James Bond Wishes He Had One

Okay, so maybe that’s a bit of an overstatement, but can’t you just see this in a James Bond movie?

When we designed this Parade Home, we knew something special needed to be done with the space that was created behind the wall of the  study. The shape of the space meant that it could not be used for a traditional room, but it was just the right size for a safe room.

The term “safe room” may have been popularized by Jody Foster but it is actually just a room where a homeowner can place safe(s) that is/are hidden from someone attempting to burglarize the home. In this particular house, the space is big enough for someone to hide in, but the door does not actually lock shut.

Of course, does it matter that it’s not locked if the burglar can’t find the door or even any evidence of a room?!!

The “door” to this room is, in fact, a motorized cabinet that turns 360 degrees when a secret button hidden behind a book on the shelf, is pressed. What’s really neat about this cabinet is that it serves many purposes – wet bar, multimedia cabinet, door – pretty much as much as you can expect from a cabinet!

Is this practical for every home? Of course not. But what’s really great about this specialty cabinet is that it makes the most of the space while enhancing the lifestyle of the homeowner. And isn’t that what everyone is after? To find out more about the Custom Builder who built this, read about it here.

Designs that Inspire

Grandchildren Sleeping Quarters

Today, we are talking about design elements that inspire. Inspiration can come from many sources and this one comes from function, specifically how a home can really make family time more precious and valuable. When we interviewed these clients, they talked about the importance of having a home that was central to their kids (and, hopefully, future grandchildren). They had one grown child who was getting married soon and another who might be at some point. So, they wanted a home that would accommodate, even encourage, their kids to come and stay with them. ?Austin, being central to Texas, was the ideal location for all of them to meet. Plus, waterfront was available and is, besides being a great investment, attractive to the kids. This all culminated in a desire to build a custom home. So, we were commissioned to do just that.

One of the design elements that we recommended to them was the grandchildren sleeping quarters. Although they hadn’t given much thought to it, we told them about the different stages and, well, challenges of having young children while visiting Mom and Dad’s house. They were determined to make this a home that would be inviting to the whole extended family and encourage them to stay as long as possible. So, by designing the grandchildren sleeping quarters just down the hall from their parents, we were giving the parents a good night’s sleep. Let’s face it, if the parents sleep well and have a quiet place to rest even during the day, they will stay longer.

Courtyard

Another design element we felt was important for young children was the front courtyard, especially for this specific lot. The lot had sloping topography requiring a raised slab in back and the lake at the property line, neither of which were a great place for young children. The front courtyard is enclosed, making it a safe place to play and enjoy. Even the fountain is tall and wide enough to be kid-safe.

If you would like to see more photos of this beautiful custom home, click here.

Hot off the Press: New Photos

Here are photos of one of our more contemporary style homes recently completed.  This one was designed and built in-house by our on-staff architecture department and construction managers.  This family came to us at one of our recent Parade of Homes because they needed a builder they could trust to take care of everything, since they lived overseas during the entire design and construction process!  Who says you have to stress out over building a home?  As this owner will gladly tell you, they occasionally asked each other, “I wonder what Jenkins is going to do about the _____?  Oh well, they will figure it out.”  When they came back to see the home completed, it was like receiving the best birthday gift ever!  They walked it with us, gave us the punchlist (which wasn’t even very long, thanks to Jeff, our Construction Manager), and signed off on everything.  From our standpoint, it was one of the most successful projects we have ever done, and this isn’t the first time we have built a home while the owner lived far away.  It is becoming more and more normal for us to build for out-of-town clients.  Anyway, here are some of the photos of this home.

Dressing the Ceiling

Ceiling treatments are a very important contributor to the style and look of a home. Three really nice ceiling treatments we have done recently are as follows:  

In a dining room, we combined a barrel arch and coffers into one ceiling treatment for this Parade Home. What we were attempting to accomplish was a clean, contemporary look with the appealing curve of the, typically old-world, barrel vault.  To complete the look, we used a neutral tone-on-tone color palette from the newest Sherwin Williams paint deck.  This gave the the beams that make up the coffers just a bit more architectural depth.

Another ceiling treatment that we really love is the oversize stained wood beams used along with coffers, to form a very impressive, dimensional look.  We like to use these heavy ceiling treatments in spaces with additional height like this two-story Great Room in our recent Parade home shown at right. The reason it worked so well here was because we designed the room with the wall of windows and then chose a light neutral paint color so that the heavy beams would lend it some weight and contrast.

Finally, we love unique ceiling treatments. The ceiling treatment we did in the adjacent breakfast room of the same Parade Home was just such a ceiling.  It was commissioned by a local artist and really is a piece of artwork for the ceiling, combining the architecture of the ceiling with the artwork (which is 3-dimensional as well). It sits over the breakfast room table and gives it a whimsical feel and yet it gives it a feeling of association to the adjoining spaces because it uses the same col or schemes and tones as the other two rooms.  In fact, the three rooms really relate well to each other while also setting the tone for each room. In the dining room, you have a very elegant ceiling treatment.  In the living room, you have a very “gravitas” ceiling treatment (after all, this is the room your guests see first when they walk in the front door).  Then, in the breakfast room, you have a very inviting and fun ceiling treatment.  Which one is your favorite?

Remember the Kids Table?

Did you ever have to sit at the kid’s table growing up?  I did.  I couldn’t wait until the day I got to sit at the grown-up’s table, either.  Well, we recently designed a home for a family that reminded me of this age-old tradition. This particular family needed a version of the kid’s table.  Then, they also needed a table that could accommodate the adults at family gatherings, like Thanksgiving, or “Grandma-just-dropped-by Day”.  After discussing their needs, we thought that the younger children needed to be able to climb right into their own chairs (which needed to be standard table height).  However, the older kids probably didn’t mind climbing into bar-height chairs.  Plus, the Mrs. didn’t want people to be able to see right into her Kitchen in case it wasn’t spotless.  So, in response to these needs, we designed the Kitchen as shown at right, above.  Notice that it just happens to fit their entire family for day-to-day eating (the “Eat-in Kitchen”).  Well, trust me…it does.  Then, we designed the Dining Room (right next to the Kitchen) for the adults.  The Dining Room is the first room you see when you enter through the front door;  so, besides being a show-piece with its rock and brick arches, it also seats overflow guests (the “grown-ups”).  Ahhh, life is so much easier now for this large family with a busy lifestyle!  At breakfast time on those busy school days, Mom just pours the cereal and passes out the bowls without more than just a few steps.  For bigger meals, she puts the food out on the side serving bars (right and left) and lets everyone serve themselves. Plus, she always feels good knowing that all her guests have a place at the table.  You know what they say, “If Momma ain’t happy, ain’t no one happy!”  Well, I’m happy to report that Momma is happy, and isn’t that what good design is ultimately all about?!  Incidentally, this home won a state-wide award (Texas Star Award) for its Kitchen design.

Cool Product of the Week: Andersen Windows’ Fibrex

Fibrex

When we visited the Andersen Windows plant in Bayport, Minnesota recently, we saw this great product called Fibrex.  Andersen actually invented it back in 1992, before green was cool.  I love this product because it is green, but it also takes all of the best qualities of wood and vinyl and combines them into one product.  Andersen actually takes the sawdust that is created in their factory and re-claims it to make Fibrex.  Some additional advantages of Fibrex are:

• It’s strength – it is stronger than wood by itself or vinyl by itself
• Doesn’t shrink or swell, which is especially important in high humidity climates or extreme temperatures
• Doesn’t conduct heat or cold, which is especially important in cold climates

There are lots of other great benefits, but I think my favorite overall is its value.  While we were there, we were given some samples of the product and got to really see the product, inside and out.  It looks a lot like, well, sawdust that has been mixed into a clear thermoplastic polymer and then cooled.  Not surprisingly, that is exactly what it is.  We were able to watch it happen, live and in person, in the factory.  I’m really taken with this product and with the people at Andersen.  I’m sure I would like other manufacturers as well.  However, what I liked about Andersen’s team is that I can identify with them.  They are not flashy, don’t try to “sell” you on anything.  However, they are very passionate about how their product is engineered, how it tests, and how it could be improved.  They are an Engineer-dominated company (it appeared), and this is why there aren’t just a plethora of color choices in their lines.  Engineers don’t tend to want to talk about colors, I noticed.  Anyway, it is much more important that your windows don’t leak and that they perform the necessary functions of a window.  So, that works for me.

Here is another photo of the Fibrex product, showing how it looks in the Andersen 100 series window.  This one is displayed in the Andersen offices, right next to the conference room where we spent the majority of our time.  The final photo shows Shan holding a cross-section of a window frame with the Fibrex material lining the inside of the window.  To read more about the Fibrex product, check out what Andersen has to say about it, here.

I am not one to attend these types of tours, normally, but I am so glad I attended this one!