‘Lighten up while you still can, don’t even try to understand. Just find a place to make your stand and take it easy.” – Jackson Browne, musician
Screen Time: Your Porch – The Arborgate
Don’t think of screen time as something you look at on a box that projects images. Real screen time is so much bigger and more meaningful than a tv, computer, phone screen, or portable device. This home, Arborgate, (D-3371), proves this perfectly. Frank Snodgrass, award-winning architect, of Living Concepts Home Plans, offers great spaces for daily living, places to dump the ‘busy-ness’ of your life and plenty of room for fun, laughter, and entertaining. Yes, this beauty is low-country ease, filled with 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms in 2 stories of 3300 + square feet, but it’s more than that – add 2 porches, one front, one back and screened, and bring your life into focus. Just remember Screen Time: Your Porch – The Arborgate. It’s all you need.
Let’s get right to the point of porches. Straight away, one porch greets you front and center with a lovely, charming, “get your rocking chair, a friend to chat with, and your favorite drinks” kind of hello. It asks you to sit in the quiet of morning or evening. Sit and watch the world go by. Your days do not deserve you giving energy to ‘everything but yourself’. Your days deserve you. YOU deserve your days for quiet, resolve, reflect, share with your favorite things and people. Lighten up. Take it easy. Life is hard. Find comfort and joy in your porches. This front porch just longs for hanging potted plants, chairs, and tables for casual, easy relaxing.
Screen Time: Your Porch – The Arborgate
‘Front of House”
Enter through your front door and a long foyer greets you. To the left is a large dining room. Your foyer has a long wall to the right for stunning artwork or a writing desk to hold a gorgeous dried floral arrangement backed by a tall mirror.
The dining room, on the left, is open to the foyer, but the ‘in’ to the kitchen is via a swinging door. Make this an office if you prefer, but a classic dining room is never wasted. Your family, friends and holidays will thank you. Or, just decide that Sunday dinners are always eaten here.
Screen Time: Your Porch – The Arborgate
Kitchen – Breakfast Area and Family Room
From the dining room, you enter your kitchen from the swinging door. Open the door to the kitchen and you also stand in front of a door to the staircase that leads you to your second story. We’ll get to that. For now, Hello Kitchen! Loads of counter space might have you craving 6 kinds of cookies at 3 dozen each – there is enough space for baking and cooling. Maybe this is the inspiration you need to host the neighbors (several neighbors) for a great Saturday potluck. Your counters can hold casseroles, salads, appetizers, and more. There is an island in the center and your L-shaped counter that also has a sink (on the short L side) facing the breakfast nook.
The breakfast nook isn’t large. Since there is a door to the ‘magic screened porch’ here, you might need to be creative in how you place your dining space here.
There is a pantry in the kitchen – everyone can use a pantry.
From the breakfast area, walk into your large family room. This is a great, warm, welcoming space for everyone. A fireplace anchors one wall for your books, firewood supply, or art glass collection.
Screen Time: Your Porch – The Arborgate
THE Porch
THIS IS IT! This is the space the whole house screams “BONUS” on. YOUR SCREEN PORCH. A door from the family room and the breakfast area lead to this long, protected outdoor space. You are going to love it. This is the perfect space for having family night Oreo cookie dunking/eating contests, board game night, “make up your own joke’ telling night, or karaoke. Let it rain. Let the sun shine a bit warm. Sit here. Install ceiling fans. There is a door to the real outside that leads you to your backyard. Lighten up. Take it easy here.
Screen Time: Your Porch – The Arborgate
Garage Galore and your back hall
Back to the kitchen, there is a small hallway that leads to your two-car garage, a small back closet, and the laundry room. Now, if there’s something in this house that gives the screen porch a run for attention, it is this space here.
Men, this garage is dreamy. Aside from being a side-load (meaning you enter the garage on the side of the house v front-facing that shows from street view), it will not detract from the charm of the front view of the house. There is a decent sized workshop area next to the parking spaces, a doorless room (from the car park area). There is an external door from the workshop to the outdoors. Image your tools, woodworking stuff, etc. all nice and tidy in a separate area – ideal right? Well, hang on because it gets even better. Now, from the workshop area, another door leads to another garage. So, you have space for 3 vehicles, and they are separated by your workshop or use the 3rd space for a very dedicated exercise area.
Screen Time: Your Porch – The Arborgate
Master Retreat and a Guest Suite
Your master retreat is on the entire right side of the first floor of the house. Go back to your foyer and take a right turn. You will pass a suite that will be great for a child or visitors. A walk-in closet is here and access, that is shared from the hallway as well, to a full bath. A closet for seasonal coats is on the left, across from the bathroom. Now, at the end of the hallway is your space.
This master retreat has a large bedroom area with an exterior door to your, you guessed it, the wonderful screen porch. Morning coffee? Yes. Evening drink? Yes. Sneak out and sit with your favorite book or sit out here and do a little work? All yes. A hallway from the bedroom area leads to two walk-in closets so there is no competing for space with someone else. Walk past your closets to the master bath, at the front of the house. A long counter with 2 sinks is opposite your soaking tub, separate shower and, separate room for your commode.
Screen Time: Your Porch – The Arborgate
Upstairs
From your kitchen there are stairs to the second floor, or you can take the other staircase across from the foyer. Once at the top of the stairs, from the foyer, you step into ‘upstairs central’, your second-floor landing. You can walk into the open ‘reading room’ – which I would happily do or make it whatever space you need and enjoy. Upstairs central also leads you to two other suites, each with walk-in closets. These bedrooms are adjoined by a jack-n-jill bath. This bathroom is also accessible from the landing. Dormers in the two bedroom suites let in nice light. Your second staircase down (taking you to the kitchen on floor one), is located across from the left-side bedroom.
Plenty of attic storage space is here with access through a door in the reading room.
This plan shows another amazing space, it can be optional to ‘finish’ initially, or down the road. A large bonus room with potential for a kitchen add-in is located above the garage. If you have a college kid home, have older live-in family members (parents or others), this could be an ideal spot for them to have privacy, and/or give them a unique ‘home’ feeling of their own.
Screen Time: Your Porch – The Arborgate
Take it Easy
Arborgate offers so much, inside and out. Let its low-country vibe of relaxation and enjoying life fill you with all it encompasses. With 2 porches to enjoy, 4 bedrooms, big entertaining space and a great kitchen, what else could you want? Once again, Frank Snodgrass makes it all happen for you.
Make this your own. Welcome Home.