Yellowing leaves... what's going on? 9b sf bay area
middlepath
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
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4BR/4.5BA two story house in SF Bay Area, Last Round!
Comments (15)@jn3344 Thanks for your comments! The current garage window is facing the backyard, so I think we're okay on privacy. I think I'm concerned that a window there might impede storage, but we're probably okay on storage... @bpathome We would be renting out the guest suite to interns short-term (usually three months) - not people we know personally. If you look closely, the guest suite actually has a minikitchen area which will have a small sink, microwave, and a minifridge so they can use that for their own things. And tech interns in our area usually get free breakfast, lunch, and dinner at work so I anticipate them not doing real cooking at all. The perfect people to rent out to. :) Of course we might not do this at all, but it's nice as a possibility. The guest suite also has separate access via the sliding doors in the back - I imagine the interns parking their bike on their porch to get to their room (not using the front door or garage entrance), and rarely ever seeing them. We are easy biking distance from major tech companies like Google & LinkedIn. I really need to read more about solatubes vs skylights! Do solatubes let in the same amount of light? @Mama Rachel: We debated making the mudroom have direct access to the office which would make the office more like a dining room, but my husband doesn't want two entrances to the office. My mom is definitely worried about this, but oh well, we'll fake it if/when we sell. :) Others have suggested making the pantry the mudroom (with a nice window perhaps) before, but that directs traffic directly through the kitchen cooking zone. There is already a washer/dryer in the guest bathroom. :) And like I said, tenants would enter the guest suite via the sliding doors in the back, so the idea is the sliding door stays closed when there's a tenant, and stays open most of the time when the guest is a family member. @Oaktown: Thanks, I'm so glad you like the floor plan. Did you notice I took your suggestion from last time of creating the mudroom hallway for more circulation? :) Yes, the floor plans don't match the exterior yet but I told the architect to update them so I'll replace the floor plan in the OP once he does. Ack, you maybe don't like the 3/1 casements? I will wait in suspense for your further comments. I think we're actually going to do two tankless water heaters on the first floor - one on the kitchen side, one on the guest suite side. And then separate tankless water heater(s) upstairs. I think the utility area will house the boiler for our radiant heat (perhaps overkill for the area, but it's soo nice!). We'll mostly use a whole house fan for cooling, but are considering adding forced air and air conditioning for the upstairs only (so that we don't need ducting on the first floor). With all that and 2x6 walls instead of 2x4, I'm hoping it'll be a very comfortable house to live in. Maybe we won't even need all the utility space the architect created. Moar pantry or garage storage?? Hopefully we will begin structural engineering next week. That will take 3-5 weeks, during which we'll create construction documents and detail the inside of the house and specs. We've done a lot of advance homework on this so I think this will go well. After structural engineering is done, we'll apply for permits and simultaneously start getting bids, or maybe doing a negotiated contract with a builder (we're interviewing GCs right now). That's a whole other topic that I might post here about. I keep hearing that the city of Mountain View is relatively easy with regards to permits, so hopefully we could break ground as early as August or September! I'm not sure if I'm evil hoping it won't rain during the early stages of my build, with the drought and all. xD In the worst case we could always start later - the current house on the lot is being rented out, we have no mortgage on the house we're living in now, and we're pretty young so there's no real rush....See MoreWhat to try next? (SF bay area)
Comments (29)Do you have the book Golden Gate Gardening? She has a planting calendar that helps figure out timing with the Bay Area climate. I live in DC now, but had a veg garden in San Francisco and was very successful with all kinds of stuff, all year round, using her advice--all the brassicas, favas, scallions, and some lettuces in the winter; everything through the rest of the year. Kept adding compost and rotating crops and using the favas for winter "manure" and it worked out, except for the most heat-loving summer things. I even actually got good slicer tomatoes in the SF fog! Her book is really helpful, deep into the details. E.g., my romanesco cauliflower took 180 days instead of 110, but I didn't rip it out assuming it was blind, because she said to be patient with broccoli and cauliflower in the Bay Area....See MoreGardenia in Bay Area - 9b zone
Comments (8)Any morning sun spot would be great! If you want to plant it now (rather than in the fall), I would run a hose out to the area you want to dig in and let is slowly trickle for a couple of hours. This will help saturate the soil and make it easier to dig in the spot you want to plant in. Once you have your hole dug out (twice the width/depth of the pot should be good), fill it with water and monitor how long it takes the water to drain out. If it drains quickly (within a few hours), drainage is good. If water stays in the hole overnight, drainage is bad and the soil will need to be amended. Either way, I usually mix the dirt I have taken from the hole with some kind of a good soil amendment/compost blend. I bought some as OSH or you could get it at a nursery in your area. Fill the hole with the amended soil and create a mound in the hole. Set the plant on top of the mound, making sure to place the plant slightly higher than the existing soil. Water your plant in deeply. Soil pH should be between 5 and 6. SFGate has some good articles on gardenias. Check out this link: http://homeguides.sfgate.com/gardenia-jasminoides-leaves-turning-yellow-66388.html...See MoreI need help with a baby avocado tree - SF Bay area
Comments (7)With most avocados, you need two plants (a type A and a type B) in order to produce fruit. This basically means they need cross pollination from another variety in order to set fruit. I am guessing you have a Hass avocado which is type A. Type B cultivars that can be used with this variety are Fuerte, Zutano, Bacon, Whitsell or StirPrize. Your pot seems awfully small. Any chance you have room for it in the ground? It probably would be much happier. If I were going to plant it, I would cut it right before it changes from the darker green color to the yellow green color (based on your picture). If you need to keep it in a pot, I would get a bigger one to put it in. A good book to reference is the Sunset Western Garden Book, which has quite a bit of detailed information regarding Avocados. Most libraries have this book, so it is worth checking it out....See Moremiddlepath
2 years agomiddlepath
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2 years agolast modified: 2 years ago
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