We currently have zero backyard.  Zero.  As in, the back of the house literally abuts the commercial building behind us.  And we have a 10×7 patch of grass in the front of our home…

Our new house design boasts the smallest backyard space EVER at 50×10 and it will basically be in shade most of the day except for high noon thanks to the gigantic 2 story building mentioned previously behind us to the North and the neighboring houses on the East and West.  Not the ideal scenario when you have 2 kids who love to be outdoors. Yes, I can, and I do take them to neighborhood parks or scooter down to the beach, but let’s be honest.  Some days, I just don’t have it in me.  In the future, I want to simply say, “Go out in the backyard and get your wiggles out!” But I can’t possibly see them doing anything worthwhile in our proposed backyard which is basically just a minimum rear setback.  It’s a cold bowling alley of a space.  Heck, it’s only there to satisfy the building code.  I didn’t even plan for any legit planting back there because nothing will grow in a neglected void.

That’s why we have a roof deck on our 3rd floor mezzanine.  It’s not huge, but there’s a view of the ocean and coveted sunlight.  There will be a roof garden in this space.  Yea, the kind with real plants growing in it.  We made sure the structural engineer accounted for the extra weight this patch of greenery will produce.  There are three important considerations when planning a roof garden.  The weight, the waterproofing and the drainage.  I don’t necessarily have a green thumb so this may end up being a failed experiment, but I’m imagining drought tolerant plants and maybe some herbs for good measure.  I’ll let you know later down the line if we end up with a rock garden instead…

-K

You need a professional for this one.  And you have to complete the process for submittal, so get yourself registered with Cal-Certs and just do it.  Ours cost us about $3K and because it’s a requirement for the city building submittal set, we reluctantly shelled it out.  Between trying to figure out the most efficient windows and doors to fit our budget and maintaining the look we wanted, it was a royal pain in the rear.

What the heck is Title 24?  Who looks at it and who cares?

The California Title 24 Building Energy Efficiency Standards are designed to ensure new and existing buildings achieve energy efficiency and preserve outdoor and indoor environmental quality. These measures (Title 24, Part 6) are listed in the California
Code of Regulations. The California Energy Commission is responsible for adopting, implementing and updating building energy efficiency. Local city and county enforcement agencies have the authority to verify compliance with applicable building codes, including energy efficiency.

I guarantee I will never stand in my future house and think about how efficiently my house performs on the Title 24 level, but gosh darn I’m going to enjoy all the natural lights that filters through every single window I have designed and paid for!  Especially the gigantic, double story storefront windows in our living room and the sliding glass doors that flank the front of our house.  Because let me tell you, we had to fight for every single one!  In California beginning January of 2017, the Title 24 energy efficiency requirements increased by 30%.  (Per our Energy Engineer)

So yea, Title 24.  It’s a big deal.  I highly recommend submitting your windows and doors to a certified engineer early in the process of putting the building set together because you don’t want to be like me, waiting around for it to be the last thing to be added to the building submittal set.  Tick-Tock.  Tick-Tock.  I think it set us back a full 2 months.

Kinda annoyed at myself…

-K

Our dream home will have 3 materials for the exterior.  Board-formed concrete, crisp white stucco and cement board siding.  I went with cement board because it is cost effective ,easy and fast to install, and I can paint it whatever color I choose.  I dappled with the idea of using reclaimed wood for the siding portion of the house but in the end, it was not in our budget.  I am warming up to the idea that I can paint and repaint the cement board as time goes on.  Therefore, the color I choose today is not final.  (Unlike choosing your child’s name…)  In a couple of years, if I feel the color scheme isn’t quite what I like, it’s an easy fix.  My husband’s exact words when trying to talk me out of the reclaimed wood idea were, “You can paint it whatever color you want, however many times you want.”  You read it here, so i’m keeping him to his word.

So what color did I choose?  For the time being, I’m going to go with Taupe.

Since our house is contemporary in nomenclature, I really could have chosen anything I suppose.  I had a few color schemes in mind.  Part of me wanted super dark navy almost black as a nod to our coastal locale, but dark colors inevitably and quite visibly fade.  (Often times not very evenly.)  We get a lot of sun here in Southern California and I’m not really into the faded, worn-out look.  Gray was also an option to mirror the board-formed concrete on the first floor, but gray is a hard color for me to wrap my head around.  There are so many shades.  (Much more than 50…) and it seemed too predictable.  Gray siding with a sunny yellow door, or gray siding with a glossy black door…  I’ve seen it waaay too many times.  No offense to those with a gray house.

So I found a neutral that spoke to me.  One that has just the right amount of brown, lavender and green, earthy undertones.  I’m going with Waynesboro Taupe. (1544 by Benjamin Moore)  It’s from their Classic Colors line and at the moment, I think it’s perfect.  A mink-y taupe right smack in the middle of their 1540 palette.  A Goldilocks color of sorts. Not too dark, not too light, just right.  And you bet I’m going to accent it.  A mint colored door, (Water Drops – 659 by Benjamin Moore) and a cheery coral color for the exterior railings on the 2nd and mezzanine floors.  (Hot Spice – 2011-30 by Benjamin Moore)  Being a nostalgic dreamer, I’ll most likely do white perimeter fencing; for who doesn’t want a white picket fence? Done and Done.

My children are still young.  I want my house to reflect their whimsy.  I suppose “cute” comes to mind but I’m OK with that.  I’m obviously kinda biased, but my kids are cute at the moment.  They are my daily dose of sunshine and hope.  I want them to come home to a cheery house everyday.  Maybe in the future when they are moody, asshole teenagers, I’ll revisit a more grown-up color scheme.  Heck, maybe I’ll just deal with the fade factor and go dark to match their brooding mood swings.  But today, and until this house is built, Taupe, Mint and Coral it is. Hopefully the architecture will prevent the house from looking too much like a baby’s nursery and actually translate the way I imagine it in my head.  Fresh, whimsical and perfectly fitting to my little family of now.

Next?  Convincing my husband that this is what he’ll be ordering from the paint store… But that’s another conversation for another post…  He did say, “Whatever color you want, however many times you want” right?

-K