Bruce Burr Alden Custom Homes, Chandler, Ariz.
Because of the arid climate in central Arizona, builders are able to use very few species of solid wood for doors. Most builders in the Southwest, according to custom builder Bruce Burr, use alder doors. “It’s a nice wood and has good workability and stainability. But everyone uses it,” says Burr. “I wanted to do something a little bit different; I wanted to use an exotic wood.”
Burr took his search for a material that would stand up to Arizona’s climate to Brazil, and found a 100-year-old carpentry shop in the south of Brazil that crafts doors out of Brazilian cedar. Because of the species’
Courtesy Alden Madera Imports characteristics, the doors survive the dry heat of the Southwest better than many other species. “They are so much better than Western red cedar,” Burr says. “It looks like mahogany.” Burr now has all his homes’ doors custom-built out of Brazilian cedar in the carpentry shop he found. The doors have been so well received in the homes he builds that other builders have begun asking for them, and Burr created Alden Madera Imports solely to import the Brazilian cedar doors for other builders and their suppliers.
Alden Madera Imports. 480.895.1795.
Tim Rizek Rizek Custom Homes & Remodeling, Albuquerque, N.M.
Courtesy Sonoma Cast Stone The craze for poured-concrete countertops has caused builders a lot of headaches, due to the material’s tendency to crack. New Mexico builder Tim Rizek has found a solution in Sonoma Cast Stone. The Sonoma, Calif.-based company produces custom concrete counters, sinks, and fireplace and window surrounds, among other items. When ordering a counter, Rizek sends Sonoma his drawings and templates and then makes color selections. The product is crafted to his specifications and shipped to the site. “You can install it like a solid surface,” he says. “I used it for the first time recently, and I’m going to try to use it more. It’s fabulous looking.”
Sonoma Cast Stone. 888.807.4234. www.sonomastone.com..
Erik Evens KAA Design Group, Los Angeles
Courtesy Lantern Masters Good period lighting is hard to find, says Erik Evens of KAA Design Group, but Lantern Masters makes it a lot easier. The company offers a full line of custom interior and exterior lighting designs, including the Santo Lantern (shown), but will also do restorations and replications of existing products. Most of the designs are done in-house, says Lantern Masters senior designer Gerald Olesker, and pieces are typically made from hard-wearing materials such as brass, bronze, and copper. The fixtures are “unique in detail and finely crafted and finished,” Evens says.—Nigel Maynard
Lantern Masters. 818.706.1990. www.lanternmasters.com.
Stephen Ortado Historic Structures, Washington, D.C.
Stephen Ortado specializes in restoration projects, so he’s not looking for quick and easy when it comes to products. Case in point: He uses a paint that most contractors would-n’t touch. He first discovered Dutchlac Paints in a wooden-boat magazine 12 years ago when he was a boat builder. He used the marine enamel and was impressed, but he was skeptical about using Dutchlac for anything other than boats. John Lahey of Fine Paints of Europe, the paint’s maker, convinced him to try it, and he’s used it ever since.
The Dutch paint requires a lot of preparation before applying, and a minimum of three coats. The extra work is worth it to Ortado. “It’s very high gloss, like a lacquer. If we’re doing an entrance door, in a black or red, it’s so glossy it looks like a mirror. You can adjust your tie in it!” He uses the paint on all the exteriors he works on, and on some interiors, too, like a high-end dining room done in Chinese red.
Courtesy Dutchlac Paint Ortado says that clients not only love the look of Dutchlac but they’re impressed by the paint’s longevity. “Some doors that I painted 10 years ago, I’ve never had to repaint,” he says.
The paint’s base is a long oil (meaning that it has a higher percentage of oil). “It takes a very long time to dry, so it stays pretty resilient over a period of about 10 years.”
Dutchlac Paint. 800.332.1556. www.finepaintsofeurope.com.
