I love the humility of my original home’s site in the cup of two slopes. Rather than parading itself at the land's highest point, it became part of my 5 acres by backing up against hillsides of second-story forest growth. It looks uphill at old logging road clearings and west toward wetlands pioneered by alders.
When I woke this morning, the second story south wall was underway. It looked huge and looming from my home’s living room windows. Lydia Marshall (Drucker Architects) and Dan Neumeyer (Jade Craftsman Builders) arrived soon after for a budget and what-happens-next meeting. Lydia said she was forever thankful to the cedar we’d protected that will visually break up the south façade of the building as you drive in. Its two-stories don’t look so intimidating from that approach, but seem enormous as I gaze uphill at them from my house.
Part of that is the bright color of the new wood, which will be clad in HardiPanel painted Ranger Green like my house – blending with its cedar and hemlock backdrop. Much of its bulk will disappear in the trees.
Lydia asked today if I’d climbed to the 2nd story. I did that after work, but didn’t have the nerve to step off the ladder onto the new footing. There was a bad experience from my own roof, not being able to find the first step of the ladder on the way back down. Even so, I gazed out from 2nd floor level and saw this will be a tree house. Perched a third of the way up 30-60’ cedars, occupants will see robin nests, barred owl perches. Coyotes and black tail deer trotting by at dawn and dusk. It will be a good place to live.
When I woke this morning, the second story south wall was underway. It looked huge and looming from my home’s living room windows. Lydia Marshall (Drucker Architects) and Dan Neumeyer (Jade Craftsman Builders) arrived soon after for a budget and what-happens-next meeting. Lydia said she was forever thankful to the cedar we’d protected that will visually break up the south façade of the building as you drive in. Its two-stories don’t look so intimidating from that approach, but seem enormous as I gaze uphill at them from my house.
Part of that is the bright color of the new wood, which will be clad in HardiPanel painted Ranger Green like my house – blending with its cedar and hemlock backdrop. Much of its bulk will disappear in the trees.
Lydia asked today if I’d climbed to the 2nd story. I did that after work, but didn’t have the nerve to step off the ladder onto the new footing. There was a bad experience from my own roof, not being able to find the first step of the ladder on the way back down. Even so, I gazed out from 2nd floor level and saw this will be a tree house. Perched a third of the way up 30-60’ cedars, occupants will see robin nests, barred owl perches. Coyotes and black tail deer trotting by at dawn and dusk. It will be a good place to live.
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