How do you strike a balance between aesthetics and budget? This is the question I spend my working life trying to answer.
In 25 years of residential designing and building I’ve only had one client who did not have a budget for their project. They had a vision and the resources to carry it out without compromise. Their house is a real showpiece and perfectly suited to their needs and wants. This scenario is by far the exception. All of the other projects had a bigger wish list than the client could afford. This is normal. The culture we live in…

I just returned from a vacation in The Grand Teton Area of Idaho and Wyoming, an area where I lived for a time when I was in my early 20’s. The town of Jackson, Wyoming and the close outlying area is barely recognizable with all the growth and sprawl. I talked to a couple of people who were aware of the idea of smart growth but for the most part all the bad aspects of commercial development are in play. Over the hill in Teton Valley Idaho it is even worse. Golf coarse luxury home developments are popping up right…

When you hear someone say “They don’t make them like they used to”, too often it’s not a rueful reminiscence, but a brutally truthful statement of fact. Most things are not made like they once were, not with the finest materials, not by hand, not with passion, not with laborious time-intensive attention to detail and craftsmanship. Today, when one comes across something that is superbly designed, beautifully made and not compromised in any way at all, it comes as a bit of a surprise. A wonderful occurrence that reminds us the right way is still alive and well. That reminds…

When you walk into a room and look around you should feel comfortable. Drawn in. If you’re lucky you will draw a deep breath and wonder how can such a beautiful room exist. That is the feeling you get when entering the dining room at The Awahnee.
It’s possible to have that same feeling in your home. The way buildings are commonly constructed is to minimize the cost per square foot. This can only yield a compromised product.
 I implore people to choose good design ahead of a low cost per square foot.
 It will make you happy.

Landry Unlimited is committed to incorporating the notion of Sustainability into the built environment. Every day we strive to make better choices about how we design and build with respect to our action on the health of the planet. We have adopted Reduce, Reuse and Recycle as our mantra We use and encourage our clients to use Environmentally friendly products We consciously work to conserve energy and other resources We advise and make sure our subcontractors use Green methods and best practices Our formal company policy on sustainability addresses these main points: 1. RRR2. Toxics Reduction3. Purchasing Green Products4. Resource…

The Landry Family Is Going Solar for All Our Residential Electricity
 Given the current climate situation, and the fact that world oil production has peaked, the cost of electricity will only be going up in the future. So I’ve decided to do what I’ve been encouraging my clients to do for years — I am putting in a system of photovoltaic (p.v.) panels as part of rebuilding our garage and workshop. During the daytime, the panels will generate more electricity than the house requires. PG&E will buy our excess electricity during the day, and sell us back electricity at night…

Why is a budget important?
 Many people have no idea how much to budget for a building project, or how much things cost to build. Establishing a budget is very important. The last thing you want is to have plans drawn, and then find out they are way too expensive to construct! Contact us now for help developing a realistic budget that will achieve your objectives. Need an estimate? An estimate is a ball park figure that we can develop to let you know roughly what it would cost to build something you have in mind, or you have plans…

The other day I visited the California Academy of Science in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. I had gone there many times as a child but not since it reopened in it’s new incarnation. The old Academy was a neoclassical edifice to natural science, as stodgy as the War Memorial Opera House or City Hall. It also gave me my first introduction as a child to the world of Science and Natural History. I remember marveling at the raw power of the live alligators, struggling to understand the idea of rotational inertia (see the Foucault Pendulum retained from the old…

Bob Landry received the twelfth Green Building Award ever issued by the City of Santa Cruz at a ceremony at City Hall today. It was awarded for the renovation to a Historic House at 603 Lighthouse Ave. that Landry & Foy Builders completed in 2008. The award recognizes builders who meet the high standards set by the City to encourage sustainable building design and practices. Some of the features on the Lighthouse Ave. project include: • A photovoltaic net metering solar electric system • Recycled materials and fly-ash concrete in the foundation • More than 50% of the demolition was…