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It's, like, 214deg today in Concord and with a south-facing rear, the backyard gets all of the sun. Finding suitable shade-providing — and pool friendly — solutions has proven difficult. With a combination of sail shades and umbrellas, we think we have it solved to a degree (pun intended).
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I was going back though some files today and somehow encountered Google Street View from 2007 … Holy cow! What a difference a decade-and-a-half can make. The 2007 images were taken just a month or so after we moved in, so very little had been done.
[After: This was taken in 2010, if I recall … the trees out front have grown a good bit, of course.]
[Before: A good bit more … "feral" …]
Mira (former Eichler owner in San Jose) asked me about building a new pool at her new house in Denver. I bemused not having posted a definitive pool-building blog post, but in answering her questions, I kind of did. I'll include it below.
Pool process posts are also below in the blog: Part-1 // Part-2
[This was an impromptu snap of the MicroEichler. Find more pics on Instagram.]
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We started with the "after" in Part-1 … in Part-2, we'll delve into the before and walk you through the two pools we've built.
But first with the extreme before.
in 2011, we entertained the thought is putting in a pool… this would seriously disrupt the backyard we had worked to plan and develop, but the summers were getting hotter and we were getting less enthused with watering and caring for a lawn that we simply looked at and didn't use that much.
From the initial post, we got a good bit of feedback including a visit from Royal pools. And I meticulously measured and drew the layout of our yard — this would be a rendering that would see countless versioning over the next 10 years.
[It's amazing that our final pool looks so much like the original rendering from 2011!]
[It's amazing to look back and see how far the yard has come from the first time we looked at the house.]
[The first iteration found us clearing and cleaning up a lot, but ultimately left us with a yard that was pretty, but not terribly usable.]
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THE POOL: FROM RENDERING TO REALITY (PART-2) // BeforeRead More »
We were giving a friend a tour of the neighborhood the other day and I was reminded that I've never done a comprehensive, final "pool post". In-part, the delay is because the process was a bit tumultuous — and in-part because there are some things that are left unresolved because of that. That said, we're super-happy with the pool overall — especially in the 100+ degree weather we've been having.
I posted a pool-building-tips post a while back when a friend was planning their own pool — and the first pool we built was fairly well documented. In this post, I'll present an unfettered view of our building process with as little Photoshop as possible. Let's start with the quick before and after:
We started the planning with some pretty extensive plan-drawings that I developed in 2012 when building our first pool. As a graphic designer, I stuck with what I knew — Illustrator. Converting the document to metric, I could make each inch one millimeter and get the measurements razor close.
[This was one of the final renderings looking at options in pool depth. As in all things: best to go slightly bigger than slightly smaller]
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The Pool: From Rendering to Reality (Part-1) // PlanningRead More »
We were lucky enough to pick up a vintage Malm Zircon-38 fireplace last summer from a house that was doing some demo — that the piece only cost $75 (instead of 10X–20X that price) was the first shocker. Next, the ease of transitioning it to a gas (propane) fired fire-pit was the second one. All in, I think we're at about $500 tops.
When we picked it up (thanks to my friend Bret for the lifting help), we knew it was going to take some TLC. It had been in a mid-century living room for years and was unloved a good bit of that time. Some of the bits were bent and some of the porcelain had chipped off (come to find out, this will be a recurring problem). But, as they say: "it has good bones" and was a perfect candidate for an outside fire-pit/fireplace, so I got to work… It wasn't until the following year, however, that the conversion to a propane fuel source made sense (after the latest CA wildfire, I doubt we'll even light another wood-burning fire. With a pending s'mores-fueled birthday/pool party, it was time to start the project.
[After]
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As a builder, every time I pick up a hammer,
I realize something that I got wrong as a designer…
By day, I spend my time as a designer and design-educator dreaming up new ways to solve visual problems with a bit of beauty or interest. However, early-on in my career, I took a strong liking to the craft of production… on the journey, I've picked up a few new monikers: builder, maker, craftsman (or the latest: "super-detail-oriented-customer"). Between cabinetry designs, bath renovations, door installs and now audio builds, I'm keeping myself busy.
This has given a unique perspective on how to get stuff done that looks great and works well. I has also dispelled the idea that "good design" isn't about uniqueness, but has as much to do with what can be produced — and repeated if necessary… and last a long time. This spans the gamut from material choices to installation techniques… and along the way, I've learned a few things. Here are three tips that might come in handy when planning a project:
[Over the years, my boots have seen a lot of muck, but each time I step in it, I learn something new.]
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Our friends Sean and Tracy are selling their house on Wilson. While we'll be sorry to see them go, we suspect they'll stay close, so we'll still see them often… and someone else gets to pick up a sweet house.
It's a "flat roof" model which is a bit under-appreciated in my opinion… I've always liked the simplicity of the flow and — to me — it feels a bit more vintage that the other two models in our tract. It also has the largest garage of the three. I was able to stop by the other day for some photos and to check out some of the work that Sean and Tracy have done to prepare for the sale.
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Redneckmodern chronicles the renovation of an Eichler-built home in Concord California… since then, it has also become a repository for Eichler-specific know-how; general renovation information; and, mid-century-modern restoration tips.
It all started as joke between friends*, then became a blog, then something else. We're still here even if the project is almost complete… you might pick up something from our mistakes (and successes).
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