Blueprint for Design

Blogging from Birch Bay, WA this week, it is a lesson in views. The Birch Bay is part of the northern Puget Sound. This area is not far from Victoria, the San Juan’s, and it is quite beautiful. The condo I am staying is situated so that the beach side units are angled like a saw tooth to give the maximum view. 

Key to this the lay of the land and thinking forward in time to how the view will change over time. First is how the sun will affect the view throughout the day, shadows, glare and direct sunlight. The unit I am in faces northwest. In the morning, the sun comes in through one window in the loft, but because of the trees in the area, 80’ tall Douglas Firs, that light is filtered and does not shine directly on to a wall, but scatters off the pitched ceiling and exposed beams. At noon the unit is in shade except for the deck, which quickly fades as the sun continues it’s path. The afternoon and evening the unit is full of sun glare from the bay. 

Further, in time one has to consider the foliage and landscaping. How will it grow, how will the trees at their mature height, maybe 5 or 10 years later, will impact the views.  Will the owners be changing the landscaping often, or leaving it to mature. Knowing what the client’s plans are will be helpful. 

Finally, how is the surrounding area likely to evolve over time? This property sits across from the beach, so other than the tides, it’s not likely to change. However if this was up on a hill, what kind of zoning is further down the hill? Is it residential, or commercial, is there a possibility the view can be blocked by a Target? Spend time looking at the area, the community, and what kinds of issues are present in the local papers or website. Birch Bay’s future is to stay the same as much as possible, not everywhere else is as lucky.

The veiw from the deck of the unit we are staying in at Jacobs Landing