The Cambridge Blog

We hear a lot of discussion these days concerning the size of our carbon footprint:  You know, the question of how much more than our fair share of the planet’s resources we use just by being here and living the way we do. 

Having lived in a country and culture where More & Bigger have been the universal goals for more than a century, the concept of reducing ones’ carbon footprint seems a reversal of values.  Suddenly we find that - now that we can finally afford a big home, big car, big boat, etc., - the values of our culture have reversed course!  We now find ourselves scorned for owning that same big home, big car, big boat.

Suddenly it is no longer a sign of success to own and operate anything that enlarges our ‘carbon footprint’!  Suddenly Bigger is no longer Better.  In fact, Big isn’t good at all!  Smaller is better.  Smaller is Moral.  Smaller is Kinter, Smarter, More Spiritually in Tune.  Less suddenly is More.  The lesser the better!  Less Stuff.  Less Space.  Fewer ‘Things’. 

At Cambridge Homes, this has been our philosophy always.  Since our founding nearly eighteen years ago, we have designed and built for our Luxury Patio Home clients, nicely appointed, smaller homes on smaller home sites.  Our homebuyers appreciate the sophistication of our patio home designs, the quality of our craftmanship, and the appropriateness of the space we provide.  Please visit one of our Luxury Patio Home communities soon to see for yourself.

Recently a friend sent me a link to the “Life Expectancy Calculator”.  After taking the quiz, I was pleased - and relieved! - to learn that I might actually have another twenty or so years yet to live!  Then I got to thinking how incredibly swiftly the last twenty years sped by.  If the next twenty pass just as swiftly, they’ll be gone in a flash!  It made me realize that I’ve got to get busy making the most of the time I have left!

With the current economic and political uncertainty in our world, it’s easy to put everything on hold and wait for things to get better before getting on with our lives.  It seems easier to just stay put:  To put off building a new home; to delay that trip abroad, to wait until the stock market turns around, or until the war is over, or until….

But if, like me, you’re in your 50’s or 60’s, or even 70’s, you realize that time is passing.  The question is this:  Knowing I have a finite amount of time left to live, HOW do I want to live?

Do I want to play “turtle” and pull in my head, waiting for events to make it safe for me to come out and play?

Or do I want to make the very most of what time I have left?  When I look at it THAT way, it’s a “no-brainer”!

I choose to LIVE and EMBRACE LIFE in the time I have left!  This is my last bite of the apple!

Maybe this means I’ll call the travel agent and take that trip to Australia.  Or maybe it means I’ll sell this old house (that was great when the kids were growing up, but that is fast becoming an albatross!) and build a new Cambridge Homes luxury patio home that has all the bells and whistles I’ve always wanted.

Whatever I’ve been wanting to do, this I know for certain:  NOW is the Time!

To check out the Live Expectancy Calculator, just click below:

http://www.sonnyradio.com/realage3.swf

With record-setting cold and snow visited upon us in North Texas this winter, we’re all looking for the residential equivalent of “comfort food”:  A warm, welcoming, safe place to call home. 

The word COZY comes to mind…. 

“Cozy” can be defined in a number of ways, but I always think first of “scale”:  Human Scale. 

Cozy is impossible to achieve in an over-sized or ill-proportioned space.  No amount of chintz could ever make a European cathedral feel cozy.  Cozy can only be achieved in a space where the ceilings are the right height for the width and breadth of the room.

Another important element of COZY is color.  It’s easier to achieve that cozy feeling with WARM colors than with cool.  Even if your wall colors are cool (gray, blue, green), you can still achieve a feeling of coziness if you accessorize with warm colors and comfortable furniture.  Down-stuffed decorative pillows in warm colors can make a sofa or chair feel cozy and inviting.

Of course, the ultimate in coziness is achieved with the dancing flames of candles and, particularly on a cold winters day, with a fire burning brightly in the fireplace.

At Cambridge Homes, we design our luxury patio homes with the possibility of COZY in mind.  Yes, all of our designs are bright and airy, but they can also feel cozy because of their “scale”.  In most of our designs, the twelve foot ceiling is the smallest of the three dimensions of the room; the width and depth are greater than 12 feet.  For instance, a typical gathering room is 20 feet deep by 18 feet wide by 12 feet high.  Such a gathering room feels bright and airy, but it can also feel warm and cozy. 

The photos below illustrate what I mean:

Luxury Patio Home in Colleyville - The Kensington Gathering Room

Luxury Patio Home in Far North Dallas - The Habersham Gathering Room

Luxury Patio Home in Allen - The Buckingham Study

Luxury Patio Home in Colleyville - The Westminster Study

Luxury Patio Home in Far North Dallas - The Mayfair Gathering Room

Cambridge Homes has been chosen by thier peers as one of the “Best Builders in Dallas 2010″!  This is our sixth consecutive year to win this award!  The list of Best Builders will be published in the May/June 10th Anniversary issue of D’Home Magazine.