Exterior Style

 

 

The Dream house plans are in full swing right now, lots of finalising of ideas & getting enough quotes to satisfy the bank.

When you decide to be an owner builder the banks want to know every last detail, they take your plans & quotes & hand them to an estimator who then determines whether or not you really can build that home for that amount of money.

 

I know this is a very poor quality pic of the elevations of our home, but it gives the general idea.

We have a long straight homestead style front verandah with a portico at the entrance as a feature & out the back we have a nice big back verandah/ alfresco area that extends out from the house, similar to the one in the image below.

 



 

 

These are just some of the images we are using as ideas to achieve our end result.

We love white post & rails, upstairs we will have a painted white bead board style ceiling & downstairs we plan to do the same only stain the timber.

This stair case is exactly what we need!

 

 

Love these posts & we will have timber on the front verandah

 

 

We would like some stone features like this & will have to tile the upstairs back verandah for water proofing otherwise it would leak into the downstairs area....

now that wouldn't be much fun, he he he!!!

 

 

A very welcome entrance, wouldn't you agree...

 

 

 

We have so many ideas & I have to say pinterest has been a fabulous tool for the dream guy & I to gather images & tutorials & ensure we are on the same wave length.

He has become addicted to my pinterest boards.

 

If you start seeing tools, boats & fishing gear popping up on my pinterest then you know the dream guy as hijacked my boards, ha ha ha :)

 

If you would like to see more of what has us inspired then stop by my

pinterest board

 

What do you think of our ideas so far?

Now don't forget I am keen for your thoughts, ideas & suggestions!

 

Have a fantastic weekend everyone.

 

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Relaxing in the great outdoors

Source Satisfying Spaces

The winter weather has been rather chilly here in Australia's gorgeous Hunter Valley,the coldest winter I have experienced in the 3years I have lived here. 

Source SC Architects

We haven't spent to much time relaxing in our outdoor spaces, although a fireplace like this one would certainly make it more inviting.

Source The Laurel Hedge

Do you have a fabulous outdoor area to enjoy a BBQ with friends on the weekends?

Source Unknown

This image leaves me wondering just what the view might be like, it must be pretty fabulous to have all these pretty rocking chairs lined up in a row?????

Source House & Garden

I think this one is my favourite space, I can't go past timber, natural stone, white accents & water views, even if it is just a pool!!

Have an AWESOME week everyone!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Alfresco Dining

Here in Australia we really do have great weather for outdoor dining & a fabulous alfresco area really is a must for our dream house.

I have been on the hunt for some images to show my dream guy just what I would like to do with our alfresco area.

 

Logans Hammer Building & renovating from Seattle, USA

had just what I was looking for...

 

Although I would like that timber ceiling & hand rails painted white

I do love the stone fireplace surround. It would be great to have an outdoor kitchen like this , but I think something a little less extravagant will be more in our budget. A cupboard with some bench space & a built in BBQ would do the trick, don't you think?

 My dream guy likes the look of stack stone used in home decor, whether it is indoors, part of the facade or even used in the landscaping, this would give him the opportunity to use that product within our house design.



This outdoor kitchen actually has a built in fridge, freezer & sink, not to mention a flat screen tv!

I don't know, I love to escape the tv, not have it follow me outside!!!

We will definately be having a ceiling fan as they actually keep the fly's away. You can pop your food on the table & not worry that it will be covered in flys before you blink your eyes!!!

I'm seeing a lot of images with curtains on the outdoor area, but I don't think that is something I will use in my Alfresco design!

Have you got a fabulous outdoor dining space to enjoy & does it have a fireplace to extend its use into the chillier months?

CHEERS

 Trish xxx

An outdoor dining project

With the dream house taking a little longer to get off the ground than we ever imagined, we have begun to get a little tired of having a lot of our favourite things in storage.

The house we rent is much smaller than we are used to, it was only meant to be temporary, but, here we are two years later & no end in sight.

At our back door we had a nice big slab of concrete & nothing more, exposing the back of the house to the hot afternoon sun as well as the rain, so my ultra clever dream guy whipped up a fabulous alfresco area...

 We have a handrail all the way around with a gate to keep our enormous drooling dog out.This is what he does best mind you!

Its been nice to be able to have friends over & sit outside with nibblies & drinks

I stitched up some cushions from some bargain fabric that I purchased on sale at spotlight, originally

 $18.99 mtr, I only paid $4.00 mtr, YAY for me !!

My dream guy gave me this fabulous lantern as a birthday present, I burn a citronella candle in it which smells divine & keeps the mosquitos at bay....

Not only did we bring our outdoor setting out of storage, we also managed to find a place for my beloved "arles clock" . I got it at Freedom years ago, before big clocks became super trendy & I don't think I will ever tire of it!!!

Hope you love our new outdoor space, drop by & have a glass of wine with me anytime!!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx



An amazing home

traditional exterior design by san francisco general contractor JMA

Location, Location, Location!!!

I think I'm in Luuurve....

 

traditional patio design by san francisco general contractor JMA

Is this the most amazing alfresco area you've seen lately. I can see myself entertaining here year round.     

 It would be lovely to sit in front of the fire sharing a bottle of red wine with friends.

Such a stylish open plan kitchen

traditional living room design by san francisco general contractor JMA

A lovely sunny lounge area

traditional family room design by san francisco general contractor JMA

or a very private sitting room

Is this the fanciest horse stable on the planet, what lucky ponies to reside in such luxury!

JMA or Jim Murphy & Associates are responsible for building this gorgeous home on 11 acres in

Santa Rosa , CA  USA.

 Take a look at their website for a peek at a few more of there spectacular projects.

Any way I'm off to buy a lottery ticket because my dreams just got bigger,

didn't yours?

A concept Plan for the Dream House - Part1

 After drawing up my own very amateur plans for our dream house it was time to take it to the architect. We have chosen the builder we would like to use & he will liaise with the architect to ensure our house is designed exactly how we want it.

This is the first draft & there are many changes to be made but I thought I would share this process right from the beginning, perhaps you may have some great suggestions....

This is the view from the front. My dream guy really wanted a portico for our guests  to park under...I didn't !We agreed that if something was to be cut from the budget this would be it, BUT, as luck would have it , now he has seen this drawing, he no longer likes the portico, so its going...this makes me happy!!!

I can't wait to see what the next draft looks like without the portico...

This is the back of the dream house, our block slopes away at the back so we are able to utilize this space by putting our garages, gym, kids area & storage all downstairs.

This end is not exactly how I had envisioned it but we will get some changes made here as well, this small side window on the bottom level should actually be a door, there should be a side window upstairs.That is the kitchen area upstairs & from that corner, you get the best view, so it would be a shame to just look at a kitchen wall & the pergola should be on the downstairs level.

I love the look of sketched versions.

Front view

Back view

I'm loving the upstairs alfresco area, it opens up from the kitchen & the view from there will be amazing!!

This is the view from ground level, the floor level for the alfresco is 3m higher than here.

Let me know what you think, any suggestions or ideas are greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Trish xx

Alfresco living

Whilst waiting to build ,we are renting a home that has NO Alfresco area, NO verandah,not even a mere hint of an outdoor entertaining space. This saddens me for two reasons

1.We live in a wonderful climate that allows for outdoor living, especially in the evening, for at least 8 months of the year.

2.Our previous house had a beautiful alfresco area that my very clever dream guy built & it was one of my favourite parts of that house.

He started with a blank canvas....

 He measured twice, cut once.....

and settled for no less than perfection.....

& what do ya know.....

 It was time for ME to go furniture shopping & sew the perfect cushion covers.....

& toast a job well done....

 AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!! The serenity!!!!!

I miss our alfresco area, not to mention our beautiful furniture that has been in storage for the last 12 months.

So now I need new inspiration for the dream house.

Design Dump

We have planned an alfresco area as well as a front & back verandah's or porches as some would like to say. I would love a mix between a traditional Aussie homestead & a Hampton's style beach house.

Atlanta homes

a swinging chair over looking a pool would be a dream come true.....

unknown source