Blogmas Day 2

We get an embarrassing amount of packages delivered to the house. Partially a byproduct of COVID safety habits and partially the nature of ramping up a home reno project, there's rarely a week that goes by that we don't see multiple deliveries. The same goes for food delivery, especially when long hours or messy interior projects leave us unable to cook. Unfortunately for us, our house numbering is a bit wonky. 

The mailboxes for our part of the street are the type one sees on rural backroads where placing all boxes on one side of the street makes it easier for a postal worker who has to travel 200 miles a day.

This double box is set up on the property line b/t us and the neighbor on our right rather than anywhere near our driveway. And the only numbers on the house are placed on the main mass of the house which is set back a bit. They are of course light reflective numbers to make them as unattractive as possible though!

We're looking into whether there's some code reason for the mailbox placement, but for the house numbering, we've found some options that work better for us. 

This is a sample sign made by a reputable designer that does custom work. We like the brass on rust for the period look we're hoping to achieve. Something like this will run under $300 and give us both the curbside visibility as well as design language that we're looking for.

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Another element at the front of the house that is a bit 'less than' is the flower bed/trash can zone in front of The Room.

For a minute let's ignore how you can clearly see that the "window" in the room is actually 3 separate windows screwed together and jammed into place. I promise, we're working on that. We'll most likely build in that wall when we re-side the building and install a clerestory window to allow light while maintaining privacy.

Here's an example of a clerestory window. I could write 5000 words on them at this point, but we gotta move on.

Back to this image. The first thing to go will be this shitty planter bed. This is not supposed to be here. It is physically higher than the grade between it and the house (The Room), which encourages water to flow back towards the house. Major no-no. The gravel itself is actually fine b/c many houses in this style will use aggregate stone to line the house. This has its origin in the dry California climate that originates these looks, but in our water-soaked environment, it still offers practical as well as aesthetic solutions.

We're still left with this open area in front of The Room where we have to store trash cans for all to see. Here's where we'll use another of the style elements from these designs and install a breezeblock privacy wall. Here are some examples.

These houses all sport varying applications of breezeblock walls. Some are partitions for privacy, others walls to carports, others add needed architectural definition to the exterior of the house. We'll build a low wall like this in front of The Room, which will block the cans, but also help add definition and color to the front of the house. 

We'll have the option of painting it to match the eventual colors of the main house or a complementary color (both examples can be found above).

-S.