My Little Corner of the Net

Thursday, June 20, 2019

Philco Radio House Penthouse

This is the penthouse that I came up with for the Philco Radio house!

After I sketched up some concepts, I cut some plywood walls for the penthouse.


I did a little research and wanted to include some architectural elements from the 1930's, round porthole windows, corner windows, glass block, a flat roof, rounded corners, stucco exterior,  and accent bands.  The roof deck will also have ship railings which was also indicative of that era.


I saw the glass tile and decided it would be great for the patio on the roof deck.  I used cardboard squares to located glass block while I waited for it to arrive.


I was excited to to find a hole cutter the exact size that I needed for the porthole windows.

I found some glass block online at miniatures.com


After marking the placement of the glass block, I drilled a hole in each of the locations so that I could use my scroll saw to cut out each hole.


Using the scroll saw, you have to take the blade off between each cut and insert it in the drilled holes.  This took a while.

This was the dry fit of the glass block


This is my proposed placement of the of the Arcade Cast Iron furniture


This was the installation of the glass tile on the roof deck patio

I cut the tile to match the shape of the radio of the top.

I taped the tile off so that I could grout it.

This is the decorative roof element under construction.  I used an iron on veneer on the edge of the plywood to give it a smooth surface.

Here is a picture of the tile once the grout was dry

I am planning on putting this Arcade table and chairs on the deck


I found the perfect door online for the project


I pre-painted the wood trim that I used for the accent stripes.

I decided to paint the windows on the rest of the house a dark metallic bronze color, similar to the radio controls.

I glued the accent stripes on then cut out the holes for the windows.
I made a design change and glued the roof on top and covered it with the iron on veneer tape.  I was initially going to set it lower than the walls.  The balcony roof will rest against the edge of the veneer strip. 



Now with the addition of the penthouse, I can fit all of my furniture collection in the house.  Be sure to see my previous post on the Philco Radio House or click the label.

If you are not following me on Instagram, please do! I post there also.
My Instagram account is Tulsaarchitect

10 comments:

  1. Standing ovation, Troy! It's art deco-licious!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Es perfecto ese ático,ajusta como si fuera parte de la radio!.Has hecho un gran trabajo con sus ventanas,la puerta ideal,las baldosas quedan divinas....me encanta!!
    Besos.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh it looks wonderful. I can't get enough of that glass block! I actually found some glass tiles in the mosaic section of Hobby Lobby which you might be able to use in a pinch. They come in a bag of all different colors and have clear tiles mixed in. Not sure about the pricing vs miniatures.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow! Troy, This is such an AWESOME project!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the way you have made the cabinet into a period style house! The penthouse on top is just the icing on the cake! The windows you have chosen are so perfect! I can't wait to see it all completed!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Un ático fantástico,buen fin de semana:-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi, Troy - This is an exciting project, and I'm happy to see you moving "full steam ahead" with it; you've accomplished so much already! I absolutely love those glass blocks, and I think you've done a wonderful job cutting all the perfect square openings. All the authentic details of style that you're incorporating in the penthouse make this piece historically interesting as well, and I can't wait to see more!
    Marjorie

    ReplyDelete
  7. You have made a Penthouse worthy of Daddy Warbucks! Your construction skills and ingenuity regarding the glass blocks and the horizontal trims and rounded corners, is TOTALLY in keeping with the existing cabinet below.
    and I LOVE the shape of the door for the penthouse as well!

    ReplyDelete
  8. A beautiful project perfectly successful.

    ReplyDelete

  9. This blog is very informative and interesting, the way you described the good thing of your blog and other cities Moreover, the details you give about the 2 BHK flat in Kolar road, 3 BHK flats in Hoshangabad road, 4 BHK flats in Hoshangabad road and 2 BHK flat in Kolar road along with a description of bungalows in Hoshanngabad road, duplex in Hoshangabad road and flats in Hoshangabad road. Moving towards Kolar road which where you mention that it is the best location to own flats in Kolar road and duplex in Kolar road espically 2 BHK flat in kolar road, 3 BHK flats in Kolar road and 4 BHK flats in Kolar road

    ReplyDelete