COOKIE CUTTER HOMES || Making your cookie a double chocolate chip in a sea of shortbread
Track homes are seen as both good and bad things in America. Some people think that they are creating a blanket of beige in our cities, while others see track homes as an affordable chance to have their own home with a yard, dog, and the “American Dream”. No matter the shape homes are cut from, Falling Waters takes this opportunity to give a copy cat home unique touches that are specifically suited for the personality of the homeowners and in turn preventing it from becoming a mirror image of the home next door. With the urban sprawl happening all over San Diego we are getting the chance to work on a lot more track home developments.
Most of these homes come with a blank slate, by that I mean an empty dirt lot. This is a blessing and a curse because we have endless design possibilities, but yet there is no context or sense of place to inspire, form, line, and function. It would almost be easier to have an existing tree in the middle of the plot because this can start a conversation about if this tree will be a feature that should be framed, or if we need to design a path to maneuver around it so that the whole yard is still getting used.
Our recently completed Black Mountain project was a blank slate and the homeowners, very unique in personality and style, left a lot of the design decisions and programming up to us. Their only request was to design a usable zen garden that has a clean and simple palette yet is functional for their growing family. With this design freedom we developed a yard that stands out from the rest. With zen as the theme we created a garden for the senses. A water feature with three agitators not only creates serene white noise throughout the yard, but the effect of water gliding over the overflow edge is visually calming as well. Even though the yard is small we still introduced a ipe wood deck path, the sound and feel as you walk across it physically transports you to another space even though it is only feet away. Soft wispy grasses flow gently in the breeze, slowing down the pace of life and emerging you into the stillness of nature.
We were able to achieve serenity and peace in this landscape through implementing simple strategic elements. By being creative in design and construction we were able to appease both the HOA requirements but also the clients wants and needs.
Do you have a cookie cutter home that you want to add chocolate chips to in order to make it pop against your neighbors? Feel free to DM or message us, we are happy to answer specific questions about the your yard or landscaping in general.
| BEFORE |
| FINISHED PRODUCT |
For this design we produced 3D imagery, this was able to show the clients exactly what will be installed. Sometimes during design explanation clients see something or hear something completely different from what we are intending. Keeping clear communication throughout the process will ensure no surprises come up and no one is left in the dark.
