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Our ranchito is taking shape, at least in our minds' eye. I still wonder and worry about where all our possessions will go when we arrive; one of the nice things about houses with basements and attics is that you do not have to look at boxes all the time. It may be a while until our living spaces are free of cardboard clutter. The present incarnation of our imaginary home (which will become distinctly less imaginary once I see it in person on Tuesday) is insufficent. Roomie's plan is to arrange for someone we know and like to buy the place next door which was owned by the same people and would make a delightful addition to the compound. We would love to be able to buy both and keep them together, but the other house is about 100k more than we can afford to spend. From my self-interested perspective the 2+ car garage is nice but we do not need more bathrooms and kitchens. By the way, the house next door includes its own casita.
The current ideal plan is to construct (a) a quonset-style structure to serve as motorcycle shop and storage and (b) a purpose-built studio on the southern end of the lot. The studio would face north¹ and look out on the open space to the adobe buildings. We like the Rocio Romero structures; the Base Camp seems a little large for the lot and the Fish Camp a little small for both of us to have clean workspaces in it.
It occurs to me that an adobe-style studio might be a nice alternative to a Romero building. Perhaps we can salvage some large industrial windows and large beams to span the openings. Rather than be constrained by Romero's predefined sizes (12'*12' for the Fish Camp and 15'*37½' for the Base Camp) we could make the spaces just the way we like them.
The addition of the two structures (the first of which is pretty much non-negotiable) would also free up the casita to be a delightful guest-house / screening room. In such a case, the kitchen there makes all kinds of sense: guests can make a late night or early morning cup of tea, and Roomie and I can have the all-important popcorn making station.
¹ Traditional pueblo architecture favors north-facing windows because they admit a lot of indirect (and hence cooler) light, because the sun comes from the south. Northern entrances are also more protected from the weather since rain and wind also tend to blow from the south. Artists favor northern light because it does not shift throughout the day (imagine the paintbrush and canvas as sun-dial). This intersection of interests may explain part of the attraction of artists to traditional southwestern architecture.
Posted by Underblog at June 30, 2005 7:07 AM
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My big questions are -
1. how much smaller will the property and casitas seem in real life than they do in our mind's eye?
2. will we be able to build on the (almost) acre so that it doesn't seem too cramped and jumbly?
Posted by: Sherman at June 30, 2005 8:26 AM
Just keep yer shirt on, Sherman. You need some "boots-on-the ground" recon at this juncture. Your plan of attack is sound, your resource allocation projection appears to be valid. So get your soldier out there pronto and be prepared to adjust your plan as conditions dictate. Remember: If there is anyone who can complete this mission, it is Eric. Well done, you two!
Carry on!
Posted by: RT at June 30, 2005 9:26 AM
you should have been a commanding officer, RT. You are good at motivating the troops. I have full faith in my soldier.
Posted by: Sherman at June 30, 2005 10:09 AM
re; space and jumbly, an almost acre is quite a bit; design, design, design should do the trick...alternatively, old useless structures can be taken down to make way for better placed more functional new structures.
are there pix of the place for sale next door?
Posted by: heather at July 1, 2005 12:09 AM
coming right up, H. Well, next week. We would love to have you there. Just sayin'. You could be my gardening mentor. I've already said that, haven't I.
Posted by: Sherman at July 1, 2005 2:12 PM