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February 17, 2009
Outside the Green Home
The outside is lovely, and with all the paint in place and the landscaping done and the outdoor furniture just calling my name, I was entranced.
The front porch overlooks (beyond the road) a large lake -- and two oversized dark-brown rattan chairs are already set up. You can just see yourself relaxing after a tough day of pruning your roof garden.
There is a grass lawn, and lots of drought-tolerant plants here and there (whose names I didn't know). There are three living spaces out back (which is really to the side of the house). Out back, where the garage is, a new GMC Sierra Hybrid is sitting in the driveway waiting to be given away. There is an outdoor four-poster daybed in what I imagine is a dark-stained teak with a comfy mattress covered in an all-weather outdoor fabric.
A silver-colored table that says "Moroccan" to me sits nearby. There are indoor/outdoor rugs that have been bound to create area rugs and lovely draperies hanging from all the sides. Across from the two patios is an island deck with a state-of-the-art grill that includes a griddle and preparation space. It's placed in the perfect spot (I've learned first-hand about keeping the grill away from the house -- turn it on when it's too close, and all your fire alarms come on). It is also far enough away from the seating areas to keep smoke at a minimum.
And wait! Guess what else is there???? A bocce ball court! Can you believe it? An 18-foot-long bocce ball court! Who thought of that?
Posted by Marilyn Bauer at 4:48 PM | Comments (29) | TrackBack
February 10, 2009
Nearly Finished
The house is nearly finished! Hooray! And it looks great. I hadn't been out to the site for a couple of weeks. Last time I was there, nothing was in the kitchen -- not an appliance in sight. There was concrete on the floor instead of the fabulous Shaw flooring. I would do my entire home in their wood floors. Wait until you see how beautiful and luxurious they are!
Last blast, I told you about the terra cotta metal roof. Now there are matching terra cotta Bermuda shutters on the windows that look wonderful and provide a "pop of color" to the neutrals of the house.
I drove out with Leon and when we drove by the house I actually asked him what it was! That's how far they've come.
Posted by Marilyn Bauer at 3:01 PM | Comments (36) | TrackBack
February 4, 2009
Built on a Human Scale
One of the things about the HGTV Green Home 2009 that I really like is that the scale is really "human size." It has a nice flow from room to room, and each room is spacious but not too big. Everything feels open, comfortable and livable.
I also liked the front doors. In their unfinished state (they're going to be painted later) they look like they're made from a light-colored wood. The reality is that they're actually made of fiberglass fitted with wind-resistant glass panes. Until I looked close, I didn't realize they weren't actually wood.
And speaking of wood, when I was out there today, they were putting up the wood around the interior doors. Next week, they're going to start laying the tile and painting the interior, and the landscape architect is about to be brought in.
Posted by Marilyn Bauer at 11:57 AM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
