How About A Japanese Quarter?

A concept for one of the lots is to build a simple space inspired by traditional Japanese architecture that is used for a yoga studio/workout area, meditation room, tea room, and maybe a walled courtyard containing a rock or sand garden, Japanese red pine, juniper, wisteria, and fruit trees. The shape of the building is square or rectangular with a covered, wrap-around porch. The first floor is open but rooms are partitioned using sliding shoji doors. The stairs leads to an outdoor veranda that overlooks the rock (dryscape) garden. An outdoor stage is close to this structure and uses the same Japanese motif.

We will get help and inspiration from the Zen Mountain Center in Idyllwild, they can be a good resource for us!

Features:
“Tatami” (mats) used for flooring
“Shoji” used as doors, window or room dividers

• Consisting of translucent paper over a frame of wood which holds together a grid of wood or bamboo

• Designed to slide open

• Does not form the exterior surface of the building; it sits inside a sliding glass door or window

Layout:
There are rules concerning the number of tatami mats. The "auspicious" layout is ordinarily used. In this arrangement, the junctions of the tatami form a "T" shape. In homes, the mats must not be laid in a grid pattern, and in any layout there is never a point where the corners of three or four mats touch.

Green Irene: The Footprint Doctor Is In!

I was featured today on the website Your Daily Thread! Check out the article here, which highlights the green living consulting services I offer to homeowners and businesses.

Architect, Civil, Structural...Check

We're finally getting somewhere, or at least we like to think we are!

We've selected an architect, civil engineer, and geo-tech engineer. They're busy updating soils reports, doing borings on lots 1-4 to give us an accurate measure of where/how the footings and foundations will sit, researching county planning and building requirements, and preparing schematic architectural design drawings etc. All this work should wrap in a couple of weeks, after which we should have a better handle on costs up front and provide for better management of the project.