Maple Bend Farm
I have been working on rough drawings and design concepts for my mom's farm. She is looking to create an addition for her parents, and then eventually herself to live in. With this in mind, I have been creating extra-wide doorways and circulation space, and considering age-in-place criteria. The main house is a late 1800s farmhouse that has had a few additions over the years. The new addition will be in place of the current garage and expand beyond. I still have to work on more detailed plans and orient a new garage in the future. Many of the existing doors and windows will be relocated and re-used in the addition.
In addition to the new build section of the house, there is a mudroom and bathroom renovation on the main level as well as a redesign renovation for the second level bathroom. Overall these changes are to increase the everyday function of the home as it sits on a working farm, hopefully easing my mother's stress and increasing her quality of life. Also, there's no limit to trying to make the whole house more functional, so I'm sure this will continue for a while...
Sensory Dog Yard
This started as research for ways to provide enrichment for my brother's dog (my nephew) Thor, who doesn't play with traditional dog toys for more than a few seconds at a time and isn't too keen on other dog friends. He also is sensitive to the elements so I was looking for ways to make being outside more enjoyable throughout different times of the year. He loves his humans so I also wanted to incorporate ways to relax and play for those too! As the ideas continued I learned more about dog enrichment and engaging all five senses. I am an avid animal lover, especially dogs so I am excited to see this project realized and adapt it for other dogs and yards in the future. Perhaps integrating it as part of an animal sanctuary.
