A brass lock on the vinyl covered foam casement with Kerf Door/Window Seal

Soundproof casement will be inset in front of blinds

Soundproof window casements inset within the brick lip in front of existing blinds

The soundproof window casements open easily for access to the existing blinds

The fabrication and installation processes took less than three weeks to complete and met the owner’s goal of having his plantation shutters in place for an upcoming party.

The unique design of the shutters featured a hidden mechanism that operated the louvers collectively, allowing them to open and close simultaneously. And unlike with typical shutter design, the rod that operated the louvers was not conspicuous. Further lending to the modern look, the pivot hinges were concealed.

This first photo captured the completion of the “dry assembly” phase, where we aligned all of the unpainted parts of the structure at our facility to ensure a perfect fit. We then disassembled all parts for the priming and painting phases. First, during the priming phase, we primed the end grain of all wood pieces with a clear epoxy primer. Due to the clear epoxy having a low viscosity, it flows into the end grains of the wood before solidifying. Once it hardens, it forms a permanent moisture barrier to protect the wood against the wet and humid New Orleans environment.

Sealing the end grain on wood that is exposed to the elements (on columns, railings, etc.) is extremely important because most wood damage occurs from moisture wicking up into the wood from the end grains, following the same pathway that moisture once wicked up into the living tree.

The photo to the right shows the portico after having been primed, painted, and reassembled for installation.

The custom door (photo #3 below) and custom transom (photo #4 below) are shown prior to being installed in the existing jamb once the portico has been set in place at the job site.

We recently milled a large shipment of beams (that were over 100 years old) into beautiful New Orleans flooring…but ended up with a surplus we’re offering at a discount.

Our surplus of 22,000 sq. ft. of antique and classic grades is being offered at 10% below our already low prices for this exquisite material while this surplus lasts.

Call us at 504-899-1351 to price the quantity you need.

The old-growth heart pine beams prior to shipment to New Orleans

100+ yr old beams milled into flooring

...and finally installed

With the increased attendance came an increased enthusiasm for home improvement, an encouraging sign for the New Orleans construction industry and for the continued healing of the Greater New Orleans area. Based on conversations with attendees who stopped by the CCM booth, the majority of them were planning new work on their home in 2010.

In addition to spending time with homeowners chatting about their home renovation dreams, a CCM slide show that featured our architectural millwork completed at the National World War II Museum captured the attention of many of them and generated additional conversation.

Prior to the show, CCM had programmed the company’s Computer Numerical Control (CNC) milling machine to cut a custom high-relief fleur-de-lis that was then mounted on a gloss black frame. Although created as a sample of the precision capability of the CNC technology at CCM, the fleur-de-lis resonated with several Saints fans who wanted to purchase it on the spot.

Overall, the show resulted in making the acquaintance of many homeowners and provided the opportunity to acquant them with the expertise of CCM. Additionally, Central City Millworks’ sister company, Hal Collums Construction, received invitations to bid on two large jobs as a direct result from CCM’s participation in the 2010 New Orleans Home and Garden show.

Leading up to the Super Bowl Bishop and Blondie were renamed Black and Gold in honor of their support for the New Orleans Saints. No doubt they weren’t the only New Orleans pets pulling for the Saints.

Following the win, two media writers referred to the Saints as “America’s Team” because their victory was seen by many to represent the resurgence of New Orleans after the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.

According to The Neilson Company, Super Bowl XLIV is the most-watched television show in U.S. history. The New Orleans Saints vs. Indianapolis Colts match-up drew 106.5 million viewers, beating all previous Super Bowl records and topping the 1983 “M*A*S*H” finale, which drew 105.97 million viewers.

Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints for winning the Super Bowl on Sunday, February 1, 2009, and becoming the football champions of the world. But beyond being just a feel-good moment in sports history, that day’s victory could result in future benefits for a city whose future was in doubt a few years ago.

An article on AOL’s web site HousingWatch.com says that the city could get a Super Bounce from the win and reports that,

…that annual per capita income in New Orleans could rise by up to $100 now that the Crescent City finally has a winning franchise.”

And says that,

…the short-term psychological boost of a Super Bowl victory could act as an economic tipping point, promoting a virtuous circle that drives real estate prices up over the long term…

…In short, we can only speculate about the likelihood of a Saints property bounce. We do know that with the notable exception of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans has always been a fun place to live and visit, even during the four decades when the Saints sucked. Well, now the Saints are champions. Brokers, start your engines!”

Cedric looks on as Black and Gold, the New Orleans construction dogs, give Hal a high-5.

Hidden door to a secret room ?!?

Ten years earlier they had purchased a condominium in a historic building in the New Orleans CBD . It was the family’s New Orleans townhouse which their daughters used while attending medical school. Their three girls graduated and were pursuing careers, so the family decided to renovate the New Orleans townhouse and move back to the city they loved.

The hardest part of making this decision was their two sons, one was in high school, the other in middle school and neither wanted to leave their school and friends. Giving them creative control over the design of their new rooms was a big factor in convincing them to accept the move. This decision led us to one of the more exciting and fun cabinet projects Central City Millworks has been involved with.

VIEW THE VIDEO and LARGE PHOTOS = New Orleans Custom Bookcase and Cabinets

VIEW THE VIDEO and LARGE PHOTOS = New Orleans Custom Built-in Cabinets

Built-in cabinet for stereo components, CD's, DVD's, records...

The family was moving from a large country house to a historic slave quarter condominium where the rooms would be much smaller. To accomplish the down-sizing, the architect worked with all the family members to design built-in cabinetry for their personal rooms and family areas. The built-ins were intelligently designed to maximize storage space while fitting in with the historic character of the building. All family members play musical instruments and had an extensive collection of music in the form of CDs, tape and albums. In the family room under a stairwell David designed a media center that utilized deep full extension drawers to conveniently store their music collection, plus efficiently contain their stereo components.

Large built-in corner desk

The son in middle school wanted plenty of storage for all his various interests and a desk large enough to work on several projects at one time. David designed an arched entablature cabinet with a center dresser and flanking storage cabinets with full length doors. A corner desk with plenty of wall cabinet storage above provided the maximum available work surface. Both cabinets took advantage of every square inch of available space so he had a place to store everything.

The son in high school was a Harry Potter fan and his design was, for us, the most exciting and fun part of the project. Having been inspired by “The Chamber of Secrets” and wanting to have a private space, he requested a room with a hidden entrance. The architect designed a beautiful classic bookcase that defined one end of a living room, using Spanish Cedar, carved fluted pilasters, carved appliqués, and beautifully finished with catalyzed varnish. The center cabinet is a smooth operating hidden door, set on an over sized Rixson hidden pivot hinge, with a magnetic lock operated by a remote wireless switch (an additional hidden mechanical key serves when the remote is not on hand). Central City Millworks’ engineering enabled the cabinet to meet the design requirements of the owner and architect, yet remain completely undetectable as an opening when it is shut.

Just your basic wood bookcase?

The ultimate Harry Potter fan is very happy with his new room and its novel entry. Just recently a piano tutor was training his brother when he walked right behind her and entered the hidden room. The unsuspecting tutor was confused with someone seemingly disappearing behind her. She had no idea it was a secret passage and with the quiet remote lock and the smooth pivot, it totally surprised her.

I asked the mother how the family was adjusting to their new life as an urban family and specifically how were her sons handling the transition. There had been some tough times emotionally she said, but the whole family was embracing and enjoying their new life. Living in the heart of the city this music loving family was able to experience and appreciate the local music scene even more. The family loves sports and they often attend Saints and Hornets games. The kids were enjoying their new school and new friends. In a recent conversation with the mother we received the highest complement from one of sons. During a particularly rough time in his transition, she told him she understood all the difficulties but she just wanted to hear one positive from the move. After a period of reflection he said, “I like my room”. This point, she said, was a pivotal moment in his transition to accepting his new home.

The Central City Millwork design team for this cabinet was Hal Collums, Rob Thornton , and Ernest Myers . Because of the complicated nature of the cabinet the fabrication and assembly was led by Max Mendoza and performed by our cabinet department crew. The installation on–site was led by Max Mendoza and performed by the Hal Collums Construction install crew. Bryon Cornelison was the project manager.

The warehouse in Mass. being torn down

I always keep my fingers crossed at this time because every shipment is unique and there are several variables that will determine if we’ve made a profitable purchase that will yield high quality flooring, stairway components, and cabinet stock, with the least amount of waste, for our New Orleans millwork projects.

• Color: Should be red versus yellow or white
• Density: Should have tight growth rings, 15-25+ rings per inch which indicates the beams were cut from old growth trees.
• Checking: How many cracks or splits are in the beams?
• Nails, Bolts & Spikes: All metal must be removed from the beams before milling can begin to protect our equipment as well as our team members. The more nails etc… in the beams, the more time, labor, and cost required to remove them. We remove any visible nails and then use hand held metal detectors to find any subsurface metal.

We work with several different demolition companies from Alabama to Maine but recently most of our heart pine is coming from Massachusetts. Heart Pine doesn’t grow that far north, but in the 1800s, during the later part of the Industrial Revolution, the Mid Atlantic and the South Eastern States supplied the timber to build the Northern factories. Our suppliers will send us photos and inventory list of their current projects via email and then we make a decision based on what we can deduce from the photos and our past experience with the individual seller. Hopefully we have made the right choice with this load of Long Leaf Heart Pine.

The heart pine beams prior to shipment down to New Orleans

Tools used to remove metal from the heart pine beams

Bartell Tapp using a metal detector on the new shipment of heart pine