Manalto wrote:MJ1987 wrote:I have FOUR pyramidal stones!
In my (unsolicited) opinion, use the two in front to frame your front entrance in some way. One of my pet peeves (a have just a few) is directing the observer's eye to service areas (driveways, garages) or service features (painting your gutters and downspouts a contrasting color, for example). I feel that those areas should be as inconspicuous as possible, although current developer aesthetics seem to disagree, with their garage-dominant houses. A grand house would sometimes have decorative posts at the end of the driveway, but they were dwarfed in comparison to the massive residence. In the back, the stones could be incorporated into a garden design, although two is a tricky number to work with; two leaves little option but symmetry. I really like them - it's a nice problem to have and figure out. Can't wait to see what you do with them!
I like the idea of framing off. The obtrusive garages on newer homes are baffling to me. It's funny, when that trend began, my mom immediately pointed it out and said something like, "Why the hell would anyone want to make two garage doors the focal point!?" Nowadays, everyone is a builder. Sight lines and exterior features play second fiddle to open, oversized interior spaces. Nooks and quirks are a thing of the past. Back in the day it seemed like builders considered the curbside aesthetic first, carefully synchronizing each house with one another and achieving harmony. Quirks inside were worked with so as not to compromise exterior features (sloping ceilings, bench seating, little closets, etc). Now I guess everything plays more into the 'we' vs 'I' mentality in home-building, where square-footage trumps all.
I think one column will be used as a termination point for the retaining wall and the other on the left-most side of the property. The strip of land I own to the right of the driveway is so narrow that I really wouldn't want to squeeze a column in there. Shifting it to the left side of the driveway will integrate it into the wall and still enable me to "frame" off the front of my lot. As you suggested, James, I'll probably use the other two in the back, somehow. It is, indeed, a good problem to have!