of those that are currently on the market, this one on old dominion (8100 sq feet, finished – thumbnail at left) takes the cake. this one (6000 sq feet), built next door, is a close second. (the links are to the homes’ respective PDF brochures.) they’re being shown unfinished (mostly exterior work remains to be done, although there are still interior wiring and lighting issues) – possibly in the hopes of a sale before they’re foreclosed? (they’re also described as craftsman style, which is complete bs.) for nearly $2M, you too can own a monstrosity overlooking the scenic intersection of old dominion and lorcom lane.

(update: it seems these things (i hesitate to call them “homes”) are the misbegotten product of a company called roman design/build. another house they have on the market right now shows many of the same architectural offenses features as the two on old dominion.)

what is is about the neighborhood that leads builders to the worst kinds of offenses against architecture?

 
(for good measure i’m throwing in this photo of an actual craftstman-style home. good looking, isn’t it?)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

on the other hand, i have to say i love this house, profiled in the city paper, on barton street (more interior photos here; listing agent here). although i do think it’s overpriced for the lot size, location (next door to a commercial property and right behind a bus shelter) and the neighborhood – not to mention the current market.

just to show you that bigger isn’t necessarily more liveable (and my house could be exhibit #1 in how stuff expands to fill the space you live in), there’s an article in the NYT about a very cool 344 sq foot apartment in hong kong, and a quick blurb from another dc-area blog about downsizing to 450 sq feet. that addition i’ve been thinking about is looking less appealing by the minute.

there are light(house)s at both ends of block island, actually.

i like lighthouses. the romantic idea of lighthouses, really. their purpose (keeping ships off the rocks), their keepers (solitary sorts, i imagine), and the big, BIG lightbulbs.

i also like the architecture. i think it would be fun to live in a lighthouse, at least for awhile. surf, fog, seagulls, the works. sipping coffee while watching the ocean.

apparently they’ve been an architectural blight in los angeles for years. wikipedia describes the persian palace as typically a “2-story white or pink stucco-covered box incorporating architectural and decorative features from many traditions–most notably Spanish tile roofs, wrought-iron decoration, Romanesque columns and atria, bronze Middle Eastern statuary (typically of lions)–into a whole that is derided by many architects as less than the sum of its parts.”

sound familiar?

i’ll give you a hint: apparently the latest rage in persian palaces (at least here in the east) is copper roof accents. hmmm. wikipedia goes on to say that “[m]any Persian palaces are designed by their occupants or by unlicensed architects.” and here i was going to call for the revocation of the license of the architect that designed the blight next door. as angelinos used to say in disgust, “sha.”

regardless, i bring to you, constant reader, the latest installment in the saga of the Hideous Construction Next Door. just as soon as i get out of bed and move over to my desktop, where i’ve stored the photos.

this is one that i like. it works with its surroundings, it isn’t ridiculous, and it has neat lines.

i was originally going to put this in the “total crime” category. but on second look, i get the feeling the designers (i still hesitate to call them architects) were going for something a little more interesting and/or aesthetically pleasing than the typical infill.

there are too many different roof lines for my liking, and garage doors are never attractive. but you get the feeling that what’s inside this house is more important than what’s on the outside — and it looks like they tried to add interest with the windows.

this house is symptomatic of a specific subdivision (if you can call it that — it’s four or five houses on a cul de sac) not far from where i live.

i’m not sure what the intent was — the little bungalow-style porch attach to a… well, i can’t really describe it. couple that with the fact that it’s crammed next to its neighbors, and seems to twist in on itself… it almost looks like it’s about to start crashing in, poltergeist-style.

this afternoon my husband and i drove around so that i could take photos of houses that i like and houses that i believe are affronts to architecture. this one was built within the last 3 years.
amazing. absolutely amazing. it’s as though queen victoria vomited all over the street corner.