Oasis Remodel

Got to help out on a really fun plaster job with Kata Polano at a home near Santa Barbara, California. The 40's style cabin is being entirely retrofitted to withstand the Santa Barbara threats of wildfire. By finishing almost all the interior and exterior surfaces of the house with earth plaster (including eaves), this home is virtually fire-proof and hopefully if one did come it would pass right by.

The style is really elegant and the color palette is just charming. Kata has a great sense for earthen finishes. It was also lovely to work with this all-female crew. Somehow getting dirty together always makes for good friends.

Eva mixes plaster

Sculpting the bar between the kitchen and livingroom

Awesome steel bracket details support the salvaged granite countertop.

Kata does aliz (clay paint) with lots of mica onto the kitchen ceiling.

Kata does more aliz on the walls of the entry porch

Blue glass bottles in the ferrocement roof wash great colors onto the wall.

I work on a window detail, more mica aliz!

The finished porch window

Amit plasters an exterior wall

Arched plaster meets the ferrocement window treatment at the basement level

The most beautiful mechanical wall ever!

Earthen plaster surrounds each of the utility boxes and cable conections.

We save the leftover aliz (clay paint) by making 'cookies'.

Once dry they can be stored and then saved for repairs. Since we use custom dye-lots, this is the best way to get an exact match.

An interior niche filled with light from a solatube. Note: this is not on an exterior wall, it coming through the center of the house.

The basement apartment has a sweet little kitchen and dining space which got frequent use since the main kitchen was still a construction zone.

We even celebrated with a rocket-stove baked pizza.

Eva and Art are really excited about it, so adorable!