The Beautiful Backyard
Good morning, bloggers!
Thank you for all of your questions – keep ‘em coming!. The most important question so far? “How/when can we enter to win?” Enter for your chance to win this home beginning January 1, 2009, at HGTV.com. You can enter once per day. Need a reminder? Grab the special HGTV Dream Home widget and add it to your personal computer space. I wish you all luck.
Now, to answer more specific questions. Tracy from AZ, there is a great park about a half a block from the HGTV Dream Home 2009, and you can walk to downtown Sonoma Square quite easily. My family travels to Sonoma for the great Fourth of July celebration as well. As for work opportunities, there are plenty of really fun jobs. You could work in a tasting room or at the farmers’ market, for example.
Since we are already talking about the family-friendly features of Sonoma, let’s focus on the backyard. The outdoor entertainment area is a dream in and of itself. The huge custom-made picnic table is big enough to seat a crowd, and a fantastic built-in barbeque will surely tempt guests’ taste buds. Most Sonoma residents treat outdoor spaces as extensions of their homes, as is true of this year’s HGTV Dream Home. If you win, don’t forget to invite me over. I’ll bring dessert because you will have enough Ledson wine to last you a while (and it is YUMMY!).
Your Super Fan,
Gail
P.S. Constance, I am looking into your question about how to make HGTV Dream Home 2009 special-needs friendly. Maybe the HGTV Dream Home design team will incorporate such features into next year’s home. We will see!
Thank you so much for sharing all the info on the home in Sonoma. I am so excited about this one. I love the area, the style of the house and all the features so far and you make it fun keep it coming. Blogger Debbie had a question about the e-mail I am interested in that as well. I hope I havn’t been disqualified in the past. I don’t want to do anything to disquailify myself or my husband. Thanks Gabrielle
Every year at about this same time I can hardly wait to see the first glimpses of the virtual online tour of the HGTV Dream Home. I am sure I am not alone in the excited anticipation. Hopefully it will not be too much longer?
Thank you for all we have seen so far… it has been fantastic!!
Dear Gail,
When will HGTV do a home that is more handicap accessible? I realize one stories are more expensive but what they build as dream homes would be a nightmare for people with physical challenges young and old (I’m 44). I just think that it is something they should think of as I cant enter the contests as wouldnt be able to reside in them, Just FYI for the future. Thanks for reading…
it would be so nice to win a new house!! my mother and I are both disabled and stuck in Michigan.
winning a new house in California or anywhere would be wonderful, cause it would be out of Michigan and it would let us finally have a house of our own!!
I was hit by a car on Mother’s Day when I was in the fifth grade and life has been rough since then.
my mom has bad knees and a bad back, so the cold weather is very hard on her.
I have entered for the dream houses in the past and will continue entering. I hope to win the dream house you’re giving away this year!!
have a great day and Happy Holidays!!
i love the hgtv team, i would love to win a new home for me and my 2year old son.
Love this house, the area, design, does anyone know what the taxes will be? Can’t wait till Jan.1
Do you know when they are going to show pictures of the rooms inside the house?
I have some friends visiting Sonoma in Jan, how can they tour the dream home?
when does the tour start?
Hi Again, I am Disabled and have been for the past 6yrs. My Hubby knows how to make it all special needs friendly. He has had to do it for me. My son is working on a concrete Ramp that will go clear out to the Drive way from the porch.
I can't find anything that I don't love about the Back Yard it is Just Breathtaking like the rest of this Dream Home. I am all Ga Ga over this.Wow I'm Hoping I will win this one.Major Dreaming here for all of our Family.lol
Char R from Lake County,Ca.
I can’t wait, this is so exciting the dream house right in my backyard! Well almost my son and I live in Sacramento and I totally love Sonoma. Can’t wait for the big reveal.
Is there a garage for this year’s Dream Home?
How are the schools in the area? are there parks for the kids in the area? Love the home.
Hi,
I have been entering and drooling for years. I have oftened wondered whether it is better to submit an entry via regular mail or email. How is an entry selected (as a finalist) from an email entry? Thanks, Julia
Seasons greetings!I just want to say ,I have been dreaming of winning a dream home for years now and this one is by far the ideal one for me and my little family. It is Gorgeous!!! Maybe my dream will come through this time.
Grace from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
I want to second SMT’s suggestion that future Dream Homes be accessible for disabled people to the extent possible. “Universal design” is the catchphrase for features that make life easier for someone with a temporary or permanent disability (meaning most of us at some time or other) while still being convenient for use by people without disabilities. Many of these features are desirable for other reasons, too. Wider halls and doors make furniture moving much easier, for example. And a ramp is often more convenient than stairs and looks just as good when planned from the start.
What is the address to send the letters to HGTV Dream Home sweepstakes?
i been wathing hgtv .i always ask how to get contact to does fantastic people today i say let me try i take me more than 20 mimute but i think my email go to the rigth people thank you for my conserng .
I love the house, it is truly my dream home. I’ve been entering now for several years, and hopefully this is the lucky year. I was wondering about the entering method as well, I’m always afraid that maybe I’ve been disqualified previous years for entering my husband and i from the same computer, or because of accidentally entering more than once a day, because when you enter, the site doesn’t let you know if you already entered that day, every time you go to enter it says thanks for entering, so sometimes I forget that I already entered that day and enter again, but I don’t know if I’ve been disqualified for that… can you post a response please.. thanks.
I’m disappointed with the lack of videos and virtual tours with this Dream Home. I would like to see more of the home and landscaping than is currently provided. Adding the virtual tour capability to the website would be a great addition. PLEASE CONSIDER IT!!! Thank you and looking forward to entering.
Mike
When can we move in ?
We looked. how do we enter the 2009 contest?
Hi Gail
The house looks amazing as always. Would you know if Sonoma has schools for disabled children?
My little guy is severely autistic and currently attends a school for disabled children. I’ve entered a few of your sweepstakes but have had to pass on 2 or three because I just couldn’t find anything on my own for disabled children. I can’t wait for the big reveal, I wish everyone the best of luck.
Hi I would certainly like to see some solar electric and energy saving products included
Love the pics and updates on the house. Are we allowed to drive by and see the house. My family and I will be in San Francisco,Vallejo,and Santa Rosa to see family for Christmas. If so,can you tell us what street the HGTV house is on so we can at least drive by and see the house and all the other houses in the housing area. I love the old style houses,they remind me of the house my grandparents lived in and pics of my great-grandparents house. Steve Ledson has done a great job in restoring the history and grandure of old time passed with his houses. Taking a step back in time. Keep up the good work.
Hello,
I noticed that wood is being used for most of your building materials. Is there a additive or is the wood already pretreated for termites? Are the materials being used mantenance free?
Sandy
When will HGTV air the tour of the Dream Home 2009?
Hello, I was wondering if it is financially feasible with homeowners insurance, property taxes, etc. to keep the home for someone who lives on disability? I love the house in Sonoma, it would be a blessing to have a home so near where I grew up. I know that the other homes have been sold and those who won built their dream homes, but this one with the beautiful location is one I would love to hang on to.
Also, just a suggestion, next year maybe the crew could build a home without stairs! That would be great!
Hi Gail,
Thank you for taking the time out to answer my question, on the floor plans (Vivicous Victorian) the first floor does not show a bathroom or half bath, is their one? And I can’t wait to see the house on HGTV. I enter religously every year and each time I become more & more hopeful, that I might be the next winner. What a DREAM. Thank you again
Gail,
I thought I saw blue water when we had the quick tour, if no pool, why not! Endless Pools are great, small pools that would be perfect. Note to Maria Walker, hopefully even renters can win this contest. Heck, if the Red Sox can finally break the curse and win the World Series, so can a poor renter win HGTV. Just BELIEVE.
Property taxes in the state of California are no more than 1% of the full cash value of the home. I think this may be equal to the home value and the land value, but don’t hold me to that. If the total is 2 million the taxes would be $20,000 a year. Don’t forget the cost of insurance and heating and cooling. California is an expensive place to live…but worth every penny!
This home is in a great school district as well. Good luck to everyone, although I hope it is my family that wins this beautiful home since we have been trying to move to Sonoma to be closer to our family for two years.
Hi Gail:
My question for today is about the home owner association in Armstrong Estate. If there is an association, what are the fees or dues,and are they paid quarterly.
Here’s a question I’d love to ask hgtv…..wouldn’t it be great to include a cash prize large enough to cover the sweepstakes tax bill? I’d love to actually live in the dream home, but I would have to sell it to pay the tax bill. Any solutions?
I live in Tuxedo,N.Y.,and was wondering if you would come out this way? Virginia
Hi Gail: For some reason, my comments never show up. (Hopefully that’s not what’s been happening with my online entries, each year). I can’t wait for the “big reveal” — I loved the “sneak peak” of the bedroom in your last video and anxiously wait for another one. PLEASE show more videos — don’t make us wait until January! Still waiting to find out if there is a water feature outside.
I love the look of this house. The floor plan is great. My problem is with the colors. I felt like I was walking through Pee Wee's play house – Peach, pea soup green, blue, cement, yellow, mustard yellow, red. Why was the tv placed behind the couch?
Also, the neighborhood looked like it would bring down the value of this house. This house, no doubt, raises the value of the other homes. I was disappointed in the surrounding area.
I'm not a fan of this decorator at all.
I KNOW I CAN ENTER ONLINE 1X DAILY VIA ONLINE, CAN I SEND MORE THAN ONE POST CARD DAILY VIA US MAIL TO ENTER FOR THE DREAM HOME?