In Vienna

Stephen with his nephew Logan in Vienna, Austria. We're looking forward to the day when Logan will come to Washington with his new sister, Erin and his father, Michael, and mother, Neva to stay at our new house.

Contract Signing

We signed the contract Friday. Builder has applied for permits. We hope to see ground breaking on the lot in a week or so.

The Neighborhood

Here's an album of photos showing the homes in the Canyon Lakes "Parkside" neighborhood in which we're having our home built.

Looking northwest across our lot. We'll see this view from the left corner

of our great room, and from the master bedroom.

Moving clockwise and looking north, northwest at home below us,

which is right on the park.

 Looking north at home directly behind us.

We plan to build a fence along the back of our lot.

Looking east at home to the side of us.

We like the body color of the home.

Our driveway will be in foreground.

Home down the block to the east across the street.

Home down the block and to the east, SE of us.

Empty lot is owned by home owner and his brother.

Home directly across the street from us to the south.

We'll see this home from our front bedroom and den.

The home is owned by the brother of the man

that owns previous home shown.

Home across the street and to the SW of us (owned by a real estate agent).

Home across the street, looking directly west of us.

Home on the park, north, NE and in the back of us.

We'll see a corner of this home from our kitchen window.

Deciding on the Color Scheme for the Exterior

There are many web sites offering advice on what paint to choose for the exterior of your home. Lighter colors, white, off-white, cream, etc. have been popular choices for a long time. When choosing a light color for the body of the house, it's generally a good idea to choose lighter color trim and accent colors.

It's also good to use architectural accents to give the house a little interest.

More recently, darker, more distinctive colors seem to be in vogue. This house by Talon Homes, Inc., uses a body color, trim, and accents that complement the decorative stonework on the house.

Both siding and stucco can collect dirt and bugs. Siding made from composite materials can swell and cause paint to chip. Stucco can crack and stain. Defects/dirt show more clearly on lighter paint colors, as demonstrated on this older home in Horn Rapids.

The following two houses have exterior paint schemes that comply with the CLPOA ARC guidelines requiring "earth tones."