saturday evening post 07.18.09
My husband & I are back from a long and restful fourth of July vacation. We had an amazing time back east; gathering a ton of inspiration from our stops in New Orleans and Philadelphia. The two are quite different when it comes to architecture, but both amazing!
I had the pleasure to visit New Orleans pre-Katrina and this visit was my first post-Katrina. The city is recovering and pushing on, but the damage is heavy and there's still much to be done. While in Philadelphia, I watched brick masons construct the front facade to a row house and it was amazing. Think about it, I'm not sure where you live but out here in Seattle I don't know when I last saw a brick mason building a home. It's almost unheard of!
We took tons of pictures as inspiration and to share, unfortunately our luggage went missing on our flight home and my camera along with it.
Since our return we hit a significant milestone: we've reached a little over the halfway point on saving for our down payment. This is a huge accomplishment for us but we've still got a ways to go. So, as a wise man once said "Bump fists to celebrate and keep pushing on." Thanks Dad for the awesome advice!
I can't say it's been easy not to get discouraged. It's tough out there right now and the current state of the economy has created a fearful sentiment from most. But, now is the perfect time to build a new home: land and materials are cheaper and contractors more affordable. I say "if you can swing it go for it!"
This entire experience thus far has been one of flexibility and resiliency. We've hardly begun and I feel like I've learned so much about myself in such a short amount of time. I've also been fortunate to have amazing people in my life (such as my lovely husband) to focus me, dust me off and keep me going. And, the fact that we have such an amazing architect...eh hem...Chris Pardo, it's only icing on the cake of all of these new experiences.
late night sunday post 05.10.09
Here I am again relocated to my bedroom on a cloudy Sunday evening. Nothin much going on downstairs but hamburgers and the NBA playoffs.
So, what's up with the house plans and the land we were interested in? Well, after much research last week, I've come to discover there's a reason why those plots of land are available...they are extremely hard to build on, back a wetlands and require a tremendous amount of cost and time due to the wetland buffer zones. Alas, I am off to discover new bits of land at reasonable prices.
I received an amazing amount of help from Betsy in the DDES office who provided me with a ton of information as well as additional sources of research. I've since discovered several plots of land in Issaquah with everything we need and potential for an excellent view. We plan to check out the plots tomorrow. I'll follow up tomorrow evening on what we think.
rural stewardship anyone? 05.04.09
The weather in Seattle was pretty great last week. I think the sun stuck around all week but then went south on Saturday, so I didn't plan to do much this weekend in regards to our project. But, in all actuality it ended up being a super productive weekend with a lot of information gathering on Friday night and tons of sunshine on Sunday.
Since the weather was cooperating Ray & I took a ride out the neighborhood we're interested in living and popped by the property we've got our eye on. It was clear spring had sprung because it looked so different from when we were there last (which was less than a month ago). The greatest part is that after my visit to the county I was pleased to hear there's a wetland on the property and ton of native plants all of which should be protected. "Should" is the operative word and the one I choose to use. I want to preserve as much as I can but the bonus is that there are benies (for the slang challenged "benefits) for doing so.
In our county, like in most there is a program called Rural Stewardship Planning (RSP). It's a great opportunity for home buyers and builders to work with the county to care for and restore land. This program is essential for construction in a Designated Critical Area and is a great way to work upfront to meet necessary requirements. In addition, working the RSP may streamline the permit process and modify some buffer requirements in exchange for a long term commitment to protect natural resources in other ways. Net, net...it can save time and money on your building costs and helps the native plant and wildlife habitat.
So, what is Critical Area Designation?
- A Critical Areas Designation is a process that allows a property owner to define the limits of critical areas on or near the project site, establish buffers and other required mitigation measures and, when coupled with the Consolidated Review option, address all related site issues such as access and drainage control.
On top of all of that, you can work with similar offices in your county to learn more about what you do to improve the natural habitat around your current property. One of the more popular and most impactful projects is to Shrink Your Lawn. For more information on this project and others like it, check with your local county and/or your Department of Development and Environmental Services.
friday prefab update: dreaming of provence 05.01.09
On days when I've blogged all I can and researched properties and finances until my mind is about to explode I throughly enjoy imagining what our place will look like inside and out. I usually don't let myself go there because there's a lot of steps between here and then. But, every now and again I pull out all of my tears and peruse through my collection of links and just think and relax and imagine what is to be.
Tonight I seem to be focused on my garden and landscaping. I'm envisioning cypress trees, rosemary and lavendar. Someone very special to me loves rosemary. I'm thinking French Provence, my little piece of Shangri-La. And, a small organic flower and vegetable garden and an edibles garden on the deck. Maybe even a composter and some worms to go with it.
In the previous post, method cabin: test drive you can see an image of the Method Cabin from the street. This particular site is located in a flood plain, but I'd like to build our home up similar to the cabin to live and sleep amongst the trees and I guess to fit in that practical thing called a garage. I love, love, love the exposed cement foundation and can't wait to cover it with beautiful ivy, yet another dream of mine. And, yes I do know the specific kind, sort of either Boston Ivy or Virginia Creeper.
Additionally, one of the most important bits of the process LEED Certification. Designing and landscaping a garden which incorporates water efficiency and innovative waste water technologies can add points to your LEED Certification. "Currently, landscape-based decisions and interventions account for up to 27 credits and represents nearly 40 percent of total possible LEED credits."
method cabin 4.20.09
This past weekend my husband and I took a long weekend and headed up to Mount Baker to test drive the Method Cabin from Method Homes. We had such an amazing time but before I get ahead of myself, let me tell you the reason why we were there.
Ray & I are on a quest to build our first home, which will be a prefab. It's a lofty endeavor but something we are very excited about. After much research and time spent looking for prefab builder we leaning heavily toward Method Homes. In Fall 2008, Method completed a new home (pics) from their Cabin Series proving that modern functionality marries seamlessly with the great outdoors.
Co-founders Mark Rylant & Brian Abramson built the cabin as a testament of what can be done eco-friendly, sustainable prefab construction. The cabin is stunning with an open airy layout and the ever present scent of cedar in the air. It's clean, lines mixed with tongue-and-groove wood ceilings, barn doors, and bunk house make this a place I am dying to call home.
There are three floor plans with the Cabin Series all of which can be configured and re-configured to fit your needs. And, to top it off there are eco-features to the home which come standard as well as upgrades that can take you completely off the grid. From low-flow faucets and shower heads, to radiant heating and Energy Star appliances, and that's just the internal bit. Building the homes in a controlled factory environment over site build, decreases the overall cost of the build, reduces the amount of waste that ends up in land fills, and last but not least it truly does reduce your carbon impact. Method homes target LEED Gold as their minimum building standard. All of which puts you in a great home, at an affordable price that's not only fantastic to live in but healthy to boot! Does it get any better than this?
For more information on Method Homes visit their site. If you'reinterested in staying in The Method Cabin, visit their rental site.
Now, for one of my favorite photos...my wonderful husband checking out the cabin.
