Category: Home Preservation & Design

TIPS TO GET YOUR STARTED ON YOUR NEW MOUNTAIN HOME

There is something about living in and around some of the most spectacular scenery that shifts one’s outlook on life – outdoors – in the mountains. And day after day our architectural firm in Truckee and Lake Tahoe is hearing from our clients who have made the decision to pack up and move to the High Sierra… for just those reasons. Clear air. Less traffic. Spectacular seasons. Endless adventure right out their backdoor.

So let’s get started. Here are some top tips from Borelli Architecture who enjoys every opportunity to design homes in the Lake Tahoe and Truckee regions for clients who seek a healthier lifestyle.

Choose a location that fits your needs and dreams.

Fortunately for all, the Lake Tahoe and Truckee region offer an outstanding variety of new home development opportunities as well as vacant land in residential communities and on the outskirts of town. From the prestigious Martis Camp development in Truckee, CA, to the new property options in and around Northstar California, to vacant land throughout Tahoe’s North Shore, it is highly likely that the perfect spot for you to call ‘home’ awaits you and yours.

Decide on your ideal home’s style.

When we talk with our clients about their vision of the ‘perfect mountain home,’ we always hear a different answer. Some want an architectural design ‘brings the outdoors in.’ Others explain their interest to design the home to complement the property’s environmental features. And there’s always a conversation to ensure the home is structurally sound to last for generations – no matter how tough a winter season may be.

Set a budget.

From the initial purchase of your property, to the last yard of carpet, you will want to be sure you have an appropriate budget to cover the obvious, and sometimes not so obvious, expenses. As this is one of the most important investments in your life, our team at Borelli Architecture always ensures our clients are financially prepared and comfortable with what’s to come.

For mountain home design, secure a local architect.

Building homes in the High Sierra is an art to be handled by those who have the knowledge and experience in designing mountain homes that will protect your investment, and your family, from the varying and challenging seasonal changes; high winds, deep snowpack, freezing temperatures, and long hot days all come in to play. Don’t risk purchasing a pre-fabricated plan on line; they won’t hold up to the extreme conditions.

And with a local architect’s insight, they will also help you get the best benefits out of your property’s location. Windows facing east to capture the morning sun, patios facing west for the perfect sunset spot, and a driveway facing south to melt the winter snow.

Be aware of, and abide by, the local TRPA and County rules and regulations.

There might not be another region around the world that is tied to as many rules and regulations when it comes to building or remodeling a home in Lake Tahoe. It’s so complex, our team at Borelli Architecture offers an extensive list of services to keep the process of building your home stress free:

Personal Architectural Design Services
Site Planning
Contractor Selection and Bidding Assistance
Construction Administration Service
Space Planning
Permit Processing Assistance
Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) Feasibility Studies

Ready to seek a healthier lifestyle for the best of the rest of your life?

We’re ready when you are. And even if you are just thinking about the option to move to Lake Tahoe or Truckee, feel free to give us a call for some good-old-fashioned local advice on how to build a home in the mountains.

James P. Borelli
Founder/Principal
Borelli Architecture
Truckee / Lake Tahoe
jim@borelliarchitecture.com
775.831.3060

How to Keep Your Forested Landscape Healthy, Fire Safe

With all the fires that the West has experienced, and continues to fight, this year, I thought our architectural firm in Lake Tahoe might be able to help you keep your backyard healthy and as prepared as possible for next year’s fire season.

Defensible Space. Why It’s Important to You and Your Home.

In June, we published an extensive blog about defensible space, and what you can do right now while the weather is still nice for outdoor yard work. For a complete list of the best tips for preparing your home with defensible space, be sure to click into that story about defensible space right here on our website.

Forest in Your Backyard? Keep It Healthy & Fire Safe.

For over 30 years, Borelli Architecture has been designing mountain homes in the Lake Tahoe Basin and Truckee region that are often wrapped within a forest environment. Inasmuch as we focus on designing the home to our clients’ needs and dreams, we always take the adjoining landscape and trees into mind within the design process.

Once the home is established, we encourage our clients to invest some time in their yards to ensure they remain healthy as that contributes to the home’s value as well as the overall health of the forest.

To get you started, we’re offering some tips on how to maintain a healthy forest.

Get To Know Your Trees. This is always a fun adventure to share with your kids and is also educational for you as well. We found a good source that identifies pines in particular, complete with photos that serve as an excellent ‘cheat sheet’ as you wander through your forested backyard, or on a hike this fall.

Learn about the Popular Insects and Diseases of the Tahoe Basin. You probably have heard about the Beetle infestation, yet what about Heart Rot, Dwarf Mistletoe and Western Gall Rust? All can have a significant impact on the health of your trees. As can man-made injuries from snowplows and other machinery and cars. What you may think is a diseased tree, could actually be an injured pine. This link will show you photos and complete descriptions of the diseases and insects of the Lake Tahoe Basin and surrounding High Sierra.

Give Your Trees Some Space. Depending on the size of the trees, you may have to secure a permit to remove a few trees that are overcrowding its neighbors. For a good guide as to what steps you need to take, click into this brochure “A Property Owner’s Guide to Tree Removal in the Lake Tahoe Basin.”

Landscape Appropriately. When our architectural firm in Tahoe embarks on the design of our clients’ homes, we are certainly involved in site planning, space planning, and TRPA feasibility studies, among many other services that are needed to build a home in Truckee and Lake Tahoe. And although we are not involved in the landscaping per se, we appreciate every opportunity to share our local insight as to which plants and shrubs are appropriate for our four-season environment. To help you out, here’s a link to a “Home Landscaping Guide for Lake Tahoe and the Vicinity.”

If you ever have any questions about how to keep your forested backyard healthy, or need additional tips or professional assistance with defensible space, just give Borelli Architecture a call at 775-831-3060. We have a variety of home building services and landscaping contacts to help you do the best job to keep your backyard fire-safe and forest healthy for years to come.

James P. Borelli
Founder/Principal
Borelli Architecture
Truckee / Lake Tahoe
jim@borelliarchitecture.com
775.831.3060

LAKE TAHOE MORE THAN JUST A BEAUTIFUL LAKE, ADDS TO HOME VALUES

Although most of my blogs have been created to enlighten you about real estate trends and the intricacies of building or remodeling a home in the Truckee region and Lake Tahoe Basin, I’ve decided to step away from the norm to share a story that I recently read in Lake Tahoe This Week. The article is titled “25 Amazing Aspects to Lake Tahoe.”

When I read the story, it reminded me as to why my wife, Kelly, and I have worked hard to make a good living in a land that is indeed one of the most spectacular treasures on Earth. I’ll give credit right now to its author, Shanie Matthews, who started the article with accolades for this Gem that without a doubt, adds value to investing in land or property within the Lake Tahoe Basin…

“If you read through my blog posts, you know that one thing is absolutely clear: I truly believe Lake Tahoe is an amazing place. With so many positive points, its exquisiteness can be overwhelming. The way that the mountains create a mesmerizing frame to an ever-changing face of a moody lake is reminiscent of Europe in many ways.”

Highlights of the 25 Amazing Aspects to Lake Tahoe

I suggest you read the whole story, yet in the meantime, Kelly and I selected a few of the highlights that were of personal interest to us:

Lake Tahoe is aging gracefully, clocking in at 2 million years old!
Lake Tahoe is unique in that it is endothermic basin. This means that it drains into the Truckee River and instead of flowing toward the ocean as most rivers do, it flows east into the mountains with a final destination in Pyramid Lake.
Lake Tahoe is one of the purest water lakes in the world, with the water coming in at 99.994% pure (this is close to distilled water that is 99.998% pure).
Our year-round, long-term population for the basin is 53,000 people. This number surges during the peak seasons and can hit 300,000 people.
Lake Tahoe is surrounded by five peaks that are over 9,000 feet, including Rubicon Peak (9,183’), Mt Tallac (9,735’), Pyramid Peak (9,985’), Mt Rose ((10,778’) and Freel Peak (10,881’).
The lighthouse located on Rubicon Trail was once considered the world’s highest working lighthouse.
Crystal Bay is the deepest part of Lake Tahoe, measuring in at a staggering1,645 feet below the surface (a depth that would swallow the Empire State Building).
Lake Tahoe tap water has been named the best tasting tap water in the United States.
There are 63 different tributaries that release water into Lake Tahoe, but only one release valve, being the Truckee River.
And a real favorite that we have yet to see ourselves … There is reported to be a Loch Ness-type monster that lives in Lake Tahoe. Her name is Tessie.

If you ever want to know more about the Lake Tahoe Basin, feel free to contact us at any time. We have been running our architecture firm and interior design companies in Lake Tahoe, and the Truckee region, for over 30 years.

Best to you,

Jim& Kelly Borelli

James P. Borelli
Founder/Principal
Borelli Architecture
Truckee / Lake Tahoe
jim@borelliarchitecture.com
775.831.3060

Kelly Borelli
Kelly Borelli Interiors
Truckee / Lake Tahoe
775.831.3060

June is Lake Tahoe’s Wildfire Awareness Month. How Prepared Are You?

June is Lake Tahoe’s Wildfire Awareness Month. How Prepared Are You?

With the summer upon us, it’s the right time to plan and prepare your home and property with defensive space. To help you get to it now, and not later, our team at Borelli Architecture in Incline Village, NV has done some research and is now providing you with some helpful contacts, websites, and events that are part of our annual Lake Tahoe Basin Wildfire Preparedness Month.

Why Prepare Now?

What began as a very dry winter in the Lake Tahoe Basin ended with Sierra snowpack approximately 85% of normal, thanks to heavy precipitation received during the month of March. However, both the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) and the Reno National Weather Service (NWS) expect a warming trend to develop that will lead to drier than normal conditions by late spring.

As a result, the below average snow pack is expected to melt faster, grasses and other vegetation are expected to dry out earlier and wildland fire activity is likely to increase to above average by mid-summer.

Wildfire Preparedness Tips

Springtime in the Sierra is the perfect time to complete defensible space clean up around homes, review evacuation plans, sign-up for reverse 911 your county, contact local fire districts to schedule free defensible space evaluations, learn about free chipping services, and talk to neighbors about the importance of wildfire preparedness.

Permanent residents, second-home owners and vacation home owners/renters should familiarize themselves with and follow advice found at this link from Living With Fire. It offers an extensive list of things you and your family can do to be as prepared as possible.

Free Seminars and Events About Lake Tahoe Basin Wildfire Awareness Month

If you want to get a jump-start to prepare you home and property, take time to attend one of the many events our local authorities have planned on your behalf.

Date/Time	Event
06/01/2018 All Day	Lake Tahoe Basin Wildfire Awareness Month Begins! ,
06/09/2018 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm	Wildfire Safety Expo TJ Maxx Parking Lot, South Lake Tahoe CA
06/15/2018 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm	Wildfire Community Preparedness Day Zephyr Cove Post Office, Zephyr Cove NV
06/16/2018 9:00 am – 3:00 pm	Whispering Pines Shrub Crawl & Block Party Whipering Pines, Incline Village NV
06/27/2018 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm	Learn S’More About Fire Safety and Fire Safe Zephyr Cove Beach, Zephyr Cove NV
06/30/2018 8:00 am – 10:00 am	Community Pancake Breakfast – North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District North Lake Tahoe Fire Station, Incline Village NV

Remember it’s not a matter of “if” the next wildfire will occur, it’s a matter of “when”.

If you have any specific questions about preparing your home for wildfire, please feel free to directly contact our local North Lake Tahoe Protection District at 775 831 0351 or stop in their main headquarters at 866 Oriole Way, Incline Village, NV 89451.

Finally, as your neighbor who has lived on Lake Tahoe’s North Shore for over 30 years, I have learned quite a bit about defensible space. Feel free to contact me at any time for tips that I have learned over the years...

Jim

James P. Borelli
Founder/Principal
Borelli Architecture
Truckee / Lake Tahoe
jim@borelliarchitecture.com
775.831.3060

TRPA ANNOUNCES NEW PERMITTING PROCESS, AND IT APPLIES TO YOUR FUTURE BUILDING PLANS.

As a company that assists our clients with a variety of design and building services in Lake Tahoe and Truckee, we’re always watching for changes and updates to the very complicated permitting process that comes with building or remodeling a home in Tahoe or Truckee.

With that said, we thought we’d dedicate this blog to some important news that was just announced by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. They announced some changes within its plan review and permitting process. Here’s a short synopsis from our favorite regional newspaper MOONSHINE INK:

Washoe County, TRPA Permitting Process Changes

Washoe County and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) announced a change in the permitting process for projects in the Washoe County portion of the Lake Tahoe Basin on Dec. 15. Previously, Washoe County accepted and reviewed permit applications on behalf of TRPA.

Now, projects in Washoe County must be submitted to TRPA planners. The TRPA will have a planner available one day a week at Washoe County’s Incline Community Center to accept and review project applications.

The projects must meet conformance with TRPA regulations that apply to residential additions and modifications, new construction of single-family and multi-family residential structures, commercial projects, and qualified-exempt residential activities.

Building a Home in Tahoe or Truckee in the Near Future? We’re Here to Help.

For over 30 years, my company has offered a variety of turn-key services to our clients throughout the High Sierra. With all the technicalities that come with building a home or commercial building, we feel it is our responsibility to partner with our clients as their ‘liaison’ to the many agencies that are involved in the process.

Highlights of our services include:

Site Planning
Space Planning
Permit Processing Assistance
TRPA Feasibility Studies
Contractor Selection and Bidding Assistance
Construction Administration Services

If you have any questions about any of the permitting processes in Tahoe, feel free to give me a call. I always enjoy the opportunity to share our knowledge, and shed your stress, at any time.

James P. Borelli
Founder, Borelli Architecture
775 831 3060 or visit our Contact page, right here.

TOP 10 TIPS TO PREPARE YOUR HOME FOR THE WINTER SEASON

Last month I posted an article about some of the important features one needs to consider when designing and building a home in mountain environments in and around the Lake Tahoe and Truckee regions.

Today, we are taking a look at what homeowners should do to prepare for the forthcoming season. With local ski resorts vying for the bragging rights to be the ‘first to open,’ that can only mean that winter is just around the corner. And as there are indeed inches of snow covering the higher peaks and slopes around the Lake Tahoe and Truckee region, this means we all better take note and get our homes prepared for the colder months ahead.

To help you stay ahead of whatever Mother Nature has in mind, here’s a simple list of “Top 10 Tips to Prepare Your Home For the Winter” to help you get ready for perhaps another Snowmaggeden … or maybe just another average winter.

Have your Furnace Inspected. There are several reputable HVAC professionals throughout Lake Tahoe and Truckee. Get on their schedule nowpotentiallyso they have time to inspect your furnace, clean the ducts, and change the filters.
Prepare the Fireplace. If you have a wood burning stove and are comfortable cleaning your chimney from top to bottom by yourself, great; be careful. If not, hire a professional sooner than later. Their services should include cleaning the lining of your chimney of creosote build-up, soot, and other potentially hazardous debris. Some may also check for leaks, broken brick, and such.
Stack Wood. My motto: ‘You can never have enough dry wood and kindling.” Another rule of thumb: “Never stack your wood right next to your house.”
Protect Your Landscaping Investments. If you have a lawn, give it a good mow for one last time and rake up any larger piles of leaves. We always wrap our larger bushes with green stretch tape to protect them from heavy snow loads.
Inspect Your Gutters and Downspouts: Although it’s always a good practice to keep your gutters and downspouts clear of debris, now is the best time to be sure this task is off your ‘to do’ list. Clean out your gutters and use a hose to spray the downspouts to ensure the pending rain and snowmelt have a clear path to drain off your roof.
Drain The Sprinkler System. Frozen pipes are no fun. Be sure to drain your sprinkler system and drain any hoses and store them out of the winter elements for the winter.
Leave the Heat On. If you plan to be out of town for an extended period of time, we turn our heat to 55 to prevent any pipes freezing in the house; you should too.
Check your home’s foundations and crawlways. When you live in the mountains, you can fully expect to see mice and even raccoons trying to call your home ‘their home’ as the temps drop. You can prevent intruders with a few simple tasks: rake away and remove any edible vegetation from around your foundations, seal up any holes or potential entry points and secure your crawlspace entrances.
Recharge your Smoke Detectors. We’ll soon be told to turn our clocks back for the fall and winter months – and with that comes additional media reminders to replace the batteries in our smoke detectors. If you have a carbon monoxide detector, that should be checked as well.
Prepare an Emergency Kit. Last winter was one great reminder about how important a generator, candles, and extra emergency supplies can be when one of those classic High Sierra storms come to visit. Find a good, easily accessible spot in your home to have all the supplies you think you may need so you’ll be prepared for the worst – or perhaps if you’re a fan of the great outdoors, prepared for another super snowpack to come.

On behalf of the entire team at Borelli Architecture, we’re here to help our neighbors enjoy every benefit that comes with living a good life in the mountains. From architectural tips on mountain home design, to interior design ideas as well, we enjoy every opportunity to share our experience and personal insight. Feel free to reach out at any time.

Enjoy what is left of the beautiful fall season … it will be snowing before we know it!

James P. Borelli
Call 775 831 3060 or visit our Contact page, right here