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April 30, 2006
Sonos
Our now or never point for installing network and audio wiring has stretched into now-or-some-time-in-the-next-three-weeks. So we have had more time to devise a solution.
This is the system I would have purchased had I been rushed. It is flexible and easy to install. Cost/benefit is pretty good.
Still, it's not the ideal solution. There are multiple ways it is not right. The flexibility is just on the wrong axis. We don't need 6 different sources of music in 6 different places, we need the music we want in about 2 areas. 1. Downstairs commons, 2 Master suite. We need access to internet radio and our iTunes play lists. And we need to know what we are listening to without walking half way across the house and kicking somone off the computer. It just looked like the ideal solution had not been invented yet. Until I stumbled upon Sonos.
It's really cool to see interaction design that just knocks one out of the park. Everything I have seen about this product and the company tells me that they "get it." The web site is sharp, and the FAQ answers actual questions.
We will be wiring standard speaker wires and volume knobs throughout the house. (Once again, I can thank commenters on this blog for a good decision.) We can plug our old component stereos into these and someday, a we'll get set of Sonoses.
Posted by David at 09:09 AM | Comments (2)
April 26, 2006
Realty Reality
I got an email today from Realty Austin. They wanted to show off their new home searching tool. Check it out!
Pretty cool, eh? I don't think those are all the houses for sale in our neighborhood--there is one down the street that isn't on there. Still, gives you a really good idea how many homes are on the market in a general area. Summer hasn't even started yet... realtors, start your engines!
Posted by Christiane at 08:27 PM | Comments (2)
American Lawn
I was surfing around the other day and happened upon a truly fascinating article by Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma. The article is one of his oldest about American's fascinations with suburban lawns.
Like the interstate highway system, like fast-food chains, like television, the lawn has served to unify the American landscape; it is what makes the suburbs of Cleveland and Tucson, the streets of Eugene and Tampa, look more alike than not. According to Ann Leighton, the late historian of gardens, America has made essentially one important contribution to world garden design: the custom of ''uniting the front lawns of however many houses there may be on both sides of a street to present an untroubled aspect of expansive green to the passer-by.'' France has its formal, geometric gardens, England its picturesque parks, and America this unbounded democratic river of manicured lawn along which we array our houses.
I've never been a lawn kind of gal. We lived on a half-acre lot when I was growing up and I watched my dad while away the better part of his Saturdays mowing the damn thing, pruning the trees, trimming the hedges. It was gorgeous, don't get me wrong, but it took an inordinate amount of work. Most of our neighbors had services, but then most of our neighbors on our quaint and quiet little lane were also the retired original-owners my dad had grown up next to.
In Texas, a lawn is a strange and difficult obstacle to an otherwise hassle-free weekend. Texas lawns need year-round care, unlike my parents' lawn in Illinois which was covered in snow for the better part of the year. Texas lawns require weed killer and ant killer and snake killer and creative de-pollenation. I have no time for these things. I am all about letting nature do its thang. Native plants are beautiful and require very little maintenance. Gardening... well, I'm not good at it, but I do enjoy it, I must say.
For if lawn mowing feels like copying the same sentence over and over, gardening is like writing out new ones, an infinitely variable process of invention and discovery. Gardens also teach the necessary if rather un-American lesson that nature and culture can be compromised, that there might be some middle ground between the lawn and the forest--between those who would complete the conquest of the planet in the name of progress, and those who believe it's time we abdicated our rule and left the Earth in the care of its more innocent species. The garden suggests there might be a place where we can meet nature half way.
David is our resident lawn-mower. He likes the lawn, and he's willing to take care of it. We've got our work cut out for us once the remodel is finished--chances are good that our lawn has been demolished along with much of the original house. Luckily, we live in a really cool neighborhood with amateur (and professional!) landscapers who have gone where we have not gone before. I look at our new yard as a fresh palette, an example of what the New American Lawn could look like if we met nature somewhere in the middle.
Posted by Christiane at 11:43 AM | Comments (6)
April 23, 2006
Architectural Archetypes
Those of you who know me personally know about my interest in Jungian and Campbellian archetypes, themes that appear and reappear throughout the ages across unrelated cultures. I see three square windows everywhere nowadays. In trying to find out more about their architectural history, David and I stumbled upon a few interesting links...
The three square window theme dates back to the Incan Temple of the Three Windows at Macchu Picchu:
It is now known that it was built long before the Incas, and that it's olden name was Tampu-Tocco, "Haven of the Three Windows." The place, and its unique windows, are featured in local lore regarding the origins of the Andean civilization when the gods, led by the great creator Viracocha, placed the four Ayar brothers and their four sister-wives in Tampu-Tocco. Three brothers emerged through the three windows to settle and civilize the Andean lands; one of them founded the Ancient Empire that preceded that of the Incas by thousands of years.
Ubiquitous they are, and yet considered modernist. From Architectural Ruminations on a 1936 Armstrong home:
The design makes effective use of tones and textures from the white of the stucco to the grey of the limestone, darker tones and shadows at the bricks, and darkest in the repeated composition of three square windows. While the stone face of addition partially concealled by vines and planting appears to be old, the white stucco of the garage extending beyond the end together with the flat roof of the addition, is a clear indication of its modernity.
Armstrong has developed his architectural expression by the careful juxtaposition of materials, forms, geometry, and textures.
It appears we are not the only ones with an eye on 50's doors:
I never cared for the diagonal thing myself, but I've always liked that other 195Os contender, the three square windows stacked vertically. They're crisp and Modern, unlike the diagonal version, which looks to me like it's trying too hard to be different. Then there was also the model with the same three square vertical panels. but they were wood, attached to a flush door.
when i was a kid, i'd hang out by the back door in my kitchen. the door had three square windows, one on the bottom, one in the middle, and one on top. and i remember at one point only being tall enough to look out the bottom one. then the middle. then the top.
Funny to think that this theme has such interesting origins and varying interpretations. I've read others, from the fact that early art shows three square windows on the side of the Trojan Horse, and that three windows are often used in Christian architecture as an entry point for the Holy Trinity.
And here I just thought they looked cool.
Posted by Christiane at 01:43 PM | Comments (3)
April 21, 2006
Eagle Windows
We have Eagle windows. I am giving them a deliberate shout-out and link. We did not spec a brand of window, we just asked our contractor for the best value, and we got all wood double hung windows. They are spectacular. The only way they could match our original windows better would be to put ten layers of gloppy lead-based paint on them.
The Framers came by today and corrected the trim around the windows. Sill, drip cap, no board under the sill. What a huge difference this makes. I can't wait to move in and spend one lazy afternoon after another building wood screens for them.
But I wonder if this obsessive attention to detail means a have a little too much in common with a certain beaver.
(Props to Lauren for the heads-up on the article.)
Posted by David at 11:11 PM | Comments (2)
April 20, 2006
Earth Day is April 22
Will we see you at the Austin Farmer's Market this weekend?
Come for a toddler's dream diggin' bed, making recycled Earth Day projects, a garden demo and a chef's demo by ZTejas.
Sounds good to me. Maybe we can squeeze it in somehow around the previously-scheduled soccer game.
I know ya'll were planning to meet up with us at the Sustain-A-Ball this Saturday, right? We were going to sit in hemp chairs in the blazing sun, drink some herbal tea and maybe buy a few rainbarrels.
Not so fast! April and May rainbarrel sales have been postponed.
Due to a manufacturing issue, our supplier is unable to provide rainbarrels for our scheduled sale dates, including the planned sale this Saturday, April 22nd at the Sustainable Shoppers Ball.
Never fear: you can still pre-order them AND get $10 bucks off when you do! Come oooooonnnnnn, you know you want a rainbarrel. All the cool kids have them.
See you Saturday!
Posted by Christiane at 03:44 PM | Comments (4)
Out with the Old and In with the...?
I've been chewing on two comments for the past couple of days, and I just can't get them out of my head. Both are from neighbors. The first, from Paul, who came to our open house and chatted about a possible addition for his growing family:
We did get a bid from one contractor before reaching that decision, which was interesting. I think I'll feel more comfortable deciding whether or not our house is worth dropping an extra $150k on in 2-3 years. We may be the type of people who do better with just moving instead of living through a remodel.
The second from Steve who faces the possibility of having a developer building an inappropriate structure right next door to his house:
we have a fixer upper next door to us on piedmont that's been sitting empty for 5 yrs and is now for sale. if it wasn't for the recent mcmansion ordinance my wife and i fear someone would buy the lot, tear down the house, and build a 'metro-home' like that one - 2 stories tall, towering over the neighbors, right up to the property line... is it possible to love thy neighbor but hate their home ?
I've been trying to reconcile these two very real concerns that face a lot of people in the neighborhood.
On the one hand, we've seen three families on our street alone put their houses up for sale this year. These are super-cute houses, perfect for young couples or retirees who want a good yard for a garden. But I can't say I blame growing families for wanting more space. Who am I to determine how much they need exactly? And can I blame them for not wanting to live through a remodel? We don't always make it sound fun :)
There is an advantage to purchasing a home that someone else remodelled and flipped. All I know is that my childrens' elementary school is underenrolled and at some point may come under scrutiny by the state for using too many tax dollars on not enough kids (see Becker Elementary). I'd really love to see these cool families stay put.
On the other hand, I don't blame current, long-term residents for being nervous about the new development that is taking place all over town. There are very legitimate concerns about shade, drainage, energy conservation, privacy and aesthetic appeal. Personally, I love the Metrohouses. I think they are freaking awesome: original, spacious, and green. We toured one last fall and thought it was an excellent use of space, not an inch wasted, and we walked away with a lot of ideas. But it is a big change from the gingerbread houses that line the streets of our neighborhood.
It reminds me of the time about ten years ago when my parents bought a spec home in a new neighborhood under the impression that there would be a fire station on the other side of the fence in their backyard, and instead a development company bid on the land and erected a 3-story, Section 8 apartment complex. My parents and their neighbors went nuts, fought the development, and lost. The developer at least agreed to reduce the last row of apartments from 3 stories to 2.
I am absolutely positive there is a way to resolve this issue so that both parties get what they need, but I don't feel like I personally have the answers. I do know that there are real people on either side of the issue. Real people live in those houses, sometimes kids (kids that go to school with my kids). Real people designed those houses. Real people spent long, hard hours building them. Real people have real feelings, and feelings get hurt.
My first rule of social order: Live and let live. I'm willing to make sacrifices for the good of the community, like increasing urban infill and rewarding green choices as a trade-off for aesthetic autonomy.
My second: Lead by example. Do unto others, and all that good stuff. I might not like the house, but I am going to give my new neighbors the benefit of the doubt. Come on, you know you want to start a Welcome Wagon with me! I wasn't kidding about that one ;-)
I'm sure I will have to eat my words eventually. We're going to have a huge metroplex across the street from us, and who knows what it will actually be like when they finish developing it. I might hate it. There could be giant flood lights that shine into my bedroom windows. There could be non-stop traffic noise. Who knows? I hope I can take a deep breath and deal with it in a civil way.
Posted by Christiane at 09:18 AM | Comments (4)
April 16, 2006
Built to Sell, Not to Live
We regularly get flyers on our front door that publish recent selling prices for houses in our neighborhood. They encourage us to cash out. It feels like vultures circling our house. Christiane and I know 5 families that have moved out because they couldn't buy a bigger house here. Usually getting pregnant is the trigger. No wonder our elementary school is at 57% capacity. I'd like to distribute flyers that say, "Don't leave, especially if you have kids. Don't give our neighborhood to the vultures."
I had hoped that the people building this house (below) were like us, and just wanted to live here. When they put up a For Sale sign I was disappointed. I don't know their story. Maybe they couldn't afford it by the time they were done. But it sure looks like they built it for profit. If they don't live here, is it okay for them to reshape our neighborhood?
On the other hand, some builders are bringing a great funky style to our area. This new house (duplex actually) doesn't have much in common with it's neighbors, but I think it's going to be gorgeous.
The house across the street from us is being rebuilt with a 400 square foot addition right now. It looks like they are doing a great job. But, my opinion about these houses depends on whether there is a for sale sign or a moving van in front when they are done.
Posted by David at 02:11 AM | Comments (8)
April 14, 2006
Note to Self: Buy Graph Paper.
A small confession. We have some limited analytics on our blog. That means we know about how many people visit our site, what pages people view, and what sites refer them. We get about 100 visits a day, about half are repeat visitors. About 75% of our traffic comes from House Blogs. And occasionally we get a friendly link.
Folksy Lady linked to our little ol' blog and in about 3 clicks, I learned something new. This is exactly what I should be doing to describe the interior trim for our house.
Gotta buy graph paper.
Also, we got blogged at ModWalls. Neat. We think they're cool too.
Posted by David at 09:50 AM | Comments (0)
April 13, 2006
In-Wall Stereo Recommendations?
I need to run stereo and cat5 in our house this weekend. The walls are open so it's now or never.
I think I can figure out cat5. Just run a line from each spot I want to have an outlet, and back to the closet with the router. But I've just scratched the surface for stereo systems.
The big difference in my mind is analog volume controls or digital controllers. I'm not seeing a big price difference and I'm leaning toward digital controllers because they give more control and look easier to install. But I like analog because, well, volume knobs have been analog for about 100 years, and I think there will be analog volume knobs for another 100 years. Twisting is also much better than pushing buttons for volume control.
This is what I'm looking at.
Does anyone have any recommendations for systems or components?
Posted by David at 11:52 AM | Comments (5)
April 05, 2006
Welcome, Change
Someone posted an interesting article to our neighborhood listserve recently. It expresses some of the concerns our neighborhood retailers have with Crestview Station, the new mixed-use development that will be created on the northeast edge of our area.
With neighbors who have been there since its beginnings, most of its original homes and an old-fashioned shopping center that is a noticeable fixture in the neighborhood near Lamar Boulevard, Crestview seems to sit in a serene time warp, relatively unaltered for more than half a century.But the close-knit neighborhood is in danger of change. In about three years, after a commuter rail line is built, 73 acres of mixed-use property will be developed, and a younger generation will move in. Crestview's 1950s atmosphere may make its first transition into the new millennium.
Good golly, let's not be melodramatic. Crestview has seen plenty of change since 1951. It faced the deed alterations of the Equal Rights Amendment (and thank goodness it did), it watched double lots sell half and turn them into 60s and 70s homesteads. It watched homeowners die or move away and their houses turn into low-income rentals. It is now experiencing a resurgency of first-time home buyers and young families.
Personally, I'm not worried. I love the Minimax, we can walk to the Little Deli... the acting studio I personally could do without, but that's just me.
I'm not afraid of change. In fact, I welcome it. I have owned a business (two, actually, and once started a non-profit agency), and I understand their risks and rewards. I am a conscientious consumer and I think before I spend. I think the Crestview Shopping Center is going to be just fine.
Don't get me wrong--somebody wants to raze the shopping center and put in a Wal-Mart, and I am going to sit shiva in the parking lot for seven days and then I'm going to raise some hell. I guess I just don't see that happening. I'm optimistic that our neighborhood is going in a very cool direction. I hope Erwin House can be a part of that.
Posted by Christiane at 01:41 PM | Comments (4)
April 03, 2006
Greenage
I'm still not sure if solar is the most economical solution, but I'd love to give it a go. I'm seeing more and more panels go up in our hood. If you're a neighbor, won't you comment on your solar system? Did you like your dealer? Did you get a rebate? Any regrets or inspiration to share?
For those of you locals who really want to be more efficient, I am constantly told that it is best to improve your home before sinking money into PV panels. Good news: Austin Energy offers rebates for other stuff too, like replacing your old air conditioner or heater, adding insulation, fixing leaky ducts, and weatherizing your windows.
Maybe you want to add on to your home, or improve the architecture. Austin has a great Green Builder website chock full of informative goodies, includign the names and numbers of local green builders and architects.
Of course, I couldn't help it--I popped over to the Waterwise Landscape Program page. Did you know that you can get rebates for plants, rainbarrels, even soil? And toilets. Who can forget toilets?
Oh, and while I'm at it: the next rainbarrel sale (75 gallons each, $60 per barrel) is APRIL 22 at the SUSTAINABLE SHOPPER'S BALL at the Tony Berger Center off 290.
Posted by Christiane at 02:07 PM | Comments (3)