A hot new trend is creating a backyard oasis and entertainment venue.  A proper design will use the entire backyard keeping a good balance with open area, landscape and hardscape, seating, food prep, play, and storage.  Height is important in good design.  Vertical structures like pergolas, gazebos, walls, counters, screens, planters, and playhouses lead the eye up and around the backyard filling spaces with a home-like feel.  Don’t forget the power of lighting design: ambient, accent, and task.

Consider themed areas, like a yoga garden, kitchen, or bocce field.  If relaxation is your goal, design a spa-like mood using the five natural elements in feng shui practice: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water.  The 17^th century French writer, Francois deLaRochefounauld, said, “to eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.”  Food preparation and sharing a meal with family and friends is as important as what is eaten.  What better way to burn calories after a satisfying meal than by moving?  Are you interested in a game of mini-golf, chess or checkers on an in-ground board, or even volleyball?

Designers report the recent top backyard requests:

• fire pit/fireplace/heaters
• water features, fountains, waterfalls, ponds, and saltwater pools
• tech-savvy, connectivity, Internet and TV
• ambient and overhead lighting, low-voltage solar and LED
• furniture, dining and seating groups
• meal preparation, kitchen with counters, appliances, brick oven, grills, modern conveniences
• décor, planters, sculptures, garden accessories
• stereo
• sustainable landscape, low maintenance, container gardens, rainwater harvest, conserve andrecycle water
• hardscapes, patios, pavers

Look “Back To The Future”

A home’s first impression gives an inside peek into its residents. Evaluating paint, landscaping, lighting, mailbox, and hardware every spring can help your home look neat and clean.
1. Fresh paint on the front door, trim, and exterior make a home look well cared for. Pick neutral colors coordinating with the neighborhood. Don’t be that “black sheep of the family” when it comes to the look of your house.

2.  Landscaping should complement the home, not overpower it. A good design moves the eye through the entire yard using two to three color groupings and a good mix of textures and sizes. Use color throughout all three growing seasons. If neighbors use mulch, do the same. A new layering of dark mulch looks rich and fresh.

3. Professional lighting adds appeal. Replace house lights with fixtures matching the house style. Solar lights are an affordable and easy to install option for pathways and accent lighting. Uplight trees, downlight the house, or moonlight special areas.

4. Replace the mailbox or freshly paint a box in good condition. Do not add décor to the mailbox. It should look well cared for but not distract from the beautiful home and yard. Make sure a box on a post stands straight.

5. Consider replacing the front door hardware. Install new, easy to see house numbers. Doorbells and knockers need to be in good working order.

Steer clear of clutter, purchase a cheerful new welcome mat, pressure wash oil stains, moss, and debris from the driveway and sidewalks, and make sure all window coverings are a simple, uniform white color. Now that everything’s taken care of, sit back and enjoy the compliments!

Call Stanton Architects, Inc. for a home façade makeover this spring!

There are good reasons to hire an experienced architect. Contracting with an architect to oversee the building process of a home should be an important consideration for all prospective homeowners. Experience and skill are not a given with tradespeople and builders. A good architect is trained and skilled to properly design and build a home.

Take, for example, a client who contracted with John to build their dream home on the family’s farm. Their current home was a modest ranch with a nicely finished walkout basement near a retention pond with beautiful views, but it experienced several basement floods. This new dream home would have custom millwork, granite tops/tiles, high-end plumbing, custom flooring including bluestone pavers, and a finished attic/bonus room/basement. Additionally, a six-car garage was planned to house the client’s racecar and motorcycles.

John was commissioned to draw up the plans and oversee the building. A local builder, who came highly recommended, was hired but didn’t supervise the work of his sub-contractors or pay them. Many situations resulted in John firing the builder and taking over the job. Of the many problems John discovered, framing was a serious one. The second floor was starting to be framed when John saw that the first floor hadn’t been properly supported. When brought to the builder’s attention, John had to tell him the problem! The builder didn’t know the framing was done incorrectly because he didn’t know how to properly frame the building. John insisted it be taken down before a catastrophic event occurred.

Timing is everything. Another serious issue arose from the time of year regarding climate and taxes. The project began in October. The home, with an extra-large garage, was to be built on two lots. The problem was an easement between the two lots that took the city two months to vacate. By then, it was December and the ground was frozen so no foundation could be poured. It would be a few more months before construction could start. In the meantime, the IRS wasn’t concerned about a story. There was a large income generated in the year the contract was signed but no expenses to offset the income. That meant a much larger tax rate and less money to spend on building the home. Uh oh.

In the end, the project cost the homeowner 70% more than the budgeted price, due mostly to builder’s neglect. Cash was paid out and lost to a disreputable builder. This could have been easily resolved by having a Title Company and bank manage the money.   This procedure is now highly recommended by John.

Find out more about how proper planning saves you time, money and headaches with our exclusive Needs and Options Review.

Take a walk on the virtual side.  Technology now allows clients to “walk” through their new home before it is even built.  This is a dream come true for many architects and their clients.  With the use of a viewer and software, clients planning new homes can save time and money by making important changes during the design process, before it is built.

Graphic BIMx software allows clients to actively “walk” in virtual reality mode with the use of a viewer and a smartphone, such as Google Cardboard.  Upgraded versions such as Oculus Rift or HTC Vive provide face padding and head straps to allow for a hands free experience.

Clients can walk through the front door and see every room of their planned home, and details of every aspect of the design can be clarified.  Imagine being able to experience how spacious your kitchen will feel, the atmosphere that your lighting plan will provide, or even what the view out your windows will look like.

Seeing your home design with photo-realistic textures and finishes before construction starts allows you to make any changes to colors or materials during the planning phase, keeping your project on budget and your construction schedule on time.  A presentation of color renderings, virtual reality animation, and a full gallery of different views can include your new home’s actual surrounding environment – such as existing trees, landscaping or waterfront – to assure you that windows and doors are properly sized and placed to maximize views and privacy.

Virtual reality is the best way so far to experience your architect and designer’s thoughts and input about your home design, and an ideal way to have complete confidence in all of your final decisions.

For more information, check out these websites:

• vr.google.com/cardboard for simple, fun, affordable cardboard glasses
• vive.com/us/product-experiences for HTC “Vive” headset
• live.oculus.com for a demo on Oculus “Rift”

Let Stanton Architects, Inc. create a virtual reality experience for YOU !