The Problem
The home you bought seemed perfect for your situation a few years ago.  Or, it was bigger than you honestly needed so you just moved in and quickly went on with life.

Then things changed, ever so slightly over time or in some bigger ways.  Maybe Covid made everything seem harder - you were home more, or even working from home, and spending much more time together.  Or you found yourself offering space to your adult daughter who is going back to school, and you never planned on that but here it is.  And it's just not working anymore.

Regardless, with interest rates at a recent high, it means that refinancing or taking out a home equity loan may not be in the cards any longer.

What to Do?
Clearly, you have do something!  And I get that the most logical next step might seem obvious:  you need more space!!  It's too cramped.  It's creating stress and chaos.  You can't find things.  You don't have enough private space.  

So, you make the decision to add on 500 square feet to create an office and another bedroom.

But I've got a reality check for you...  there's a lot more to solving this challenge than just adding more space.

Today is "Sustainable House Day" - actually, the beginning of a month-long celebration that takes place in Australia every year now since 2017.  https://sustainablehouseday.com/ 

Many things go into defining whether a home is "sustainable" or not, and it depends on who you ask.  

Of course, most of us would assume that efficient energy use, low environmental impact during the build as well as use of greener materials, products and technology would always apply.    

​The result of much of that is to also end up being budget friendly for the inhabitants of the home over time (although I'm not certain that the up-front investment in these higher end materials and technology is less of a budget drain currently than standard materials, and that's part of the hesitancy.)

Here in the U.S. (and around the world) we are still in the throws of the Tiny-House-Craze.  One of several reasons so many find it an intriguing concept is that it's assumed to be a vastly more sustainable option than your typical American home.  

​I would tend to agree with this idea theoretically, for some individuals.  

However, I would argue that when viewed from the collective perspective of making a real and ongoing impact in our larger communities, tiny homes are NOT a sustainable option.  And that there should be a wider, more vocal dialogue about small-not-tiny homes as the path to meaningful sustainability for both the environment and the larger community.

Let me explain.

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Our biggest motivation is always to meet and exceed the needs of our wonderful clients. 

We get almost all of our business through referrals from happy customers and colleagues, and choose to keep it that way.  And this allows us to keep our pricing more competitive without having to cover advertising overhead.

But I gotta say, getting recognition is pretty cool, especially when it's not something we pursued.  

I've always been enamored with the Craftsman Bungalow - but didn't even realize it at first. 

I remember spending time in the Pasadena California area house hunting for a possible job move decades ago and just being hypnotically drawn to the older bungalows that abound there.  I didn't know then, but it was a truly American architectural style that was also common all over San Francisco where I'd lived most of my life. 

​Looking back, the feature that always caught my eye first and drew me in, was the front porch.

So I thought I'd write a piece to explore the idea.
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Every spring I like to run a few local porch features to share some inspiration and a ton of the coolness from our neighbors' favorite sittin' spots.

Although it's spring here, we have some pretty wild swings from day to day and week to week.  That's the nature of spring in the high country of Arizona.  

I've got a couple more downtown porches on deck and if you're interested in having yours featured, keep scrolling to find out how.
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One of the key themes I come back to at The Whiskey Porch is "seasonal living".  It's an aspect of a Simple Lifestyle that adds texture, and color, and variety, and a natural flow to things.

When we talk about living with the seasons, what does that really mean?

To me, it's simply shifting your lifestyle with the seasons.  Doing different things in different spaces, as the seasons progress through the year.

Focusing on the connection to the landscape and the outdoors is just as important as the creature comforts and floorplan that you incorporate into your home design.  So, the interior isn't entirely separate from the outdoors and the landscape that your home sits on. 

By creating this connection intentionally, we craft a direct link between our daily activities and the cycle of the earth. 

And.  We can greatly expand the amount of living space available to us.

Let me explain.

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​I know the day after Thanksgiving is supposed to be all about making lists of things to give or buy.  And spending all day in line to get the best deals.  

But here at The Whiskey Porch we do the exact opposite.  Enjoying each other with gratitude for what we have and adding artful décor to our little home.  And spending time outdoors which is often gorgeous in these parts!

Here's a little peek at how we do things, Nordic style, here at Juniper Hill Cottage...

​You know you need to tackle a few things in your home (or garden) to get it dressed up a bit, but it's so overwhelming and confusing that you just never really get going and it drags on and gets stale. 

It can get confusing with all the media and buzz about what the latest trend is and what's in and what's out.  If you're not a do-it-yourselfer and want to hire professionals to do the work, the truth is you still need to be able to articulate what exactly you want to do and in what priority.  

It can be really hard to know where to start.  And maybe even more importantly, how to bring it all together so that it makes sense when you are done can be very elusive.

The result can be some false starts or even not getting started at all because you aren't confident with how to get going.

I get it.
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Every autumn we do a monthly cottage feature, to share with you the wonderful local inspiration of other homeowners in the Prescott, Arizona area.  #cottagesofprescott

For October, we got to check out Vyne House, in downtown Prescott.
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Simple and artful, nordic cottages are often so picturesque that they don't seem to look real.

But real they are, and outside of the largest cities, predominantly what you will find. 

To be clear, simple doesn't translate to minimalist in any way.  Although Nords tend to live lightly and not have much clutter or unnecessary possessions, what they do keep is treasured and often artful and beautiful.

So, although The Whiskey Porch specializes in Nordic Bungalow Lifestyle & Design, I wanted to clarify that this does not refer to the modern likes of Scandinavian Designs Furniture or Ikea.  Not that there is anything wrong with those ultra-clean and modern styles.  What we are thinking of is the more traditional aesthetic.