[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” background_image=”http:\/\/ddf.c4a.myftpupload.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/IMG_4223.jpeg” parallax=”on”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”]<\/p>\n
THE STORY OF HERON HALL<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider admin_label=”Divider” height=”720″ \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Section” fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”]<\/p>\n Why Heron Hall?<\/strong><\/p>\n A house with character should have a name with character.\u00a0 There is a running joke in the environmental community that developments tend to get named after the animals or site features that got destroyed to make it.\u00a0 In this case my goal is to buck that trend and create a project that allows for the natural world to thrive \u2013 creating habitat through native plantings and careful site design.\u00a0 Why call it Heron Hall?<\/p>\n When I was trying to make the final decision to buy the land I was agonizing over the pros and cons and so I decided to walk the site one last time, hoping for some \u2018sign\u2019 that this was the right place to raise my family for the next couple decades.\u00a0 I parked my car on the side of the road and walked towards it \u2013 suddenly a giant crow swooped down in front of me and landed right next to me \u2013 cackling and making all kinds of noises.\u00a0 In my imagination I felt it was welcoming me.\u00a0 As I carried forth onto the site I went down to the creek and suddenly a giant frog jumped clear over my feet \u2013 ribbit! Ribbit!\u00a0 That was special I thought!\u00a0 And finally as I lifted my head – a large heron swooped down overhead, not twenty feet from me. Three signs within 2 minutes \u2013 all of which are amongst my favorite animals.<\/p>\n Growing up I was fascinated by the story A Wind in the Willows<\/em>, a delightful story about 3 animals that lived next to a river and swamp and had great adventures together.\u00a0 Toad Hall has always figured large in my imagination \u2013 so I decided to name my house \u2013 Heron Hall.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Section” fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off”][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row” custom_padding=”27.5px|0px|0px|0px”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image” src=”http:\/\/heronhall.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/IMG_0666.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”on” animation=”off” \/][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_blurb admin_label=”Blurb” title=”Why Build?”]<\/p>\n Its quite simple.\u00a0 I\u2019m an architect. While I\u2019ve built homes for other people the chance to build a home for my family is every designers dream.\u00a0 And besides, I had to walk my talk.\u00a0 As the founder of the Living Building Challenge I had to create a home that exemplifies all that I preach to others around the world.\u00a0 Our goal with Heron Hall is to create an environment that enriches our daily lives, feeds our souls and keeps us connected to the land and environment \u2013 and most importantly to each other.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Section” fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off”][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row” custom_padding=”0px|0px|27.5px|0px”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_blurb admin_label=”Blurb” title=”The Place”]<\/p>\n Heron Hall is located in a very special part of Bainbridge Island \u2013 itself a very special place.\u00a0 I have always found Island\u2019s to be magical places, surrounded by water with very clear boundaries.\u00a0 As it is, Bainbridge Island is particularly wonderful \u2013 one of those rare places where you can enjoy natural beauty and a rural existence \u2013 all while being a short distance from a world-class city.\u00a0 The best free public schools in the state, wonderful parks and beautiful trees and a safe, progressive community with good food and culture.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image” src=”http:\/\/heronhall.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/heron-hall-overview-from-air-winter.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”on” animation=”off” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Section” fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off”][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image” src=”http:\/\/heronhall.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/2016-10-21-flying-high-fall-update-post_aerial-north.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”on” animation=”off” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”]<\/p>\n My work takes me around the world \u2013 so I need to be near enough to an international airport, yet the other half my time I like to stick close to home- I telecommute and my home is my office.\u00a0 The amazing thing is that I almost never need a car to get to work.\u00a0 My wife and I drive very little throughout the year and almost never take a car to Seattle.<\/p>\n The site is located on the south end of the island in an area known as Lynwood Center and Pleasant Beach, an area with a popular new village center under construction. Being literally two blocks from the village we have access to a small grocery store, two coffee shops, pizza parlor, movie theater, shops, ice cream parlor, bakery, wine bar, thai restaurant, burger bar, community pool and Sunday farmers market.\u00a0 For a small town this is quite a hub of activity.\u00a0 Our kids school is also only 15 minutes walk away.\u00a0 Having access to community is important to us. Especially considering we can walk to all of this.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Section” fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off”][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row” custom_padding=”0px|0px|27.5px|0px”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image” src=”http:\/\/heronhall.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/captain-vancouver-1.jpg” animation=”off” \/][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image” src=”http:\/\/heronhall.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/historic-lynwood-center.jpg” animation=”off” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”]<\/p>\n The area has important history.\u00a0 For hundreds of years pleasant beach was a \u2018winter camp\u2019 of the Suquamish Indians and they planted Camas and other staples in the area.\u00a0 As a south facing sunny location it was a desireable place to be.\u00a0 In 1792 Captain Vancouver rounded the point and met up with Chief Kitsap \u2013 the first connection of the British and local population in this area in view of our site.\u00a0 Fast forward a hundred years and Pleasant Beach was a popular summer destination spot for Seattle tourists \u2013 featuring a hotel, bowling alley, the first theater on the island and more.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Section” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px”][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image” src=”http:\/\/heronhall.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/heron-hall-from-over-sound.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”on” animation=”off” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”dark”]<\/p>\n The site itself is one of the few flat, south facing sunny sites left on the island where it wasn\u2019t necessary to cut down beautiful trees to build.\u00a0 Thousands of year\u2019s ago my site was located under water \u2013 and then in a giant uplift it was lifted out of the water as the entire island was moved.\u00a0 Today Heron Hall is nestled between several beautiful natural amenities and even though I only own an acre of land \u2013 it is surrounded by approximately 4 acres of natural landscape that can\u2019t be developed and feels like my front yard.\u00a0 Immediately to the southeast is a small park that is being developed into a small playground, as well as a one acre forested parcel owed by the parks department.<\/span><\/p>\n Directly south is Schel Cheb Estuary \u2013 a human made estuary that was completed as part of a restoration project.\u00a0 Shel Chelb Creek runs into this estuary creating a unique Ecotone where fresh and salt water intermingles.\u00a0 Completed in 1996 the estuary is now one of the best \u2018birding\u2019 locations on the island. A public trail bisects the eastern edge of my property \u2013 allowing public access to both the beach and to a trail system across Baker Hill Road that connects people to Gazzam Lake park.\u00a0 The public access portion of Pleasant Beach is for the most part \u2013 privately held by my property and the lots behind mine \u2013 yet public access is written into the covenants for all to enjoy.<\/span><\/p>\n We are never alone on our site.\u00a0 We share it with deer, snakes, herons, crows, raccoons, ducks, frogs and hundreds of other species.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image” src=”http:\/\/heronhall.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/IMG_4818.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”on” animation=”off” \/][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image” src=”http:\/\/heronhall.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Heron-hall-in-afternoon-winter.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”on” animation=”off” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image” src=”http:\/\/heronhall.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/IMG_4394.jpeg” show_in_lightbox=”on” animation=”off” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” sticky=”off” align=”left” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” background_image=”http:\/\/ddf.c4a.myftpupload.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/IMG_4223.jpeg” parallax=”on”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] THE STORY OF HERON HALL [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider admin_label=”Divider” height=”720″ \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Section” fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] Why Heron Hall? A house with character should have a name with character.\u00a0 There is a running joke in the environmental community that developments tend to get named after the animals […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":1184,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1577","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/heronhall.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1577","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/heronhall.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/heronhall.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/heronhall.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/heronhall.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1577"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/heronhall.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1577\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/heronhall.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1184"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/heronhall.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}