With the concept plan in hand it is time to start defining some of the details. Each suite needs a name and an icon to help guest find their way.
The first area to get our attention is the center unit which we have dubbed the Under Hill suite. After much brainstorming and discussion we settled on the image of a key and padlock - in the shape of a heart of course. Vine filigree add a natural flavour to suit this little home under the hill.
These days building anything can be a bit of complicated process - or rather getting ready to build sometimes seems labyrinthian. Our inn is no exception but the results will certainly be worth the wait. Over the last few months we have been busy talking to city officials and engineers of all sorts. Our plans have been revised many times over - each iteration a refinement of the last. We are now ready to officially submit our drawings to start the rezoning process.
All of that planning, drawing, and redrawing has proven useful, without a doubt. The plans have now been thoroughly thought out and discussed with input from all of the family and our friends as well. With the rezoning under way we have now officially begun. This is going to be fun!
After many, many drawings, discussions and revisions the final version of the inns are getting much closer to final. The three suites are now clustered together. Each is about 600 square feet with a similar sized private garden. Each suite has a distinct look but they still look like they belong together. Each room has it's unique features and particular charm. The difficulty will be to decide which one to stay in. Maybe one night in each will do the trick!
With each drawing we get to see a clearer view of the plan. Sometimes that view turns out to be not what we were going for. The house has had one of the suites attached to the front of it since the beginning but the detailed elevation with it included revealed there was a better way. The three suites will now be grouped in the centre of the property, leaving the back for the residence alone. The floor plans were adjusted and a new elevation drawing was then created. This was a home run at last. Elegant and yet very distinctive the new design features a grand private entrance to the left. On the right side is the office for guests to check in.
Sometimes you need to walk the wrong path for a short distance in order to realize there is a better way.
As we continue the design process, we constantly remind ourselves what it is we are trying to achieve. The Hazelnut Inn is meant to be a spectacular getaway - a special escape for a special occasion with your special someone. As this dream bumps into the reality of parking lot dimensions and garbage bin storage it helps to look back at our early concept drawings and remember the magic we are striving to capture. Lush gardens, whimsical towers and quaint cottages - it is all here in this early sketch - just waiting to be built.
Over the last weeks we have been busy - drawing, measuring and planning. The transition from concept ideas to building plans is now beginning. The preliminary house plans are complete with plenty of room for our growing family. The inn's suites are basically laid out although we will continue to refine things as necessary to make it a truly magical experience for our future guests.
Today we drew the first scale rendering of the front of the house and explorer's suite. As we sketched, details were quickly altered as necessary - what works in the plan view doesn't always function in an elevation. A roof line was altered here and windows were shifted there as we continued to draw.
We'll ponder this first drawing for a day or two to make sure it lives up to our vision. Then we'll make the necessary changes, move on to the next view and continue the process
Each day we get one small step closer to making the dream magically real.
