Why are people gravitating towards Social Networks online? The question can be answered by reviewing other historical transitions of communication or media. It is like people transitioning from radio to TV. Do people still listen to radio – sure, however television has brought a visual element to media and has grown in use over radio. Social Networks can also be seen replacing other forms of communication like e-mail. Will people still use e-mail – sure, however a social network allows for greater participation beyond a closed e-mail contact list. Web based social networking also allows greater functionality and common application use. Social Networks provide greater interaction and participation among invited and public viewers.
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We did our first "camp-out" during lunch time today (Sunday). It's a fairly warm and overcast day and we weren't really able to observe any sunshine patterns. Nonetheless, here are some thoughts and photos capturing our preferences on views:
1. Outdoor play area/overflow parking
We love the idea of having one of the oak trees to provide a shady area (assuming we can trim a few branches at the bottom) for the kids to ride their bikes or shoot some hoops, while also providing a pad for overflow parking. If possible, perhaps we can even clear a hiking trail (nothing formal except clearing some brush) that can take us down to the other oak trees and perhaps all the way around the house, which would make a nice short hike around our land underneath the house.
2. Preferred view from Great Room/kitchen
Here is a panoramic view we'd love to capture from our Great Room, just to the left of the previous photo. From the family room, it would be great if we could see Mt. Diablo dead-on center, and preferably we'd also be able to see a little bit of the road leading up to our home, so we could see who's coming up. This is the most treasured view for us, and we want to make sure that we can enjoy it everyday from the Great room where we'll be spending 80% of our time.
3. View from living room (or dining)
While we weren't able to confirm exactly where the sun will set, our compass indicated that west was in the direction of the valley right in the middle of this photo. While the view is great (and different), we would not want any bedroom or our Great room to hit direct sunlight, so we're relegating that to the formal living room. If possible, we would also prefer NOT seeing the neighbor's house (incl. his two water tanks) toward the bottom of this photo.
If there were to be a trade-off on which room would have a view, between the formal living room and the dining, we would give it to the formal living. We would also prefer the dining room to allow for a nice, big round table that seats 8-10, instead of an oblong-shaped table.
4. Master bedroom view
This is another much treasured view, immediately to the left of the previous photo. We think this faces South/Southwest, and love being able to wake up to a little bit of the rolling hills as well as the San Ramon Valley. The lights from all the Windemere homes at night would be spectacular and make a great, relaxing view from our bedroom. Same comment noted for the neighbor's roof and water tanks.
Our only concern is the afternoon sun, and would prefer that our windows veer as much toward south as possible.
5. Vince's office
If possible, Vince would love for his office to feature this view of the rolling hills toward the Windemere permanent space (SxSE?). To be able to stare into as much greenery as possible would really help him rest his eyes away from the computer. Given that Vince really prefers a separate entrance to his office (which could also potentially serve as a shared entrance with the guest wing?), and also be as far away as possible from the Great Room to reduce noise and distraction, we think this also makes a convenient location for his office.
6. Other bedrooms/guest wing
So this is a view that's sandwiched between the previous two photos (i.e. master bedroom and Vince's office):
It's an amazing view of the Windemere/San Ramon Valley area, and we love it as well. We're just not sure if there is room for this to belong to the kids' bedroom (just one, or both?) or perhaps even the guest wing, but we'd love to find a way to maximize our enjoyment of this view.
With respect to the kids' rooms, here are three things we discussed as requirements:
1. Equity in views: If one kid's room has a view, then the other should as well. Else neither room gets it.
2. Kids' bedrooms need to be close to the master bedroom. Both for convenience and peace of mind (for us, not for them!)
3. Kids cannot go out or leave the house without first passing the master bedroom. Yes, we're paranoid parents trying to plan for rebellious teenagers later in life.
Overall, we had a great visit today and it reiterated two things we'd love for this home to achieve:
1. A relaxing, almost spa-like feeling when we come home
2. As much as we can, preserve the open, 360-degree view that we've come to cherish from this lot.
We found these interior designs that we liked on the Houzz website. What we liked about the photo is indicated in parenthesis following each link. I will add more to this blog as I gather more interior photos.
COLLECTION OF PHOTOS OF ROOMS DESIGNS WE LIKED (Mudroom, Playroom, kitchen, study, great room)
http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/22246985/thumbs/Home-Interior-Photos
WINDOWS PHOTOS
http://o.homedsgn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Burkehill-Residence-07-800x533.jpg
(Large windows and the simplicity)
http://www.houzz.com/photos/316417/Edegewood-contemporary-family-room-san-francisco
(liked the horizontal windows on top of the large windows. Open floor plan. Nice fireplace)
http://www.houzz.com/photos/4488077/Victorian-Workers-Cottage-Addition-contemporary-kitchen-sydney
(nice bay window)
http://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary/open-floor-plan-/p/24
(mahogany windows on white walls. love it. Recess lighting on ceiling nicely down)
http://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary/open-floor-plan-/p/48
(nicely done fireplace with a mantle that's understated against classic earthy color)
GREAT ROOM PHOTOS
http://www.houzz.com/photos/1016822/Snug-Harbor-contemporary-family-room-orange-county
(love this great room set up, simple recess lighting. Staircase is nice too)
http://www.houzz.com/photos/119302/view-from-entry-at-main-living-space-contemporary-dining-room-new-york
(another lovely great room concept. Rather than a long rectangle that goes from kitchen to the family, it's like a large square)
http://www.houzz.com/photos/2471106/Lucerne-contemporary-living-room-auckland
(simply elegant, clean lines. Small vertical window stacked on top of large. Still prefer rectangular to vertical)
http://www.houzz.com/photos/1014575/Bardmoor-1172-contemporary-living-room-tampa
(I like the layout of this great room with dining on end and family room on another all feed into the kitchen)
http://www.houzz.com/photos/467713/House-on-a-Hill-contemporary-kitchen-austin
(love the layout. Not a fan of the pole in the middle of the great room or the country-ish decor)
http://www.houzz.com/photos/2784130/California-Sustainable-Home-contemporary-family-room-santa-barbara
(like this layout. not sure about the fireplace by dining area but different!)
http://www.houzz.com/photos/49193/Cape-Cod-contemporary-dining-room-other-metro
(another great example of great room layout. However NOT a fan of the explode ceiling wood poles)
OFFICE AND OTHER ROOMS
http://www.houzz.com/projects/164160/Woodside-Residence
(like all the rooms shown here, how they did the windows that meet at a corner. Like the interior design of warm earthy color trims and paint)
Vince's best friend from college lives in Honolulu, and one of the things we noticed when visiting homes there is the use of wood and the unique blend of contemporary and Asian-influenced style in many of the homes, particularly in the Kahala and Hawaii-kai neighborhoods.
Here's a good example of the use of wood in flooring and in framing the windows:
http://www.houzz.com/photos/2520388/Kauai-lake-one-tropical-home-office-hawaii
Another example of bedroom:
http://www.houzz.com/photos/2520801/Kauai-Lake-Front-Estate-tropical-bedroom-hawaii
This home contains a lot of those features we like:
http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4144-Papu-Cir-Honolulu-HI-96816/601087_zpid/
Meeting Notes (Jun 12, 2014)
GENERAL:
1. We would like the windows to be closer together, sharing the frame. The smaller top windows, should stack right above the long rectangular windows on the bottom. Do this where applicable to keep the window style across the home look consistent.
Examples:
(Option 1-preferred) http://www.houzz.com/photos/438772/Leftwich-Residence-contemporary-exterior-portland
(Option2) http://www.houzz.com/photos/316417/Edgewood-contemporary-family-room-san-francisco
MASTER BATH
1. Tim suggested having more windows in the master bedroom bath. We can potentially lower the master bath by creating a ceiling (with attic) or have two smaller window above the tub window. Creating a ceiling and adding 2 smaller windows both adds cost but the latter you get more lighting into the bathroom
Decision: Yes we will create 2 smaller windows above bath
2. Ceiling over master bedroom is 13 feet tall
MASTER BEDROOM
1. Tim suggested we bring the 4 large windows in the master bedroom all the way to the ground, down to 18 inches from the ground. Beyond 18 inches you need temper glass which will add cost.
Decision: Yes we will go ahead and bring it down to 18 in. from the ground.
BEDROOM 2 (west side)
1. Need to decide whether to raise the 2 windows higher of rmore privacy. Currently if someone is in the backyard, he can see into the room.
Decision: Yes let's raise it
GREAT ROOM:
1. Do we want the two small windows above the wall mounted TV? A strong glare will come into the room at sunset but for a short period of time and can be addressed by shades.
Decision: would like to remove those windows above the TV. Do not want to deal with the sun piercing in. We have to think about how to deal with the interior w/o those two windows. Do we have to create a fireplace element?
2. The width of the TV must be no wider than 7 feet to fit above the fireplace
3. Talk to the contractors about celestory versus frame windows.
KITCHEN:
1. The ceiling is 12 feet tall
2. We would like rectangular windows above the cabinets as well as right above the counter top (below the cabinets) in lieu of a backsplash, on the East side only
3. Tim suggested doing exposed shelves on the north side, potentially over the windows so you can see through the items on the shelves to the outside
4. Tim said the windows on the North side will come all the way down to connect with the counter, so there will not be a backsplash
140426 Feedback on Lawrence floor plan A2.1
Entry/foyer
- We had discussed having a small area for shoes, or a "genkan" area with a step up from the door. Could we incorporate this concept into your existing plan by having a step-up from the entry, and by placing a bench with space for shoes on one side?
- We're having second thoughts about the water features facing the entry, as well as surrounding the breakfast area. While there are definitely things we like about incorporating water, we're more worried about the maintenance, kids stepping into water, and generally having a fixture here where our taste might change in the future. Could we plan on doing something without fixtures instead, such as placing furniture that helps break up the room and still allow for the "grand" entrance?
- Similarly, is there a way for us to think about the breakfast area without the water and "bridge" concept, but still provide some character for this space?
- The two of us are still a bit split on the design of the staircases. If it turns out that the staircases push us over the budget, we would be open to just having a single staircase to the left side, perhaps going up over where the powder and bar are currently situated. However, wonder if we would have to re-think the breakfast area, consequently.
Living Room
- Remove French Doors and replace with windows
Bath 4/Guest Suite/Office
- Is there a way to re-think the bathroom sharing situation? Current issue is that there are too many doors going into the bathroom, in order to grant on-suite access from guest suite plus privacy from office/living room. Two potential options:
i) One door into Bath 4, placed adjacent to guest suite entry door. While guest suite needs to walk outside to get to bathroom, it's essentially right next to the suite, while still allowing access from the living room. Office will have to walk further to enter though, but Vince is okay with this.
ii) Create a mini hallway on the side of office entry that provides access to bath 4 AND guest suite. Entry into the Bath 4 would be through a single door. We can still put a door that gets into this mini-hallway, which can be closed off to create a private area for the guest suite & bath 4
Kitchen
- Move stove off island
- We would actually appreciate one single (and bigger) island with cabinets underneath, vs. breaking it out into two. Booth style seating on one side of the island.
- Screens: We are split on whether to have the moving shoji screens for the formal dining and kitchen spaces. We can see ourselves moving the panels toward the left, leaving 1-2 panels there to "block" the view of the kitchen from entry. However, we have a harder time imaging ever needing to close any of the panels on the formal dining side, and wonder if we can just skip this side. (see related comment in Dining)
- As an alternative to the screens, what about just putting a 3-ft. high divider on the south side, separating the living room and kitchen? We would like some way to not make kitchen so visible as guests walk in the front door
Dining
- We are okay NOT to have panels that open into the backyard from dining. Instead, we'd love to do bigger windows there over a sideboard. The big french doors on the west side should be sufficient.
- Bar: Instead of having an "L' shape bar area, wondering if we can "slim" this down and just do a wet bar/cabinets against the south side of that wall. We'd be okay not having an island/counter for seating, and if we'd really like to have bar seating there, we'd okay buying a tall bar table with bar stools in that area. We can be swayed, though, if there is really a lot of value to having a more formal bar area, in terms of the value of the house.
- Shoji Screen: Related to the "slimmed-down" bar, wondering if we can also "slim down" the shoji screen design here but just having screens running on the east side of the room, and SKIPPING the one panel on the south side. Given that we won't have sliding panels on the north side, also wonder if there is a way for us to slide all the panels over and "hide" them on the wall toward the north side of the dining room. Or, conversely, if this can be accomplished on the south side be sliding the panels toward the wall shared with the powder, we can also consider that.
Bedroom Suite 2 and 3
- Like the layout overall, but would like to remove the french doors. We are still thinking less about what adult inhabitants would enjoy vs. having another "escape route" for our future teens. Instead, wonder if we can do nice big windows here and potentially fit in a piece of furniture or custom bench to create a bay window type of space for reading/relaxing.
Master Suite
- We're thinking about placement of furniture, and wonder if we need to tweak the dimensions of the room and placement of bath/walk-in closet accordingly. Three things we'd do with our furnishings:
1. We'll likely want to move our bed to the east side, so that we can wake up facing the Las Trampas/San Ramon Valley view featured on the west side, as well as being able to watch TV (presumable hung on the wall on the west side between the big glass corners)
2. Given likely placement of the bed, we'd like to still make sure we have a little retreat area where we can place a loveseat or two chairs to watch TV and admire the view.
3. Accordingly, I think we can still keep the doorway into the master bath as-is, but are open to other suggestions
- Shower area: We see that it's currently more of a trapezoid shape given how we're drawing the toilet. Is there a way to make it rectangular? (see related comment on the toilet)
- Toilet: Instead of its current position, is there a way to place the toilet such that we can get a small window, so we can minimize the need to lighting during the day (plus ventilation?) Perhaps re-configure how we currently have the walk-in closet drawn to make this happen?
- Door into master bath: If we simply get rid of the door going into the master bath, would this help with the re-configuration above?
Loggia
- Thinking about the area just outside the master suite, toward the northwest corner, is it possible to do a loggia here to provide a sitting area without blocking the view to the West/NW? OR:
- Are we better off thinking about placing a loggia in the space between dining and great room, now that we are not thinking doing panels?
Garage 2 (garage on the west side)
- Agree on having no direct entry into the house, as long as we have covered access back to the house.
- Can we move the door to the southeast corner of the garage instead?
We took the two kids to see the sunset tonight. We arrived at 7pm, just about 10 mins before the sun was about to set. We loved seeing the warm glowing rays as we walked up to the top of the knoll. See photo.
As we approached the top, we saw cows, which the kids absolutely loved seeing! Elise couldn't stop staring at the animals. It still feels unbelievable that we were so close to these cows. It would be nice to keep the side facing Windemere as open as possible so we may enjoy seeing these animals walk by. Here is Ethan making a face when asked to pose with the cow.
As we stood on the top, we realized that the sunset was actually further to the LEFT than we originally thought, based on the compass reading. It set closer to the Windemere development versus down the middle of the rolling green hills. See picture below of the sunset.
It started to get windy so we headed down the hill. Ethan LOVED walking around the site. He marched up and down the hill with such joy and determination. It made us realize how much we would love to have a hiking path that goes around the house so we can take the kids on "nature walks" around our property. They didn't want to leave the site and wanted to walk around more. So Liwen walked them both down the hill to the bridge. It was a very special family outing for us.
The following morning, Vince had a chance to go back up to the lot at around 9:30 am to check out the morning sun.
Pretty much as expected, the sun was coming up from the Windemere hills to the right of the oak tree, so any room facing the road leading up to the home will hit the sun directly. We don't think this is a huge issue, as long as the windows from Vince's office or bedrooms are facing the Windemere home (i.e. SxSE)
We found these exterior designs that we liked on the Houzz website. What we liked about the photo is indicated in parenthesis following each link. I will add more to this blog as I gather more exterior photos.
COLLECTION OF PHOTOS OF EXTERIOR DESIGNS WE LIKED:
http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/22997597/thumbs/Exterior
ROOF DESIGNS WE LIKED:
http://www.houzz.com/photos/2625712/Thayer-Residence-contemporary-exterior-santa-barbara
http://www.houzz.com/photos/2625719/Thayer-Residence-contemporary-exterior-santa-barbara
(like how the roof extends out a bit to the patio with recess lighting underneath)
http://www.interiordesign2014.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/house-designrulz__________________________________________________________________.jpg
(like the roofline, LOVE the garage door with the frosted glass)
(like the exterior and interior kitchen)
BACKYARD LANDSCAPING DESIGNS WE LIKED:
http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/23158288/thumbs/Landscape
http://o.homedsgn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Butterfly-26.jpg
(backyard very simple. Except no pool for our project)
Meeting Notes (Jun 12, 2014)
Vince and I got on a call with Tim to review the roof plan and elevation plans. These are the notes I captured related to the roof plan. See Elevation Meeting notes for elevation related notes.
1. We wanted a shed roof over a pitch roof for more of a contemporary look. After thinking about it more, Tim said that shed roof cost less to install versus a hip or pitch roof (cutting the metal to form the hip is more expensive to install)
2. Tim advised we do all the roof as shed roof versus a combination of pitch/hip and shed roof. This will keep it to a similar "theme" for contemporary
3. Armstrong Roofing - provides a new technology for insulating roofs (foam). We will not need to have attic and ceilings. Each room will have different tilts depending on the direction the roof is tilting.
4. We need to be prepared there is a chance the Town of Danville will not approve of the shed roof. We need a default plan, perhaps go back to the pitch roof
OPEN ITEMS:
1. Vince and Liwen need to think over the roof tilt over the front entry while Tim is out on vacation (6/12 - 6/29). Do we want less of it (flat, appear like a T), or pitch, or something else? Right now having the roof top tilted along with the exposed beams on the left and right sides appear unbalanced seems a bit weird to us.
2. On the secondary garage, extend the EAST side of the roof to provide a barrier from rain while walking from garage to the front entry.
Link to the spreadsheet on Google Docs. This is a living document and will continue to be updated as we get more ideas.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AqRnsSOUKtr5dDd6Ym5hNDNERXBTSEtXTDRvVTRzQVE&usp=sharing
One of our habits is asking guests to remove their shoes upon entering the house. One of the big issues is keeping the shoes organized! We would love to incorporate the idea of a Genkan. We would want to have a "grand entrance" feel but somehow incorporate a genkan area for people to sit and remove shoes. Here are some photos on Houzz that are good examples.
Here is a picture of a home that tries to integrate elements of Japanese style and a feel of zen. We liked the first picture of the stone walkway
We like the design of these roof top terrace photos. There should be 4 photos in this link
http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/23374448/thumbs/rooftop-terrace
google-site-verification=wLfGnbtX8dngPdp2s-cVs-seE_1oaDtuyXB-r0jf5mE
