Monday, August 21, 2006

Setting the Direction

We started the process in August 2005. The first discussion, of course, began with an addition and renovation. Discussion Two was gut-renovation. Discussions One through Two went fast, getting us to Discussion Three - demolition. In some circles, demolition is better known as "removing all trace evidence of my former life." (This will be unattributed, but sounds like something my husband might say?)

The time from the idea of demolition to the possibility of NextHouse was brief, but then came the 8 months of design - which was fascinating given that we didn't make too many changes. Of course, if you ask the designer and the project manager, they'd probably rightly give a whole different perspective on the definition of "many changes."

The cool thing about NextHouse is that it was only a concept when we first hear about it - a bunch of pictures and drawings in Dwell Magazine, with more drawings at the Empyrean offices. Here is a link to some of the generic NextHouse information and pictures. Of course, ours will look a whole lot different because it will actually work.

Sunday, August 20, 2006

Starting Off

This is a sometime blog that is starting to track the progress toward tearing down our house, and starting all over again.

The existing house - a vintage mid-60s "Deck House" hasn't been given a lot of love. As houses go, it was fine in its time. But, wear, tear, and a whole lot of mouse/critter activity have truly taken their toll. When the current house has been torn down, a picture will go up. In the meantime, I'll give it some respect by not showing any unflattering pictures.

The lot and the overall setting, however, are perfect.