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I came across this quote by Kent Nerburn today and thought I’d share it with you-my readers.
What is noteworthy about that moment, beyond it’s poignancy, is that I did not create it; I merely experienced it and let it unfold. Life gives us all such moments — I call them “Blue Moments”
Kent is remarking about a story he wrote about his time as a cabdriver and a fare he picked up one night at 2:30AM. If you never go to another link I put up here, please, at least go to this one.
Be careful, when you’re reading this you may find out there is some dust in the room.
Here’s some nice stone work from a guy who was killing some time.
John Devore having a good time
Shameless plug coming up just about right now, the work above is by John DeVore. John and his son Nate will be here at the famous Whispering Crane Institute world headquarters.
A 3-day stone workshop will take place October20th-22nd, for all the details follow the link.
John and Nate will go over building stone walls the 1st 2 days and then I will spend a day talking about, and setting boulders.
Hope to see you there.
So I ran across this article about 5 rules to design stunning homes and I thought I’d share them with you. Then let you decide for yourself if you think these are the big 5.
- Rule #1: Use more than one exterior material in order to get multiple textures.
- Rule #2: Try to keep the facade from looking flat. Mix roof types and window shapes to give dimensional relief. Add shutters and railings.
- Rule #3: Make sure all exterior colors are from the same palette, Johnson continued.
- Rule #4: Keep proportions in mind, Johnson advises.
- Rule #5: Don’t forget to save money for the landscaping, Johnson cautioned.
Hey how about that rule #5, that’s a good ‘un.
“I like to compare landscaping to the cabinets and finish carpentry in a house,” Nooner said. “If you skimp on those things, it affects the comfort and appeal of the house. In the same way, if you skimp on landscaping, it affects the appeal of the outside of your house.
How about this gem:
“People who invest properly in landscaping have a leg up with it comes to resale and overall aesthetics” Nooner said. “You don’t get a second chance to make a great first impression.”
You can find the entire article here at the Daily Herald a surburban Chicago newspaper.
One thing about that rule #1 that kind of bothers me is that mix and match thing;
“Don’t go with all siding, all brick, all anything,” Johnson cautioned. “Mix brick, siding and perhaps, stone, to get a better look.”
All of that mix and match is kind of a Heinz 57 type of thing. Just doesn’t do much for me. It seems to me that this is trying too hard.
I’m of the camp the simple style and elegance creates that classic look that really stands up over time. I would think that if you found an old stone house it looks as good or better today than it did the day it was finished.
Other notes;
***On another happy note in the country of Pakistan the city of Karachi plans to double it’s landscaping by the year 2030. I have no idea how much greenery there is in Karachi right now, heck 2 or 3 trees may double the landscaping. I’ll get some mail on this, no doubt.
***Finally a master plan for a park in the city of Hanoi. That’s in Vietnam for those of you who are geographically challenged!
From the article;
According to the master plan, the green tree park covers a total area of over 6,800 square metres. The building with French-style architecture will be repaired and turned into a pubic library with an area of 406 square metres. Existing works on the land area will be removed to build the park.
If anyone recognizes that software for the drawing program fill us in.
French style, very formal and quite European in its look. I guess the Vietnamese hold no grudge against France, a country that went to war with Vietnam in the 1950’s.
Anyone who had been looking for the website for the Whispering Crane Institute this last week may have had some problems.
Problems like finding it. It wasn’t there-it was gone. The data had vanished into the internet tubes out there in data space.
How’d it happen?
I got no idea.
Anyway without boring anyone who is actually reading this. I have been able to actually get something put back up there with the help(very slow help) of my hosting site Midphase.
Which is actually the point of this post.
I must say that I am not going to reccommend using Midphase as a hosting site.
My site was down for close to a week and they were very slow to restore my database and allow to “start over” in building the site from scratch. I did not want to start from scratch but that is the position I was put into.
I really doubt that I will re-up my agreement with Midphase, especially if certain admin. issues are not resolved.
The only reason I did not leave last week was my e-mail. I did not want an interruption of my e-mail so I felt I was held hostage to this host.
Something to think about if you decide to run your own site, and what importance you put on e-mail and how it looks, is it dedicated to your company name, etc.
For you small independent designers out there look around and be smart about your choice. How you brand yourself is very important.
The template
I also have decided to keep it blog-style and use the same template that I am using here at WordPress.com, it’s called Mistlook by Sadish. I like the style and the layout and will stay with it for awhile.
Anyway lots to do over at the website, lots of work to do.
Figuring out the driveway.
This was drawn right on site. I was interested in getting down my initial thought for the driveway and possible parking spots.
The reason for all the squares for the paving is that I was either stuck on something, or I just kept drawing squares as I was daydreaming about the project. I’ve noticed that I do that a lot on these types of drawings.
I guess it’s my style of thinking.
Reality would say that on site sketches would be very loose, very conceptual, and devoid of detail.
I will continue to show these types of drawings because Ibelieve it’s the best way to learn about conceptual thinking and the design process.
Addendum: those color markings are from Chartpak markers that I had been scribbling with on another doodle.
Aaargh, heave to there Matey’s, look lively now you rum pots. T’day is the day.
So listen up ye mangy dogs, beware those stinkin’ high falutin’ websites that go all mad today.
Mad like a 3 day bender on dry ground carryin’ a rum pot for ballast.
So heave to lads, cast ye sails to the wind, and watch ye back in this here internet of tubes. It be a jack-slap of a world out there.
Ye been warned,
Signed
While looking for a drawing to do a comparative analysis I found this interesting conceptual design.
What I have is something very loose and “natural” on the right as opposed to something very geometric in design on the left.
The Drawing
Natural on the right, geometric on the left.
The idea was giving the client a chance to look at completely opposite ideas and then decide from there.
What happened was the immediately went to the ‘natural’ look, even though they had indicated to me they were looking for some extra surface for seating.
In the end the only real difference from the drawing on the right and the installation was the water feature aspect. The large pond idea became part of the project.
I thought I’d throw this out there because this is a good example of curvilinear(natural) vs. geometric design in the residential setting.
Based on the comments and some e-mail from the previous post here is a little better explanation of the bistro area.
I have enjoyed all the feedback and look forward to other thoughts. Sharing these ideas makes us all better.
If it's this, that's too much fence/railing
If you click on this you can read my notes better. there’s also a note on the far right where the 2nd door is located. That is where the indoor pool is located.
The more i think about it there will have to be some sort of railing/benches, something because those walkways are too close and there is the need to place a patio area to the right of where that wall is located.
The more I look at that area on the left the more inclined I am to hard surface most of the area and suggest pots to green up the hard surface, add interest and height . . . including the concern for the view(s) from inside.
The Architecture
The other problem for me is the house itself. The design is one of those typical meldings of several differnt styles, a “mutt” house. Not fond of that but it seems that more often than not 5,000sq ft and above houses are built this way. At least in this part of the country.
So the process continues . . .
Oh, I have not come up with something specific in the way of hardscape/architecture in the front that is compelling me to tie it together with this back area. At this moment anyway.
I’ve been around the block.
All the way around the block.
At least I thought I had been all the way around the block . . . until now.
Take a look at his image
Uh, oh, here we go.
See those black holes in the concrete wall in the basement, yep . . . that’s right . . . the bistro. This is where the client plans to host dinner parties and wants something to look at out the windows, and allow for natural light to stream down into the bistro.
It doesn’t look any better from the other side
A look from the other side, it's not any easier.
Add in the fact that there are doors that tie into this setting, plus the transitions involved with that, all in a very small area.
Architects
When I first looked at this site what I really wanted to do was find the architect and put my boot up his . . . I digress.
When I was still there I was thinking that the best way to treat the homeowner’s request is to take that dirt wall and somehow turn that wall into the wall of the bistro.
In other words those glass windows are big enough to look all the way through. That the glass windows are not the wall of the room . . . but a “see-through”.
Sheesh
I’m probably not explaining this as well as I want. Which I am finding frustrating . . . I guess we have to wait for the drawings.
So even though it’s outside . . . it’s inside. Am I crazy, maybe so. I am going to start sketching something up this weekend and I’ll/we’ll see.
The real problem here is how to tie in the door/access on both sides. There is going to be some walkways and those walks are going to require some retaining walls to hold everything in place. Lots of level changes and structural integrity.
Walls, walks, doors, steps, natural light, aesthetics, need for a view, natural light, and a basement bistro,
Man I love this job.
Okay Landscape professionals, tell me what’s wrong with this story.
Also note we have heard about this value thing before, and I don’t see how this is news. Unless old news is now new news.
The story is pulled from the online edition of Lawn & Landscape. I might add that there is a lot of good info and real news for the site and the magazine which makes this story even more puzzling.
Three years ago, when Lisa and Lance Strawn bought a home in Franklin, Tenn., their landscaping consisted of the standard “shrub it up” builder’s package of two trees and bunches of big bushes.
“But it didn’t look like anyone had done any planning,” Lisa Strawn says. “And most of the bushes were hollies, which hurt if you cut them because they’re so prickly.”
The couple lived with their less-than-desirable shrubbery until July, when a desperate attempt at pruning made things worse.
Armed with a shovel, a chain saw and an ax, Lance Strawn wrestled the offending foliage out of the ground. In its place they opted for smaller evergreen plants, lava-rock mulch and ornamental grasses.
The Strawns’ decision to rip out their landscaping and start over isn’t as drastic as it sounds and may provide a modest hedge against declining home values, says Jim Lapides, a spokesman for the American Society of Landscape Architects.
“Whatever you plant isn’t going to lose value whether you sell your home in five years or 20,” he says. “Unlike a traditional remodeling project that begins to lose value because it’s no longer new, plants are always literally growing in value.”
In fact, says Alex Niemiera, an associate professor of horticulture at Virginia Tech University, a more sophisticated landscaping plan can increase a home’s value an average of 10 to 12 percent. He cites two studies that looked at people’s perceptions about plant size, diversity of plant and design sophistication.
Because homebuyers place a greater value on established perennials than annuals, Lapides says, it’s important for homeowners to plan to get things growing, especially if they don’t expect to stay long. Distinctive landscaping is also key.
“If you have the only house on the street without a deck, install a deck,” Lapides says. “But with landscaping, the opposite is true and it has to go above and beyond to really stand out.”
In some cases, that means starting over.
“Builders tend to shrub it up, which is OK,” he says. “But that doesn’t stand out or necessarily stand the test of time.”
Okay did you see it? It’s one of my bigger pet peeves, and it drives me nuts. There are some other things that got me wiggling. I’m curious to hear what others think. Link to online story.
For longtime readers you know it is very rare for me to post an entire story but I needed to show the entire context so we could evaluate the story and wonder why the same old thing keeps getting into the news.
Comment away.
Here’s the link to the page for the stone workshop.
Stone walls, boulders, and maybe a bloody knuckle or two . . . now you know you’re working with stone.
Request of the Stone: Fall 2008
Hands-on stone workshop by the Whispering Crane Institute, October 20th-22nd near Dover/New Philadelphia, Ohio. A real chance to learn about designing/building and working with stone.
“Designers have a better understanding of design when they have the knowledge of how ’stuff’ goes together.” -Me, several years ago.
Ohio toprock found on an hillside
On October 20th and 21st we will concentrate on building/designing/creating short retention walls using Ohio fieldstone. If you want to stick around for a 3rd day (October 22nd), I am going to focus on small boulders in the 500-1500lb size range.
Retaining Walls:
The leaders for these first 2 days will be John and Nate DeVore from Hamilton, Ohio along with yours truly. Expect to get your hands/gloves dirty as we expect hands-on participation — choosing the stone, looking at options, working stone when necessary, and building the wall.
naubinway cairn, -John DeVore
John and Nate have built a lot of these walls and they are passionate about not only building solid functional walls but also walls that are ‘aesthetically’ pleasing in joinery and placement — to be as creative as possible no matter the stone.
Two days allow for us to really teach and work. We expect everyone to join in; this will not be a workshop where 10 folks tote rock and the ‘experts’ do the work . . . teaching through observation. We want this to be teaching and learning by doing; by asking questions and exploring options.
Read the rest here on the dedicated page for the workshop.
Questions? Leave something in the comments here or on that page, send me an e-mail, or call. That info is at the bottom of the workshop page.
It’s going to be at the workshop/office in Dennison, Ohio. 30 minutes below Canton, Ohio, and about two hours drive time from Cleveland, Columbus, and Pittsburgh.
My hope is to use this site to spread some info about the art and practice of Landscape Design. It is a very misunderstood profession; I do not cut grass like the next door neighbor's cousin who carries 3 mowers and a blower in the back of his truck.
I will also pass along comments on industry happenings, events, etc., and any maybe a few other adventures going on in my world-after all this is "my" blog. Thanks for stopping by and taking a look. Questions? Drop me an e-mail.
rick (at) whisperingcraneinstitute (dot) com
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