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Has Achieved Nirvana
Picture of Steve Miller
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The place has all the charm of an airplane hangar, the advantage being there is a lot of it.


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Life is short. Play with your dog.

 
Posts: 34851 | Location: Hooterville, OH | Registered: 23 April 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Has Achieved Nirvana
Picture of wtg
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So I live in a Chicago suburb that was founded mid-19th century and that has expanded over the years from the original town center. We have a whole host of homes in various sizes and architectural styles, from hundred plus year old Victorians, to 30s vintage Chicago style bungalows, to 50/60s suburban subdivisions, to the all-too-prevalent McMansions.

We're both feeling like less is more for a lot of reasons, so a smaller home geared to aging in place is foremost in our thinking. We love our town and the amenities so we'd like to stay around here. We've been looking, but only casually, and haven't really seen anything that is tons better than what we have. I should also mention that we have a bad case of inertia. WhoMe

Anyway, I love Sarah (Not So Big House) Susanka's design style. She did some designs for a small project in a nearby suburb and I went to take a look. It was everything I expected it to be.

Here's a bungalow style kit house that she's done so you can see what floats my boat when it comes to the house I'd love to live in....now if it could magically appear in the right location at a price point we could afford that would be lovely....

https://susanka.com/the-not-so...1-of-4-introduction/

sorry, SK....no room for a grand piano.... Wink


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We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home. - Australian Aboriginal proverb

Bazootiehead-in-training



 
Posts: 37793 | Location: Somewhere in the middle | Registered: 19 January 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
"I've got morons on my team."

Mitt Romney
Minor Deity
Picture of Piano*Dad
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quote:
Originally posted by piqué:
quote:
Originally posted by Steve Miller:
Pique, I see both an oil tank and a propane tank in the pictures, and I’ll bet it’s also on well. Septic tank is a given.

Country living is great but I prefer city utilities.


I guess it depends on the city. Helena's city infrastructure is very old. Many of the houses we looked at in town had sewer lines that were failing--a $50k repair at the time. Our well water doesn't need to be filtered, tested completely safe, and is delicious. The city's water is awful.

In Missoula, when I sold my house the inspection revealed the sewer line was failing. And the city took over the water company and now charges an absolute fortune to provide water that tastes awful and has been chlorinated.

If you have your well system inspected annually and have your septic emptied every five years, there should be minimal issues.


Nelson county is an interesting place. The Wintergreen ski area is there, as are three breweries, a bunch of wineries, Bold Rock cider, several distilleries ... and other tourist infrastructure is developing. It's also ruby red rural.

I think you could probably find a retreat in Nelson that is much less of a fixer-upper.
 
Posts: 12512 | Location: Williamsburg, VA | Registered: 19 July 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Pinta & the Santa Maria
Has Achieved Nirvana
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P*D, for pique, what about near Charlottesville? It's less ruby-red, it has UVa and associated amenities, airports, etc.

I've always liked the area (my sis-in-law teaches at Sweet Briar College), but I'm not at all familiar with it as a place to live. I'm assuming like all college towns the area near the uni is gentrified or overrun with students, but on the outskirts...?
 
Posts: 35367 | Location: West: North and South! | Registered: 20 April 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
"I've got morons on my team."

Mitt Romney
Minor Deity
Picture of Piano*Dad
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Nelson county is really close by Charlottesville. Charlottesville is embedded in Albemarle County, which is one of the wealthiest counties in the US. I'm sure you can get more house/property per $$ in Nelson county, and drive to Charlottesville whenever you want to. It's only a half hour drive away from the northern part of Nelson County.

My wife and I like to go out to Nelson once in a while, stay at a B&B, hike in the mountains, and partake of all the various alcohol producers!

Oh, and Sweet Briar is in Amherst County, which is actually south of Nelson county. Nelson is sandwiched in between Amherst and Albemarle.
 
Posts: 12512 | Location: Williamsburg, VA | Registered: 19 July 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
"I've got morons on my team."

Mitt Romney
Minor Deity
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Well, this isn't exactly IN my neighborhood. I don't see any homes in my neighborhood for sale. But it's just across Hyde Park Road (the access road to the ski area) from my neighborhood and just on the other side of the ridge we always hike when we want to take a walk. You can actually see our "ridge" toward the end of this house's promo video. The ridge contains the Dale Ball trail system, which is a wonderful 28 mile network of hiking trails open to the public.

Just Looking

This place is in a gated neighborhood that is just outside of the Santa Fe city limit. Plusses and minuses. Lower taxes, but not on city water or sewer or road cleaning. It's also in the highest fire risk zone in the area.

This is the kind of place that's about 400-500 feet higher in elevation, with better views as a result. Way too large for us, and $$$ too. If you like clean modern interior lines with Santa Fe touches, you may like this. A little too contemporary for me. Our place is more ... Santa Fe-ish, I guess.
 
Posts: 12512 | Location: Williamsburg, VA | Registered: 19 July 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Minor Deity
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I missed the open house today on this one...dang!

This is a flip that was on a double lot around the corner from me. It is known in the neighborhood as the Gingerbread house. They bought the house and subdivided and built a new colonial next door.

But this house has kept it's charm..The contractor is very sensitive to its original features and we have enjoyed seeing it brought back to life. Yes

The shutters! They are something that kluurs would like! They are squirrel cutouts. Smiler They were all removed, repaired, repainted and replaced. (Though one went on backwards!! Makes my teeth itch!)

I have gone by and looked in the windows at times..that long livingroom is beautiful and they kept all the beautiful woodwork.

I expect this will be off the market on Monday.

Belvidere Gingerbread House


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"Wealth is like manure; spread it around and it makes everything grow; pile it up, and it stinks."
MillCityGrows.org

 
Posts: 11215 | Location: Massachusetts | Registered: 22 April 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
(self-titled) semi-posting lurker
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Picture of ShiroKuro
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WTG those designs are great. Except for the straight-up stairs, yikes! We'll all age out of those!

There are lovely photos here:
https://plans.susanka.com/plan...plans-2-garage-33473

I was surprised at all the Japanese influences (full disclosuer, I didn't read anything on any of those pages, maybe it's explained?)

After seeing my mom's place (when she downsized, she moved to an open concept where the kitchen, dining area and living room are all open) I also don't want a house where the kitchen is open-concept.


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My piano recordings at Box.Net: https://app.box.com/s/j4rgyhn72uvluemg1m6u

 
Posts: 18329 | Location: not in Japan any more | Registered: 20 April 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Has Achieved Nirvana
Picture of wtg
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I think Susanka is influenced a lot by American bungalow design. But I can also see some elements that are common with Japanese approaches.

The ladder is a bit extreme; there was one in the Libertyville house I looked at around here a few years ago. For the bungalow kit, she does mention an alternative that allows an actual staircase to be built instead of using the ladder.

The pics you linked to are for a house she designed and had built for herself, and that was featured in her original book. It's a bit larger (extra bedroom and bath, I think). She incorporated a lot of those elements in the bungalow kit I posted.

She's really a nice person. I went to a talk she gave at a library near me and had a chance to chat with her afterwards. I have all of her books, but only took one with me to get it autographed..... Big Grin

I've lived with an open concept kitchen and with a kitchen that's separate. I don't have a strong preference either way. A kitchen with a large eat-in area is a decent compromise....and that's what we have here....


--------------------------------
We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home. - Australian Aboriginal proverb

Bazootiehead-in-training



 
Posts: 37793 | Location: Somewhere in the middle | Registered: 19 January 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
knitterati
Beatification Candidate
Picture of AdagioM
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by BeeLady:
I missed the open house today on this one...dang!

This is a flip that was on a double lot around the corner from me. It is known in the neighborhood as the Gingerbread house. They bought the house and subdivided and built a new colonial next door.

But this house has kept it's charm..The contractor is very sensitive to its original features and we have enjoyed seeing it brought back to life. Yes

The shutters! They are something that kluurs would like! They are squirrel cutouts. Smiler They were all removed, repaired, repainted and replaced. (Though one went on backwards!! Makes my teeth itch!)

I have gone by and looked in the windows at times..that long livingroom is beautiful and they kept all the beautiful woodwork.

I expect this will be off the market on Monday.

Belvidere Gingerbread House


This is right up my alley, dark wood floors, dark windows. Lots of light. So pretty.


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http://pdxknitterati.com

 
Posts: 9789 | Location: Oregon | Registered: 06 June 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Minor Deity
Picture of BeeLady
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WTG, I live in a 1925 bungalow with nearly the same layout as this.

In the 1960's or so, the family blew out the wall between the front bedroom and the living room for a lovely open "L" shaped living dining area.

A small addtion to the back increased the size of the kitchen to a bit bigger than a boat galley and converted an old screen porch to a sunroom that added two more bedrooms and a bath upstairs though you can't see them from the street.

I love, love, love it. Bungalows are so practical and comfortable. No need of a new expensive architect, there are plenty of house plans online! Yes


--------------------------------
"Wealth is like manure; spread it around and it makes everything grow; pile it up, and it stinks."
MillCityGrows.org

 
Posts: 11215 | Location: Massachusetts | Registered: 22 April 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
czarina
Has Achieved Nirvana
Picture of piqué
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by wtg:
So I live in a Chicago suburb that was founded mid-19th century and that has expanded over the years from the original town center. We have a whole host of homes in various sizes and architectural styles, from hundred plus year old Victorians, to 30s vintage Chicago style bungalows, to 50/60s suburban subdivisions, to the all-too-prevalent McMansions.

We're both feeling like less is more for a lot of reasons, so a smaller home geared to aging in place is foremost in our thinking. We love our town and the amenities so we'd like to stay around here. We've been looking, but only casually, and haven't really seen anything that is tons better than what we have. I should also mention that we have a bad case of inertia. WhoMe

Anyway, I love Sarah (Not So Big House) Susanka's design style. She did some designs for a small project in a nearby suburb and I went to take a look. It was everything I expected it to be.

Here's a bungalow style kit house that she's done so you can see what floats my boat when it comes to the house I'd love to live in....now if it could magically appear in the right location at a price point we could afford that would be lovely....

https://susanka.com/the-not-so...1-of-4-introduction/

sorry, SK....no room for a grand piano.... Wink


There's a lot to like in that design, and some ideas I may use! If I were to build that house I would find a way to put in a grand piano.


--------------------------------
fear is the thief of dreams

 
Posts: 21305 | Registered: 18 May 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Has Achieved Nirvana
Picture of wtg
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pique, here's a link to Susanka's design principles. Lots of photos that give you a feel for her approach.

https://susanka.com/not-so-big...t-so-big-principles/

They can be applied to an existing home as well as a new build.


--------------------------------
We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home. - Australian Aboriginal proverb

Bazootiehead-in-training



 
Posts: 37793 | Location: Somewhere in the middle | Registered: 19 January 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Has Achieved Nirvana
Picture of wtg
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quote:
Originally posted by BeeLady:
No need of a new expensive architect, there are plenty of house plans online! Yes


In my experience good architecture is more than just the floor plan; those are easy to find.

We went the online plans route with our vacation house in Wisconsin. The finished product was OK structurally, but I think the aesthetics and functionality would have benefitted from an architect. We were lucky our builder was experienced and suggested some changes. Otherwise we would have been left with some pretty major design flaws, things the original architect who did the sell-it-online plan didn’t take into consideration. There are also local building codes that need to be addressed.l

It's about all the details. IMHO, a good architect is invaluable to the design and building process and well worth the expense.

And this comes from a big time cheapskate. Wink


--------------------------------
We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home. - Australian Aboriginal proverb

Bazootiehead-in-training



 
Posts: 37793 | Location: Somewhere in the middle | Registered: 19 January 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
czarina
Has Achieved Nirvana
Picture of piqué
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My realtor just sent me this listing. Hiking out the door. Farm and boarding barn just up the road. Most desirable part of town...

What should I take note of?

What do you think of this 4 bds • 2 ba • 2,340 sqft home I found on Zillow? https://www.zillow.com/homedet...?utm_medium=referral


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fear is the thief of dreams

 
Posts: 21305 | Registered: 18 May 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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