This week we introduce you to two vendors: Whitecliff Vineyard and Pampered Cow, who will be at the John Jay Homestead Farmer’s Market this week.

Gossett’s Farmer’s Market is held at Gossett Brother’s Nursery in South Salem every Saturday year-round, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. and the John Jay Homestead Farmer’s Market, held at the Homestead in Katonah runs Saturdays 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. through October.

Whitecliff Vineyard

Items sold: A variety of grapes are grown at Whitecliff to produce such wines as an Awosting White, Chardonnay, Merlot, Redtail and a Hudson Valley Port.

Location: Gardiner, NY

Website: http://www.whitecliffwine.com

Phone:(845) 255-4613

 

Pampered Cow

Items sold: Pampered Cow is a distribution hub helping 14 producers bring their products to buyers. An array of cheeses, teas, chutneys and even currant caviar are sold through Pampered Cow.

Location: Ghent, NY

Website: www.pamperedcow.com

Phone: 201-370-2301

Most sandcastles don’t last. They’re constantly at the mercy of the wind and waves, not to mention small children playing.

For something a little more permanent, check out this week’s house for rent in California.

This week’s rental: “The Sandcastle”

For rent: $1650/month

Location: Mountain Center, CA

Details: 2 bedroom, 2 bathrooms, 2,626 square feet

Christened “The Sandcastle” by its current owner, this piece of Mountain Center real estate sits on two and a half acres of land overlooking the Coachella Valley as well as surrounding hills and mountains. The home is a short drive to the resort town of Palm Desert.

Built in 1964, the sand-colored home is modern and contemporary, with high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling  windows. The 2-bedroom, 2-bath home has over 2,500 square feet of living space and sits on two acres.

The sandcastle-like home features an oval picture window, a long hallway connecting living spaces and wood-beamed ceilings.

And for those of you who can’t imagine only living in a sandcastle for a short amount of time, according to the listing, the owner is offering a lease-to-own option.

You have some sort of picture in your mind of how you want your house to look, to function, to feel.

But how do you communicate that to your architect, and to the people who’ll be building the walls and installing the counter-tops?

The key to success in a new home improvement or remodeling project is making sure all parties — you, your architect, and your contractor — all fully understand that picture in your mind.

Here are a few ideas to help you make your vision crystal clear:

1) Collect and Organize

Whenever you come across something that appeals to you for your house, take a photo of it; tear the page out of the magazine; or print it from your computer. Even if the photo or drawing only has a tiny thing you like, get it on paper.

An easy way to find lots of images is to pick up “home design” and “home decorating” magazines at bookstores or home improvement stores. A great source is the website www.houzz.com, where you can create an “idea book” from hundreds of thousands of very high-quality photographs. You can also get inspiration from Zillow’s Dueling Digs.

Once you have some images, get a binder of some sort and organize all your photos and clippings into groups by room —and keep it updated.

2) Look Inside

It’s easy to think that your job, as the homeowner, is to come up with solutions for your project. And while there’s definitely a time for that, it’s far more important that you first focus on defining the problem.

That means carefully and honestly examining your daily life in relation to your house – does it really do what you want/need it to do? The more detail you provide about what does and doesn’t work in your house the better you’ll be able to evaluate proposed solutions.

Ask all your household members for their thoughts, in detail — after all, they’ve got to live in the house, too!

Write everything down, no matter how small or “crazy” it may seem. It’s through this kind of honest introspection that you’ll be able to identify your real needs.

3) Research

A successful design and construction project depends on equal expectations; the more you know about design and construction the better! There are many great books and websites that can help you better understand your house, and the issues you should know about to ensure a successful project.