We love this place…. and if you love homes, planning, architecture (particularly English Tudor), gardens, and trees you must put this place on your bucket list. Continue reading ‘Lovable Places No. 3 – Forest Hills Gardens’
Above you see masons working on a brick sample, performing a technique called mortar washing. In recent years this has become a popular way of giving brick a look that is somewhere between painted brick and stucco. We worked with the masons to find the desired effacement, or brick exposure, for this French-eclectic-style home. We wanted a formality to the home with a wall that expresses age but is not rustic, so we elected to use a three step process of applying the mortar by trowel, brushing it clean, and then lightly rubbing the wall with a dry rag to expose some of the raised corners of the brick. We really love the sample and are excited about seeing the wall completed.
These buildings are part of a new movement in our region to bring basic business services into outlying suburbs through the creation of neighborhood commercial districts that are much smaller than what is normally allowed by our commercial zoning ordinance. The hope is that small commercial developments like these will decrease drive times and create a better quality of life for suburban residents who have lengthy drive times just to get to the grocery store. Even though the suburban NIMBY movement seems very reluctant to entertain any commercial development in the “backyard”, I think it is a great idea. Continue reading ‘The Neighborhood Market’