Vineyards Taking Shape. 

One of the understated joys of designing your own home is that you get to do what you want on a clean sheet of paper. This applies to softscape or landscape, as well as the home. It’s a dreaming exercise really. 

What works best is an integration of all ideas from the beginning thoughts of the project, with equal weight given to the land and its opportunities and constraints, the general landscape concept, and the home, how small or large a footprint, and the optimal setting and orientation on the lot.  

Even in most custom home projects, the home dominates the discussion first and is given high priority, and then we figure out the landscaping and outside spaces after the home is built (if there is any lot left to landscape.)  Home and landscape are separate projects and separate thoughts. Integration is a foreign concept for most of us, as we usually start with a set of facts involving a home already built, and the environment already altered and an afterthought.  

When you start with a clean sheet of paper, it helps to start with an equally clean and expansive vision of what can be done.  Downplay, or in fact run away from, current hot trends and look to what the land/lot, site opportunities and constraints provide. Look to your personal interest and hobbies and mold the process around those considerations.  It really is ok to build a home and landscape without palm trees or grass to mow.   

I think we might have the only home in Carlsbad without palm trees or grass to mow!

It would be a shame if a person had the opportunity to do “wonderful things” with a project and simple did more of the mundane.  Remember “wonderful things” are personal and subjective. We all won’t like everything, but that diversity is what makes a neighborhood or a city great.  

At Herons’ House in the beginning, we lived on the lot in the old house, for several months before we started designing the project.  As we lived on the lot, we familiarized ourselves with the nuances of the weather, sunsets and sunrises, wind patterns, sun and shadows, and the diverse animal population. I can’t over emphasize the importance of those first few months before starting the design phase.  I can't imagine starting a design phase without knowing the land.

With our hillside and south orientation with no obstructions to sunlight, we knew we had the right ingredients for a vineyard. We had a split level ½ acre lot with a 5 ft difference in grade running right down the middle of the long lot.  This difference in grade made the wine cellar next to and on the same level as the vineyard, possible.  Placing the home on the north top portion of the lot would be the best location as to not block the vineyard, and to achieve the best natural cooling/heating of the home possible.  Yes, and to provide the best views as well. 

This left us with a vineyard area roughly 30 ft wide and 260 ft long on the lower portion of the lot.   The egret is on the lower portion as well and splits the land into a front and rear vineyard.

The home was designed around the vineyard, around the wine cellar, and around the native plants on the several acre hillside in the back.  These considerations were actually before the home was designed and greatly influenced the home. The landscape architect, Rich Risner, and the architect, Bart Smith, worked together at the same time to make this integration concept work. 

Several months ago we planted the rose garden and the native plants, they are thriving and doing very well.  We expect our vines to be delivered in late February from Nova Vine in Sonoma County.  In preparation for the vines we have been building our trellis system, digging 150 holes three ft. deep, and installing irrigation the past few months during the weekends. It was a larger amount of work than I expected. 

The vines will be:

100 Sangiovese VCR 6 clones on low vigor rootstock

24    Cabernet Sauvignon on low vigor

12    Cabernet Franc on low vigor 

The next step is farming for three years and nourishing the vines.  

:) Peder

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