Sonoma County Blog » California Farm House

Roblar Road

davesonoma — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 01:13:33 +0000

Serendipidy can be your friend. In my case, a maps.google.com search for the fastest route to Dillon Beach told me part of my drive should be on Roblar Road. It’s been a while since I drove that stretch of Sonoma County between Petaluma and Sebastopol, so this morning I went for a drive.

Man, it was beautiful.

Part of it was the light, but the magic was part green, part quiet, part animal, and a big dollop of pace. I was lucky that I left an hour early for my appointment. I had hoped to get some pictures on the drive, but the final results were much better than I had hoped for. It wasn’t just that I got some fun pictures, but that my mood got a chance to get mellow by sharing some space and time with a very special place.

The critters that get to hang out all day munching luscious Sonoma County grass may not notice that they live in a great area, but I think the California Cheese commercials on TV actually capture something when they talk about California cows. I haven’t seen any TV for sheep, but they seem to be in on the action as well.

The one bee buzzing around the picnic was an issue that I hadn’t been aware of until my drive today. There are efforts to open a quarry on Roblar Road. I don’t know enough to take sides on this, but I feel strongly that a neighborhood as peaceful and rural as Roblar Road deserves a chance to opt out of the path of progress if they choose to. You can read more details of the issues in this Sonoma West Times and News article

Faught Road

davesonoma — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 17:41:14 +0000

Not too far from the energy of the Airport Business Park and Shiloh’s Wal Mart and Home Depot is Faught Road. It’s only a couple of miles long, but it’s miles away in space and time from the urbanizing 101 corridor. This classic farm house on six acres is architecturally pleasing on many levels. The three dormer roof lines echo the larger gable and break up the roof plane. The wrap around porch makes a symmetrical division of the house height and creates blocks of space that comes close to fitting into the “golden ratio” that has always been a pleasing shape. The house itself from the peak of the gable to the width of the entire structure is also close to the golden ratio.

The photograph to the right uses color masks to show the way the house’s design is a series of golden ratios. The use of these proportions is probably an unconscious element on the architect’s part; just good design that pleases the eye.

Bodega Quoins

davesonoma — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 17:12:26 +0000

The Potter Schoolhouse in Bodega is one of the few remaining buildings from Alfred Hitchcock’s filming of “The Birds”. It’s been a schoolhouse, bed and breakfast, and private residence. I’m a fan of the simple symmetry of the building with the round-top windows, corner columns, and octagonal tower. It’s a timeless building without the gingerbread of a Queen Anne or the stripped down plainness of the Craftsman style. There are a couple of other buildings in Bodega that I really like.

This simple residence features dramatic yellow painted quoins which are elements that were traditionally used to imitate how stone walls meet at corners. These wooden quoins are common in buildings of the late 1800’s and appear in everything from a Italianate to a Queen Anne to this plainer example. One of my favorite fixers on North St in Healdsburg shares this detail.

The final gem on my trip was this attractive two story, two porch farmhouse behind a white picket fence. The eaves, porches, and windows all have nice detailing that is highlighted by the simple horizonal siding. The relatively steep, hipped roof and arched windows make this a good example of an Italianate style building. Just outside the picket fence is this old weathered sign which probably proclaimed this as an inn or commercial establishment. Now it’s a great example of the forces of nature on human construction.