I took this photo a few weeks ago on Broad Street in Charleston, SC… If you look towards St. Michael’s the sky was tumultuous with cool dark clouds, rain was definitely on the way… but, if you looked the opposite direction, clear skies and nothing but sun. No chance of rain. Crazy!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Looks like a painting doesn’t it? This is the view from the James Island Connector… Fred was driving and I rolled down my window and snapped a shot with my phone. Not too bad! The clouds were wicked cool!
We live in an incredibly beautiful place, wow!
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Such style! I think this house is has very sharp lines, and definitely fits in the coastal landscape of the Charleston area (and far beyond!) I wouldn’t have a problem building this house anywhere! Great porches, one open and the other is screened. I love the windows on the second floor. It reminds me of a cool old cottage we rented in Maine!
Continue reading “House Plan: Chapin Cottage (C0532) by Allison Ramsey Architects!”
Charlie looks a bit like he’s ready to hop in the pool and float around… Dogs need cones for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it’s after an injury, sometimes it’s when they have skin allergies that cause them to bite, chew or scratch causing more harm than good. We took Charlie to our local vets office… we have to stop the chewing/biting… It truly only takes a very short time and the results aren’t good. Our vet recommended the ProCollar. My heart sunk, when he mentioned it, I was thinking the old timey plastic hard cone that fits around their neck, but blocks their view entirely. This ProCollar is amazing. It’s almost as if it makes him more comfortable. He’s happy with it on, he rests well (easy to take a nap when you have a pillow ready at all times!). There is fabric around a sturdy blow up ring, so you can inflate it however you like. It’s not perfect, but nothing is. At times he can still reach something, but only occasionally does he even try when the collar is on. We call it his “Mikimoto’s” hee hee… and when we put it on, he gets a carrot. He’s thrilled with that.
When we go to bed we take off the ProCollar, but if he wakes us up scratching or biting, the collar goes back on and he immediately falls asleep. The collar is made by Contech, you can purchase it from your vet, Petco, Amazon, etc. If you have a dog or cat that needs a collar for whatever reason, this one works well for us! We just ordered a spare. Can’t be without this! He won’t always need it… soon (I HOPE!) it should cool off and the allergies lessen. We’re looking forward to that!
As you can see below, it doesn’t stop him from doing what he loves… watching for the kitty cats!
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I received the most beautiful orchid for my birthday… what a surprise! And, may I say, what an awesome gift! I am trying hard to make it live forever! If you have tips on how to make that happen, let me know!!
[Art] Top painting is Ride Down Powell by Darrell Hill. Bottom painting is Bowens Island by Ken DeWaard. Wooden Bowl by Joe Fidler (Thanks dad!!)
Bright orange key chain… made by me, hee hee… why did I hang it there?
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This is an modern take (to me) of a country farmhouse type plan, I found this house plan on Houseplans.com – it’s very cool, I love the layout, the wide porches
This Signature Plan 888-7, designed by Nicholas Lee, is 2,168 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. The layout of the first floor is nice, it’s open, and most importantly it offers wonderful deep overhangs for the porches which help keep the house cool in the hot months.
It’s nice how this floor plan separates the guest rooms from the master bedroom. On the left hand side you have the office, master bedroom and bathroom and on the right hand side you have the guest rooms which share a bathroom, and in the center of the house you have kitchen, dining, great room. For Fred and I that would be more than plenty, we would do without the upstairs…
The loft is accessed by a ladder from the main floor. You could always use that space as storage (much like you would use an attic with a pull down staircase). If the ladder was in the way or you didn’t want to draw attention to it, you could move it when not needed. A climate controlled attic… at least in the south that would be really nice! I remember the first time I put red and white taper candles in the Christmas decoration box. When I pulled it down the next year the candles had completely melted. Many of our good ornaments ruined (not by the candle wax, but from the heat).
What do you think of this plan? Let me know!
ALL IMAGES VIA HOUSEPLANS.COM – used with permission…
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Let me start by saying… if this post looks familiar to some of you, you aren’t crazy. I write my posts ahead of time and schedule them to publish. I was using the software’s new updated version which had a bug that allowed the scheduled post to publish immediately. Sigh… Did you have a deja vu moment just now? ha ha…
Moser Design Group. One of my favorites. This Guest Cottage (TNH-GC-02A) may be small but it packs a powerful punch in terms of livability! If you use this as a guest cottage your guests may stay indefinitely! I think this would be a great house for a single person without a lot of “stuff” that wants to live on a smaller scale. I like that philosophy and you see more and more tiny houses popping up!
I think I would screen the entry porch, it not only allows you to open the front door and windows across the front, it also gives you a little privacy since your living area is on the front of the house. This plan has a nice and efficient size bedroom with a bathroom right across the hallway, as well as a utility room!
And… this small house/guest cottage has stairs that lead to a loft, which could always be a spare bedroom, storage space, office, etc. I love endless possibilities!
Check out the Moser Design Group website for more information on this Guest Cottage (TNH-GC-02A) by Moser Design Group – it is also know as KC-697… do you remember seeing the Katrina Cottage plans that were available through Lowe’s? This is one of those plans. I loved those from the moment they appeared on the market! It doesn’t appear that Lowe’s is still in the house plan business, but lucky for you… Moser Design Group is!
All images via MoserDesignGroup.com – used with permission…
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Last week, Fred took the day off for my birthday. We had a great time as well as a fabulous lunch! We headed to Slightly North of Broad (S.N.O.B.) – We both ordered their wonderful meatballs served on top of polenta with a side of green beans. I opted for a side salad, and Fred ordered a white bean soup. Both were fabulous!
This was kind of like spaghetti and meatballs on polenta instead of spaghetti. It was out of this world good! I wasn’t sure how it was going to be. But SNOB’s polenta is wicked creamy (I just know there can’t be cream involved, right? Probably skim milk ;) ha ha)… It was tremendous!
Where do you like to eat when you’re in Charleston? We have so many wonderful options! Where? What do you order? I love to know the scoop! hee hee…
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Sweet cottage isn’t it? This is the Poet’s Cottage (NC0022) designed by Allison Ramsey Architects out of Beaufort, South Carolina. They have quite a reputation for excellence. It shows in each and every one of their house plans. Just look at the character in this house. I love the roof lines! This plan is 1,768 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. This is a plan that will appeal to the masses!
Main Floor
So many wonderful features… a front porch. Ahhhh, who wouldn’t love that? Then you walk into a generous size living room complete with a fireplace, from there you walk through the dining room (or head up the stairs to the second floor) and into the kitchen, with a powder room tucked between the dining and kitchen. Do you see what I see off the kitchen? A porch!! I would screen it and when cooking keep my kitchen door open to let the fresh air in. In the back of the house is the master bedroom and bathroom with a walk in closet.
Upstairs
I love the upstairs, two bedrooms, a bathroom and a sitting room! Very generous bedrooms for sure! This is a great plan tucked into a nicely sized footprint. Not too big, not too small, it’s just right!
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CHARLESTON, SC – recently named the 2014 Friendliest City in America by Conde Nast Traveler! Not to shabby, eh? Charleston is a magical city to live in. I wasn’t born here (GASP), I’m from Michigan, but I have lived here for over 25 years! So I know a little bit about what I talk about. There is so much to do in Charleston. With the close proximity to the beaches (yes, not just one beach, but many beaches), great food, and I do mean everywhere, gorgeous historic homes that make you proud to say you live in Charleston!
Ok “y’all” let’s keep up the good work and try for next year as well!
From Conde Nast Traveler:
FRIENDLIEST CITIES: #1. Charleston, South Carolina
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Botany Bay (Edisto), South Carolina. Stunning beauty everywhere you look! Winding paths, wildlife, birds, water, gorgeous old oaks, palm trees, unspoiled beach. You just can’t beat it!
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Summer is so good for fresh food, isn’t it? Do you take advantage of your local farmer’s market, or do you have a garden? Oooh, there is just nothing like fresh produce! This was a fabulous dinner, grilled chicken topped with a mango salsa, some great cucs and scrumptious tomatoes bedazzled with a little olive oil and vinegar… and some home made slaw… with vinegar instead of mayo, and for dessert… corn on the cob! Pretty isn’t it? Enjoy your summer time meals while you can!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Flatfish Island Design… a cool architectural firm based on Sullivan’s Island in South Carolina. Many of their plans have wonderful porches where you can spend time and appreciate the beautiful area that we live in… For living in the South, these wonderful porches would also help keep some of the heat at bay so that the strong sun isn’t beaming in your windows warming your home up even more. This is a very attractive plan both inside and out. I love this one! The Curlew Cottage is 1,922 square feet and has 4 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms!
This plan has a first floor master suite, which is located in the back of the house. Perfect! The living, dining, kitchen is all located in the front part of the house and is an open plan. Look how open! Can you imagine the ways you could change your rooms around when you got tired of them? The possibilities… ENDLESS!
The upstairs has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a laundry. For just Fred and I personally, I would try to have the laundry downstairs (stackable perhaps??) and one bathroom upstairs, maybe two guest rooms and storage! I love storage, ha ha! That’s the good thing about Flatfish Designs, they will work with you to make a plan work for you and your family. What’s not to love?
Be sure to check out their other HOUSE PLANS, and their FAQ! Do you love this house plan, but you don’t need the upstairs? Check out Nippers Escape house plan! It’s basically the first floor… Also check out their Facebook page: Flatfish Island Designs great photos!
Read a bit about Flatfish Island Designs from their website, they seem like a really cool company – check them out!
At Flatfish Island Designs, we believe that comfortable living begins with great design, and that great design should be accessible to everyone. This sounds like a simple concept, but bringing those two aspects together has been difficult in the past.
Great design is certainly available. There are capable architects in every city that can design a house plan to truly suit your lifestyle and your location. Of course, this takes extra time, effort, and cost. So, for many potential homeowners, this option is out of reach.
Accessible, affordable design is also available, if you don’t mind making lots of compromises. At any home center you will find an entire wall of house plans-for-purchase. Or, you can choose from your homebuilder’s limited inventory of generic home plans. Unfortunately, there is very little connection between these cookie-cutter house plans and the people who will live in them.
Until now, you have had to choose between skilled, personal design and accessible, affordable design. Now, one home design team offers both.
For years, Stephen Herlong and a team of talented designers have been creating exceptional quality custom homes for clients from around the country. Our team has worked through every detail of both the exterior and the interior of each house plan. This experience has given us an ingrained sense for purposeful design – that is, design for the way people live in their homes.
Today, Steve has created Flatfish Island Designs, a compilation of house plans for sale that capitalize on this experience. Each home plan in this expanding collection offers beautifully detailed architectural style and superior livability, without the significant investment of time and money that a truly custom home plan requires.
So, whether you are looking for a cozy cottage house plan, a breezy bungalow beach home plan, or an expansive luxury open floor plan, there is a Flatfish Island design for you. And, if you don’t find precisely the house plan you desire, you are free to make modifications to your home plan using skilled Flatfish Island home designers, or the architect of your choosing.
For a truly livable, purposefully designed home plan that fits your personality, your lifestyle, your neighborhood and your budget, choose Flatfish Island Designs.
We invite you to view our Designs Gallery of house plans. If you have any questions, please contact us.
ALL IMAGES VIA flatfishislanddesigns.com, used with permission…
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Hee hee… I love weather. I love a good storm or at least cloudy skies during the hot summer months. While I know that cloudy skies make some people sad they put a smile on my face!
Everything in moderation… sun included ;)
Have a great Sunday and I’ll catch you back here tomorrow!
As I sit at my desk writing this blog day after day, I have someone who cracks the whip… someone who makes sure I finish what I start… that would be Charlie! Look at how he sits. I look at him and laugh. This dog cracks me up!
Enjoy your weekend and I’ll catch you back here tomorrow!
