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.

Bethany Jenkins Quoted in Article on Virtual Golf

In an article entitled Teeing Up Indoors which appeared in the June/July 2011 issue of Urban Home Magazine, author Sue-Ella Mueller highlights the Interactive Sports Technologies, Inc. product, “High Definition Golf” (HD Golf™).  She writes, “It may sound like a video game, but HD Golf™ is nothing like your kids’ Tiger Woods PGA Tour5 game. With a Linux operating system, sophisticated computer vision (smart cameras) for ball and club tracking and simulations of the top golf courses in the world, HD Golf™ combines the best of the best to produce a simulated indoor golf experience that will have you swearing you just finished playing Pebble Beach^®.”

Jenkins says it isn’t always necessary to work with a room in your home. ”A garage enclosure would be ideal for a golf area and would probably be fairly easy to remodel,” she says.

Jenkins Custom Homes showcased the golf simulator in their 2010 Parade of Homes™ entry.  In that home, Jenkins built an indoor/outdoor media room specifically for the installation of the system.  Mueller quotes Jenkins Vice-President, Bethany Jenkins, as saying, “We had sliding glass doors that opened up to an outdoor living space with a view of an Austin hillside. Then when you turned back inside, you had breathtaking views of famous golf courses.  It was easily the favorite room of almost every man on the home tour.”  Mueller goes on to write that “Fortunately for the homeowner who was not a golfer, the space was also the perfect media room and since the HD Golf™ system doubles as a home theater system, families can adapt a larger, current media room for the simulator.”

For the complete article, click here.

Shan Jenkins Quoted In Article On The Future Of The Home Spa

Recently, Jenkins Custom Homes owner, Shan Jenkins, was quoted in the Urban Home Magazine in an article entitled “Home Spa…Just Add Water”. The article, written by Sue-Ella Mueller, describes how bathrooms have progressed in recent years, and what the future holds. She writes, “With everything from air tubs to automated toilets, from hidden televisions to champagne spray showerheads, the bathroom is now being designed to be our greatest indulgence.”

In that vein, she interviewd Shan to learn about the flat panel televisions we have installed in our homes that are hidden behind the bathroom mirrors. “We use two-way glass to hide a flat panel television,” says Shan. “The important thing with these types of TVs is to provide enough ventilation so that the TV doesn’t overheat.” Mueller writes that “You can now compare your reflection side-by-side to that of Matt Lauer’s or Meredith Vieira’s.”

Mueller also asked Shan about the new window glass we are installing in our homes. Jenkins is one of the few builders who is working with this new type of glass, which is clear until “an electrical current that runs undetected through the glass, is turned on. The glass then goes to an opaque, frosted appearance for privacy purposes.” She quotes Shan as saying:

We recently put this glass in for a homeowner whose bathroom looks out over the hills. Now the homeowner can flip the current for the glass while they get undressed. Then, once they are afforded some modesty from the bathtub walls, they can let the glass go clear and enjoy their view while relaxing in the tub.

Mueller concludes by saying “Everything about these new bathroom products screams relaxation. A bathroom like this would become your own private haven, a sanctuary from today’s stressful living.”

You can read this article in its entirety on the Urban Home website.

Wine Room Considerations

Bethany Jenkins, Vice-President of Jenkins Custom Homes, in her article on wine rooms writes, “Whether you are a wine enthusiast or a novice, a custom-built wine room is the hot trend in custom home design, especially where luxury reigns. A good wine cellar creates an opportunity for great wine for a lifetime. It can also add value for purposes of resale of the home…All fine wine collections require the same basic care: climate, humidity, and light control systems to protect and preserve delicate vintages. Vapor-tight doors and easy access are also top priorities. Proper storage makes financial sense and allows wines to be purchased when they are released, at the time they are most available and lower in price.”

So when planning your wine room, keep these three elements in mind: light, humidity and temperature of the room.

Light

This one is simple: “UV light can break down the protiens [sic] in the wine. It’s best to store wine in the dark” (source: newcellars.com). The bottom line is to keep your wine out of direct light. A flush-mounted fixture with a frosted cover can easily achieve this, but other options include rope lighting that is hidden up in the molding or even a smaller chandelier with low wattage bulbs.

Humidity

Storing wines in a highly humid environment is important because it keeps the cork from shrinking and allowing for the degradation of the wine. However, high humidity also increases the possibility of water vapor damage. According to AskTheBuilder.com’s Tim Carter, “The wine rooms love relative humidity levels of 55 – 75% relative humidity. That is frighteningly high humidity. If that water vapor escapes from the wine room somehow, it can condense on cooler surfaces in a heartbeat.”

Humidity needs to be high in the room, but also contained in the space. Installing a good vapor barrier is the key. This is the point at which a good builder becomes critical. A builder who is both knowledgeable about your climate and the problems that such high humidity can cause to the rest of your house, will prove invaluable.

Temperature

According to Carter, “the temperature of the space is supposed to be 55-58F.” Jenkins writes that, “The bigger the cellar, the harder it is to control temperature and humidity”. However, it is a critical component. The temperature of the room will determine how well your best wines age. The site, newcellars.com, says that “Wine is constantly growing, never static. The best wines are aged slowly and stored properly in a cool dark damp area…Extreme fluctuations in temperature can cause premature aging or deposits.” There are many systems available to help maintain this constant temperature, some of which have an alarm that sounds if the temperature exceeds the range specified. Which system works best for your space is a decision best made with the help of an experienced builder.

Jenkins writes that “Wine rooms can be designed to fit most budgets and can be built to a variety of sizes and styles. If you are designing a new home or updating an existing one, a wine room can add value and style for the simplest of homes to the very elite. Approximately 75% of the homes built by Texas’ Custom Builder of the Year, Jenkins Custom Homes, contain wine rooms.”

Once you know these basics and have a knowledgeable builder, then all that’s left to decide is how far you are willing to go in your wine room design.

“The Bathroom Is The New Den”

Or so claims Christopher Solomon of MSN Real Estate. “More and more, people are going to the bathroom to relax and even luxuriate after a day in the rush-rush world, say home remodelers and designers. Homeowners are upgrading the rooms — outfitting them with everything from soaking tubs to heated floors — to make themselves comfortable. But peace and quiet aren’t the only motivating factors. An upgraded bathroom helps sell a home and can be a good investment.”

Experts agree. “One way to ‘get away,’ and at the same time enhance a home’s value is to turn the bathroom into an in-home retreat. In fact, making the bathroom a place of retreat is one of today’s most popular home remodeling projects, according to Homestore.com, as homeowners look for relief from hectic lifestyles and choose to spend more time at home.” This makes sense to anyone who reads the news. “As the country faces tough times, homeowners are focusing their spending on the home to make it a secure, comfortable environment according to a Unity Marketing study” (source: ABathroomGuide.com). “‘Homeowners want a beautiful, relaxing space they can call their own,’ says Gary Uhl, director of industrial design for American Standard, the world’s leading plumbing products manufacturer and distributor. ‘To make the bathroom a personal retreat, homeowners are expanding the size of bathrooms and adding whirlpools and more decorative fixtures.’”

Whether you are designing your dream home or remodeling your bath, here are some things to keep in mind.

Add More Color

“‘The bathroom is becoming more of a centerpiece in the home with design trends ranging from the bold and colorful to the simple and elegant,’ says Jim Krengel, one of the first certified bathroom designers…’Adding a little color to a bathroom is as easy as a hand-painted sink or a new paint color to the walls…The latest color trends are running the gamut. Natural colors are the most versatile, but designers are incorporating some bolder colors such as red and blue as well as deep forest and emerald green and terra cotta and rust. These colors are used in everything from the paint to the sink to decorative tiles’” (source: ABathroomGuide.com). Designer Allison Bergamo agrees: “I’d like to see people embrace more color in their living spaces. It’s so easy and relatively inexpensive to try a new paint color or bring in pillows, area rugs, artwork, etc.”

The Unique Sink (And Tub. And Shower.)

In a recent episode of This Old House, Plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey and host Kevin O’Connor found that innovation is the name of the game in bathroom trends, and that is especially true where the fixtures are concerned. On tap (pun intended) for 2010 include “vessel sinks with water-spouting faucet inside of wall…Ceiling-mounted faucet provides unique way to fill bathtub…and Bath lavs come in wide variety including, traditional farmhouse sinks to contemporary clear-glass vessel sinks.”

Gary Uhl agrees. “Another hot trend in fixtures is above-counter sinks that serve as a sink as well as displayed art.” From floating sinks to vessel sinks, to every kind of faucet imaginable, the sink has become more of a centerpiece to the bathroom than just a place to wash hands.

Take, for example, the showerhead faucet. After a recent trip to Sushi Wabi in Chicago, The Bathonista reported that “After using it, I can’t say a showerhead is any more functional than a normal sink faucet, but if you’re going for style points, or “I have to have something totally different than all of my friends” points, this is something to consider.”

Heat It Up

“‘The big thing in bathrooms is steam,’ says [Richard Landon, of Richard Landon Design in Bellevue, Wash.] ‘People are discovering how wonderful it is to come home at the end of the day and de-stress.’” In fact, according to This Old House, “An integrated, multipurpose shower stall contains showerhead, handheld sprayer, adjustable body sprays, aroma-therapy system and steam heads.”

Beyond the sauna/shower, direct-vent fireplaces are all the rage in larger bathrooms, providing not just ambiance but added warmth (source: This Old House).

And finally, radiant heating under the floor is now “…creeping its way towards becoming a necessity” according to Erin Loechner. “Although radiant heating is a high cost up front (expect to pay between $15 and $20 per square foot), the benefit of floor heating extends beyond warm toes to economic benefits. Once floor tiles heat up, they continue emitting heat long after the radiant elements have shut off.” According to Christopher Solomon, “Companies such as Nuheat sell a mesh that is placed under the tiles when they’re set, and then is connected to a thermostat on the wall. ‘It’s not thousands of dollars. A bathroom could be just hundreds,’ (depending on the market) says [Sandy Hayes, a kitchen and bath designer in Portland, Ore.].