announcements as an opportunity to reflect on the jobs in our portfolio where that color has been successful for us in the past. While we have not yet had a homeowner or designer spec Viva Magenta for the walls, Anastasia Faella artfully (and presciently) highlighted this color years ago in her award-winning interior design for a Victorian-era home in San Francisco.
Design innovatrix Noz Nozawa of Noz Design went all out with colors that are close to this shade, if not including it, in her inter-stellar contribution to the 2023 San Francisco Decorator Showcase home, “Reflections on Stardust.” Her movie-room with wet bar and wine cellar sings in a whole universe of bright, rich, deep hues.
Design credit: Noz Design. Photo credit: Christopher Stark. See more images at: nozdesign.com/showcase2023
For a fun comparison, note this image of a cochineal beetle which played a huge part in the visuals for Pantone’s announcement, website, and press materials:
In addition to reporting on Pantone’s announcement, our Color of the Year guide also covers the hues highlighted for 2023 by Benjamin Moore.
Note that the paint company’s color selections tend to have almost no relation to Pantone’s announcement, visually, but instead are more directly relevant to what has been trending in the interior design industry.
In contrast, with a few notable bold exceptions in the design industry, Pantone’s color choice tends to have a clearer bearing on consumer goods and fashion, often including, for example, what colors the iPhone will be available in each year.
Benjamin Moore’s color for 2023, “Raspberry Blush,” is a more approachable coral shade (requiring less bravery than a leap into a whole-magenta-room, perhaps if one selected it for one’s walls).
Our clients have yet to specify it, but this closet in the receiving area of the SFDC 2023 home is in a somewhat related tone:
This closet is part of a spacious three-room receiving area off the front entry, meant to invite guests to freshen up: “And the Hazy Sea: Powder, Bath, and Anteroom” by Robbie McMillan and Marcus Keller of AubreyMaxwell Interior Design and Art Advisory.
While the majority of residential wall color selections generally don’t skew this saturated, Arana has had one client whose choices matched this level of boldness. The homeowner is a glass artist, for whom color is a playground:
Color selection and glazing by homeowner. Painting by Arana. Photo credit: Ren Dodge.
Thus, while Color of the Year is hardly a rule or direct instruction, for our designer colleagues and for our homeowner clients, we see the annual announcement as a point of consideration — to explore the different feelings that the color might evoke, and a source of inspiration, even an opportunity to make changes — as a professional retiring an old stand-by go-to color or as a homeowner considering refreshing a space.
As painting contractors, we revere the inspiration of the architects responsible for the many historical and modern styles of housing in the Bay Area. In particular, we are awed by Victorian-era homes.
While painting these beauties, we feel that we get to reopen the channel for whatever inspiration was brought in when the houses were originally designed. As we restore and recoat a home’s surface, our work becomes an exercise in reconnection with and deep respect for the original designer and the many artisans involved in the construction, restoration, and maintenance of the home.
Arana has had the distinct pleasure of performing exterior restoration and painting services for a number of homes built throughout the Bay Area in the late 1800s and early 1900s; houses that fall into the genre of Victorian-era and related architectural movements; distinct categories such as Queen Anne, Late Victorian, Colonial Revival, and Classical Revival.
There is so much artistic detail on the exteriors of these structures that in some cases these houses, including those in our portfolio, have gone from being all-white to a canvas for as many as 7 — and up to even 11 — colors!
Like a human body, the homes that fall within the genre of “Victorian-era” have an anatomy, and those anatomical parts come with names and even symbolism! We feel that earlier builders really took to heart the magic that architectural details can create.
They started with something seemingly mundane — designing a house — and turned it into something reverential and reflective of spirit, spinning the ordinary into the extraordinary.
In this article we highlight specific architectural details from several of our East Bay Victorian-era home painting projects.
Special thanks to the Berkeley Architectural Historical Association (BAHA) who provided us with information on the types of homes in our portfolio and in some cases, the name of the architect, year built, and other valuable notes.
Finials
Found in lots of places, but typically at the apex of a roof like the one in the above photo, finials are among our favorite details. They come in all shapes and designs such those that curve and end in a point, orbs and even pinecones.
Metal finials can act as a lightning rod for the structure. The finial pictured at right, coated in that metallic gold, might be said to energize the connection to the heavens, serving as the home’s antenna to God.
Sunburst
This Queen Anne Victorian (pictured above for its finial and at the top of this page) also features a sunburst, in the homeowner-specified red-and-gold motif, which is perhaps a nod to the “setting sun” interpretation.
Per this quote in an article by Mary Jo Bowling in 7×7 Magazine:
“Sunbursts… could be reflecting a love of England, or perhaps they were a commentary of the times. ‘The sunburst was a popular motif in the late 1800s,’ says Caitlin Harvey of Left Coast Architectural History. ‘People who lived during that time considered it a golden age—there was a lot of optimism and many people were doing well financially. But some historians think they represent the British Empire, and the notion that the sun never set on the British Empire.’ She notes that, on some houses, the sunburst appears as a setting sun, which could be interrupted as a comment on the waning power and influence of England.”
Dentil
Dentil — sounds like dental! The word is a noun with the Latin root “dens,” meaning “tooth.” This is one of the most common details we run across as we paint houses in these various architectural styles. You can see dentils on a Queen Anne, for example, and in the Classical Revival style of the McCreary-Greer House (pictured above) on Durant Street in Berkeley.
This beautiful building is an architectural asset owned by and under the protection and oversight of the Berkeley Architectural Historical Society (BAHA). Could dentils be a nod to giving the home a voice? Or are they a symbol of protection as the gargoyle is, running along the seams of a home, sealing it off and chewing up any unwanted energy before it has a chance to enter the home?
Wheat Imprint
Pictured here above, the imprint of braided wheat decorates the corner of the protruding window frame. This is such a tiny detail, but so impactful. Thus, our treatment of these details is necessarily respectful and frankly, reverential.
Some scholars say that wheat may connote productivity, the reaping of years, and long life. These aesthetically-pleasing details may also be a secret signaling.
Like Masonic groups whose symbolism hides in many places in plain sight in America (look at the dollar bill!), Victorian-era architects and designers delighted in adding both beauty and meaning to home facades. This home is on Prince Street in Berkeley and is known as the John A. Hasselbacher House, built c. 1907-08 in the Colonial Revival style.
Gingerbread
As seen on this home (pictured above), Gingerbread refers to the decorative detail along the gable. Classic Gingerbread is often placed on the outer edge of the fascia. This detail is considered almost an overindulgence and does get extremely elaborate.
Gingerbread feels to us like a giddy celebration by the architect and builder — most likely a reflection of the joy they felt while building this home. Located on Lincoln Street in Berkeley, this house is a late-Victorian-era cottage (c. 1902) and happens to be the second of three houses that were built by John Paul Moran on a single piece of land.
Want to geek out even more on architectural history? Be sure to visit the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association’s website and sign up for their newsletter to get updates on educational walks and talks they offer. You can also ask them about your home’s history (even if it isn’t in Berkeley).
To geek out IRL: Check out the Alameda Heritage Homes Tour — an annual opportunity to go inside of several thoughtfully-preserved Victorian-era vintage gems: alameda-preservation.org
A stunningly thorough document of building information for historical homes, originally printed by the City of Oakland planning department in 1976 is available online in PDF format: “Rehab Right: How to Rehabilitate Your Oakland House Without Sacrificing Architectural Assets”
Cabinet refinishing is the quickest way to refresh a kitchen, also is a budget-friendly alternative versus replacing or refacing. If you’re looking to save time and money, the perfect way to start your improvement plan is with this professional cabinet refinishing guide.
It’s summertime, and this list, which we originally wrote in 2021, is still a great resource, so we are sharing it with you again! In addition, our friends at Porch.com offered us their summertime maintenance tips article, and we thought it was worth sharing bonus tips from that blog with our community as well! Their list includes outdoor maintenance tips, which we’ve addressed in a different blog post, here. We’ve updated this article with Porch’s additional suggestions, at bottom.
Clean your home’s lesser-considered interior spots. The corners and crevices need some love! Wipe down baseboards, clean out closets and empty cabinets. Base- boards are often overlooked when it comes to cleaning. So are kitchen cabinets and your linen closet. It can be tough to muster up the energy to get on your hands and knees and clean below, but it is something you want to do at least once a year to keep dust and dirt from building up.
Declutter. Take this opportunity to get rid of extra stuff you don’t need. Find your local Buy Nothing Page on Facebook and give away your old treasures! (Some say that the angels love to visit a freshly cleaned home).
Do a test of your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Replace batteries or units if needed.
Get your cooling system ready. For our clients who live on the sunny side of the Caldecott tunnel: Consider getting your air conditioner serviced. This one is especially important for summer home maintenance since you don’t want to be stuck without air conditioning when the temperature starts climbing! For the rest of us, we can consider installing window AC units. If you are pulling out the ones you used last year, make sure to clean off the filters before starting them up again. And check the instructions. Some manufacturers recommend cleaning the filters every two weeks during heavy use.
Clean and adjust your ceiling fans. Dust ceiling fan blades and check that fans are working properly and reverse the direction if needed. During the summer months, your ceiling fan blades should be set to spin counterclockwise. When your ceiling fan spins quickly in this direction, it pushes air down and creates a cool breeze. This helps keep a room’s temperature consistent throughout the day and reduces the need for an air conditioner to run constantly.
Get your chimney cleaned. Yes, you might not use your fireplace again until fall or winter, but that’s exactly why this is the perfect time to call a chimney cleaning service. They won’t be as busy!
Deodorize the garbage disposal. When’s the last time you tackled your garbage disposal? Exactly. Flushing with dish soap and hot water can do the trick. For persistent odors: with the unit turned off, pour in 1⁄2 cup baking soda and then 1⁄2 cup vinegar; when the fizzing stops, flush with hot water. And/or for a fun citrus-y refresh anytime, pulverize a lemon, one half at a time in the disposal with the water running.
Keep the outdoors outside. If folks are going to be running in and out of the house with dirty or sandy feet this summer, consider having a basin of water by the door for everyone to wash off their feet before coming inside. A super-absorbent floor mat inside the door, or a towel for drying on a hook nearby, might also be a good idea.
Wipe down windows and screens. An indoor/outdoor tip: homeowners generally clean our interior windows throughout the year, and summer is a good time to do that as well as to wash the exterior windows. You may also want to remove and wipe down or replace dirty screens, for the most sparkling effects.
BONUS indoor/outdoor energy-saving tip: Consider an outdoor clothesline. Take advantage of the warm weather and put up an outdoor clothesline, so you’re not using your dryer as much.
Sources: insurancehub.com; budgetdumpster.com
Baseboards image from Arana’s portfolio. T
Summer 2023 ~ MORE MAINTENANCE TIPS: Preparing Your Home: The Ultimate Summer Maintenance Checklist — from Porch.com
The warm and dry days of summer provide an excellent opportunity to do necessary maintenance around the home and property. With so much to be done in just a few months, the “to-do” list can get pretty long. But don’t worry! In this article, you’ll learn how to make the most of the summer months to maintain your home and property, including some preventative measures you can take to stop unnecessary costs and accidents before they start.
Summer maintenance for the exterior
design by LMB Interiors; build by McCutcheon Construction; landscaping by Arca Design Group; wood stain by Arana
When it comes to summer maintenance, the outside of the home is an excellent place to start. Being out in the open has a way of making maintenance projects seem more manageable and less stressful. Perhaps it’s the Vitamin D you get from being out in the sun or the fresh air — either way, spending time outside is its own reward.
Inspect and clean the gutters and downspouts
Check and repair the roof for damage
Clean and maintain the outdoor HVAC unit
Inspect and repair damage in the driveway and walkways
Indoor summer maintenance
After you’ve taken care of the outdoor maintenance for your home, it’s time to give a thought or two to indoor maintenance. You may think that this refers to what is often called “spring cleaning,” but that is not necessarily so. While there is an element of cleaning involved, the indoor maintenance of your home is mostly about prevention:
Service and clean the A/C
Inspect and maintain window and door seals
Clean and inspect ceiling fans and light fixtures
Summer maintenance for landscaping and outdoor spaces
Working in the yard and garden is a source of peace and joy for many people. Fortunately for those people, much of what is involved in maintaining the landscaping and outdoor spaces revolves around looking after the greenery:
Trim trees and shrubs away from the house
Fertilize and water the lawn
Inspect and repair damage to the deck or patio — and if you have patio decking or fencing that needs refinishing, painting, staining, or waterproofing, contact Arana!
Clean and maintain outdoor furniture and accessories
Inspect your property for pest issues and treat/address invasion points or nests
Safety checks
Test and replace smoke detector batteries
Check and test outdoor lighting
Ensure adequate outdoor lighting
Inspect and replace worn or damaged electrical cords
Review and update security systems
Ensure proper ventilation in the attic and basement
As the weather gets warmer more consistently and we prepare for something that might look like summer (depending on which microclimate you are in), now is a good time to review your annual maintenance tasks. We at Arana have compiled this list of suggestions for you of things you might do now to get your home ready for the season and all that it brings.
Give your deck a once-over. This is a pre-summer home maintenance must. Check your deck to see if there are any rotting planks and have them replaced. Hammer any loose nails and check to see if your deck material needs to be resealed by pouring a little water on it. If the water beads into little puddles, you’re good. If it sinks into the wood, you should get your deck resealed. We recommend that you avoid the use of semi-solid and/or solid water-based stains.
Protect against unwanted pests. Caulk gaps around your window and door frames and seal areas where bugs can enter. Also, check for and close up larger gaps or holes to keep mice and rats out.
Clean out gutters and downspouts. Typically done at least once a year, you may have to do it twice if you have a lot of trees around your home. Check also to see if any rust, holes, or cracks are developing. Repaint or repair to prevent the escape of rainwater in areas that could lead to water intrusion.
Have your driveway and walkway pressure-washed. This will beautify an often neglected area and also reveal trouble spots that need repair. Hire someone (like us) who will be sure to wash evenly, or keep an eye on this if you are doing the work. An uneven wash can leave unattractive lines.
Reseal concrete and consider a concrete stain. Periodically resealing your concrete helps to protect and maintain an even appearance. You may also want to consider adding in a concrete stain color to enhance curb appeal. If you have painted the concrete in the past and it constantly peels, you may want to consider replacing the concrete and never painting again!
Get your roof inspected. It’s important to make sure your roof is in good shape. Summer is the slow season for roofers and so it is a good time for you to get maintenance done without a wait. Water leaks can wreak havoc, leading to water damage on the interior walls that will require repair and repainting. (As you can imagine, we see this a lot.)
Clean your home’s exterior. From stains to moss to bacteria, dingy roofs, siding, and decks not only look unattractive but can also contribute to an array of other household problems and even shorten the lifespan of your home. Pressure washing may be necessary if there are serious stains, stubborn mold, and mildew, etc. Using a lower pressure setting could provide a good rinse while also saving water; a skilled professional will know how to choose the best level for your needs.
Cut trees, vines, and shrubbery away from your home. It’s tempting to cover your house in a beautiful bougainvillea vine, but climbing vines can damage your paint and give rodents a ladder to find higher entry points. Some vines will also have thorns, and the larger they get, the more difficult they are to remove.
Seal brick. Over time brick can start to deteriorate. A good clear sealant can maintain the integrity of the material, plus filling any holes that might become home to pests.
Consider painting or touching up your home. Is it time for a whole-house restoration? Summer is the high season for exterior painting jobs, so contact us ASAP to get on our schedule. Or, if things are generally looking good, you may still want to do exterior paint touch-ups — this is a quick outdoor home maintenance tip that will give a visual boost and can extend the life of your paint job. If you don’t have the cans around or cannot recall or were never told the exact color of your home, take a chip to your local store, and a paint professional there can help do a computer-generated match — or just call us!
As anyone lucky enough to find the right person knows, a really talented and trustworthy handyman can be hard to find! The idea for Honey Homes came to company founder Vishwas Prabhakara soon after he and his wife purchased their home in Lafayette in 2020. Inspired by the challenge of finding a reliable handyman and the satisfaction of sharing the perfect one with neighbors, he founded honeyhomes.com, now a booming subscription-based handyman service and home upkeep app for discerning homeowners throughout the Bay Area.
Daniel Scott, Bay Area Community Manager for Honey Homes, explains: “Honey Homes is a subscription-based model that is reinventing how services are performed in a sustainable way that meets the needs of homeowners on a regular basis.
“If you think about it, most of the time, we notice something needs attention around the house, but we let it slide. That crack in the wall, a draft coming through a closed window, small leaks when it rains. We will put these things off because it’s too hard to find the right person, or we’ll let them add up until it’s one bigger project. Often, this can mean that more damage has accumulated in the meantime — compared to if we’d addressed the problem when it arose.
“That’s one way a subscription-based system really helps homeowners. Knowing that you have the option to schedule two 100-minute visits per month and knowing that you have a good handyman on deck at any time to handle the work means that you are more likely to take care of issues in a timely manner, and stay on top of regular maintenance.”
The list of tasks that Honey Homes handymen can address is long, wide-ranging, and comprehensive. From maintenance and upkeep to minor repairs, to furniture assembly, decor installation, and more.
“Our staff are fully-vetted, friendly, and reliable,” notes Daniel. “Homeowners can request service via the handy app, providing details about the job requested and uploading photos. As soon as the request is placed, we will schedule a walk-through with your handyman to assess the work and provide an estimate.
“If our team can’t do the job for you, we’ll find someone who will,” he adds. “Honey Homes team members are available to supervise these preferred vendors, if desired.”
At this time of year, Scott says, a common list of tasks Honey Homes members request help with may include: air filter replacement and vent cleaning, fire safety checks, batteries and systems testing, and window seal testing and repair.
“Sometimes in the shift from winter to summer our handymen help people unpack and repack the garage; in preparation for backyard entertaining we can perform yard work, check the swings in the play structure, hang string lights,” he explains.
Other popular task-requests include installing security cameras, hanging artwork, wall-mounting flat-screen TVs, and re-hanging doors that don’t close properly; as well as many small electrical, plumbing, and carpentry repairs. Subscribers also enjoy free cardboard box breakdown and e-waste pick-up.
Subscribers each get their own dedicated handyman to build that ongoing relationship with; someone trustworthy who becomes familiar with their home. Scott notes, “Each one of our handymen has passed a background check and is skills-tested and vetted for their communication capacities. We want our subscribers to have that peace of mind. We help people make their house a home!”
Honey Homes’ service is billed monthly ($200), or can be paid annually ($2000 — a $400 savings). Honey Homes currently serves over 550 Bay Area families with more homes joining each week, as well as recently launching their second operation in the Dallas metropolitan area.
Dear clients and friends of Arana, if you are interested in learning more, contact Honey Homes to schedule a free walk-through visit — no commitment or credit card number required. If you decide to subscribe, use referral code Arana2023 for $100 off of your first month.
To learn more: Follow Honey Homes online at honeyhomes.com and on instagram at @honeyhomeshq
Arana’s annual webinar explores Color Trends and Colors of the Year for 2023. Perfect for Interior Designers, discerning Homeowners and General Contractors contemplating your next amazing project!
