Painted Trail Cased Openings

Five drywall passageways in a Menifee new build cased in solid pine, with column bases and a three-piece Craftsman header on the main opening only, so it reads as the entrance to the heart of the house.

Audie Murphy Ranch is a master-planned community on the west side of Menifee, built by national production builders. The homes are well laid out, but every passageway between rooms is wrapped in bare drywall. This is the same neighborhood as the Gypsy Canyon wainscoting project.

This family had five drywall passageways with no jambs and no casing. The main opening into the living, dining and kitchen area, the biggest and most-used passage in the house, looked exactly like the little hallway openings.

Brian worked out the proportion by hand first. Every opening was furred out with kiln-dried fir so it stood plumb, then cased with solid pine 1x10 jambs and wide casing. The main opening also got mitered column bases and a built-up three-piece Craftsman header that throws real shadow lines.

The decision that mattered most was where to stop. Five openings got casing, but only one got the crown, so the main passage reads as the entrance and the hall openings stay quiet.

Two days of carpentry, every cut made on site, then two days of filling, caulking and paint in Pure White.