29 06, 2019

Keep the dream alive!

2019-06-29T09:48:23+00:00

IMG_1333

It’s easy to lose focus when it comes to gaining our dream home.

Life is busy and full of distractions.

Our thoughts turn away from the dream, and then the “how’s” start to move in to destroy all hope.

Our greatest weapon?

Just start, gain momentum, take small steps, like laying stone, one at a time. Setting stone is easy enough that anyone can do it. And, with a little bit of progress every week, eventually the home is complete.

Originally posted 2016-06-13 16:11:10.

Keep the dream alive!2019-06-29T09:48:23+00:00
29 06, 2019

Simple living and life priorities

2019-06-29T09:48:15+00:00

stonefarmhouse

Most new homes today are so comfortable… are so distracting… that we miss out on what is truly important.

In some ways a modest cottage can hold more blessings for us than a McMansion could ever hope to provide.

Originally posted 2016-05-12 17:04:52.

Simple living and life priorities2019-06-29T09:48:15+00:00
29 06, 2019

Handmade stone cottage

2019-06-29T09:46:46+00:00

IMG_1371

They didn’t buy manufactured building materials.
They clearly didn’t follow directions.
They didn’t build like everyone else does.
And now they reap what they have sown.
I’m so jealous.

Originally posted 2016-02-18 15:33:44.

Handmade stone cottage2019-06-29T09:46:46+00:00
29 06, 2019

Blending into the landscape

2019-06-29T09:46:40+00:00

IMG_1352

A home should compliment and blend in with the landscape… something this stone home certainly does well.

Originally posted 2016-02-16 20:12:54.

Blending into the landscape2019-06-29T09:46:40+00:00
29 06, 2019

A thousand words

2019-06-29T09:45:54+00:00

IMG_1372

They say a photo speaks a thousand words.
What words do you hear?
When you look at this photo do you feel sorry for the folks who live here?… on how impoverished they are… on how small their home is… on the possessions they must not have? Why surely they must be cramped in there.  Do they even have cell phone reception or high speed internet?
Likely, if you have found yourself here on this site it’s not sympathy that you feel towards the inhabitants of this house but rather a tinge of jealousy. There is a peace that can be found within a space like this that is lost in our modern world. Perhaps the transition to a home like this would be too hard for us to undertake… but if we could bring some of this charm into our own homes, or have a place like this to retreat to in order to recharge our inner soul… well, that would be goal worth striving towards wouldn’t it?

Originally posted 2016-01-05 14:25:14.

A thousand words2019-06-29T09:45:54+00:00
29 06, 2019

Stone lasts… forever

2019-06-29T09:45:44+00:00

IMG_1266

An attractive home…
with no maintenance…
forever.

 

Originally posted 2016-01-01 15:28:28.

Stone lasts… forever2019-06-29T09:45:44+00:00
29 06, 2019

Stone

2019-06-29T09:45:35+00:00

IMG_1463

Stone… you just can’t go wrong with it.

Originally posted 2015-12-27 15:47:43.

Stone2019-06-29T09:45:35+00:00
29 06, 2019

Proper design comes from thorough study

2019-06-29T09:44:31+00:00

IMG_1800

This home, as nice as it is, could have been so much better, at no additional cost, nor additional labor, with just a couple of minor design adjustments implemented.
Keep in mind that the combination of log and stone is one of the best mixes a homeowner can put together.
Here we have a nice vintage log cabin with a great original stone chimney… notice that the stones are laid flat and in a horizontal pattern, and that they have great texture and color.
Later on, the current homeowners have added this stone addition and used properly matching stone… which was a wise choice.
But, somehow the addition falls flat… it’s… “nice”, but not… “OMG!!!… that’s AMAZING!!!”
What happened?
Well, for one thing the newer stone work on this addition drifted away from being horizontally laid to more of a “random pattern”… as if it was laid with the aid of a giant shotgun.
But, the larger failing here is one of design (or lack thereof)… a lack of attention… to the roof pitch and an “eye-pleasing” use of windows.
The nearly flat roof that crowns this stone section gives this give it an “industrial… mobile home… modern” look.
And, with regard to windows… the simple addition of a little window on the chimney end, and larger one on the long side, would have dramatically improved the overall appearance.
So what’s the point in all my rambling here this morning?
Too much coffee you say? lol
It’s just that… If a person is going to build… if they are going to buy a nice piece of land… if they are going to use attractive materials… shouldn’t they arrange those materials in the most attractive way that they can?
And the secret to learning appealing design?
Simply look at every home, and every photo of a home, that you find attractive… study each home and try to figure out what it is about that particular home that makes it special (or not special).
Then do it again… and again… and again.
Or… hire someone who has done this process, over and over, for years, to design your home for you.
Certainly beauty is in the eye of the beholder… but I would be willing to wager that I could have spent 15 minutes with a pen and the back of an envelope and convinced this owner to make a few adjustments that would have blessed him for years to come.

Originally posted 2015-12-02 15:26:29.

Proper design comes from thorough study2019-06-29T09:44:31+00:00
29 06, 2019

A stone cottage with a missing window

2019-06-29T09:44:30+00:00

IMG_1932

Which would you choose to have on the end of this cozy stone cottage? A window? or a bricked-in chimney flue pipe?
I assume the owners of this home wanted a heating stove installed and this was their solution. I would have located the stove off to one side of the window and then run the pipe through the roof.

Originally posted 2015-12-02 14:23:09.

A stone cottage with a missing window2019-06-29T09:44:30+00:00
29 06, 2019

Stone cottage with plenty of “relief”

2019-06-29T09:44:15+00:00

IMG_1803

I do like a stone home.
Laying stone is a form of art, and a great hobby.
It’s a joy to do.
It’s great exercise.
It’s affordable (if a person lays it themselves).
It’s also meditative… It slows a person down and helps them appreciate the moment.
And to top it all off, it creates something beautiful that can last forever.
Notice the varying depths of each stone… perhaps a bit overdone here on this house… but one of the common flaws that I see in so much of the newer work done today is “flat and shadow-free”. Here we see there is plenty of texture for the eyes to enjoy.

Originally posted 2015-11-25 17:41:30.

Stone cottage with plenty of “relief”2019-06-29T09:44:15+00:00
Go to Top