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Dream home architecture


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2006 Jun 12, 5:59am   18,442 views  203 comments

by Peter P   ➕follow (2)   💰tip   ignore  

Let's take a break and dream for a while.

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1   Joe Schmoe   2006 Jun 12, 6:25am  

The one thing I would really, truly like is a basement. Houses in CA almost never have them, though I saw one on TV which did.

A basement is an incredibly useful room. You can do the laundry down there, there is limitless storage space, you can can vegetables and preserves and keep them in the cellar, and when the kids get a little older you can turn it into a playroom for them. People put pool tables and bars in the basement as well.

If you are a hobbyist the basement is the ideal place for you. I've seen huge model railroads, HAM radio stations, quilting looms, etc. -- the list goes on and on.

In the unlikely event that I am ever in a position to have a house built here, I will certianly insist on a basement. People from areas without them just don't know what they are missing, basements are the greatest thing since sliced bread.

2   Peter P   2006 Jun 12, 6:27am  

The one thing I would really, truly like is a basement. Houses in CA almost never have them, though I saw one on TV which did.

Some houses in SJ have basements.

Did you mention model railroads? :)

3   Red Whine   2006 Jun 12, 7:01am  

Basement = Wine cellar.

4   surfer-x   2006 Jun 12, 7:15am  

schlep baskets full of dirty clothes down two flights of stairs

My great-grandfathers house had a chute in the bathroom that you put your clothes in and they ended up in the basement in a cage fastened to the ceiling.

5   requiem   2006 Jun 12, 7:19am  

Laundry machines should be in or near a side entry, so that you can quickly get out of muddy/dirty clothes without tracking dirt through the house. A bathroom nearby is also useful, especially one with a shower.

6   DinOR   2006 Jun 12, 7:19am  

Joe Schmoe,

My cousins in Berwyn basically lived in the basement. It seems every family picture I have of them is in their basement! It looked like a sports bar. My uncle coached at Morton West for about 3 decades. For all the fond memories I still have mixed feelings about basements. It's easy for things to become damp or ruined in that environment, they tend to collect junk and can be time consuming to clean if things get out of hand. Some of the basements in Chicago looked like something out a cheap horror flick.

7   tsusiat   2006 Jun 12, 7:26am  

Actually, maybe I can get a bigger lot: http://tinyurl.com/gs3rk

And spend $500,000 building my dream house.

Bweheehehhheeeehhehehehhahahahahahahahha!

8   DinOR   2006 Jun 12, 7:29am  

Just yesterday while hosting our daughter's grad. party it became kind of obvious that as much as I like our "rented" condo it will not be a permanent solution. Too hard to have lots of people over and for folks with little kids the second story railing can look a little scary. I like the layout fine but if friends or clients come over my says she feels like she's been told to "go to her room". I would never again subject myself to a huge mortgage (and tax bill to boot) but a single level 3/2 on a 5,000 sq. ft. lot would be just fine. Since it's your "downsize home" you've got the rest of your life to figure out how want it laid out. "Re-sale value" will not influence our decision making so we have the opportunity to make it as quirky or eccentric as we want. After my "rant-a-thon" it should be pretty obvious I would like to be secluded from the prying eyes of neighbors. Not that I'm "anti-social" it's just that I think I've earned the right to not have to battle with neighbors over things that SHOULD be common sense.

9   edvard   2006 Jun 12, 7:57am  

I want to get ahold of the company in NC that sells used DC10 Jetliners, gut out all the seats, cut several holes and install stairs to the belly, keep both wings and use one side for a garage, and the other for a glassed in triangular shaped deck with a hot tub and lap pool. I'd also have a workshop somewhere in there in the belly with a few large windows punched out of the side. On the top I would build a massive sun deck.
Of course this might not work out. So a backup would be a retired cruise ship that I simply move into and hook up to some power grid. I really like the plane idea though. they cost 250k.

10   DinOR   2006 Jun 12, 8:04am  

I don't know if this has been brought up before but we have a company out here that builds something called a "yurt". Has anyone heard of them? I've seen the "installation video" and it looks like 3 people can do it in 2 days. I think they borrowed the idea from th nomads of the Gobi Desert. Of course these are quite modern and can be fitted w/plumbing elec. etc. I think they're called Pacific Yurts. I saw one set up at the state fair and they were very comfortable. I guess at the end of the summer you could just take it down (or if a fire were coming your way). I've wondered why more people didn't consider them for a summer/2nd home? I think they are only about 10-15K and come as big as 1,000 sq. ft.

11   edvard   2006 Jun 12, 8:13am  

Dinor,
I saw one of those at Yosemite Natl Park last summer. Theirs was a more permanant kind of construction using some sort of heavily treated canvas. When I was a kid, the 1982 World's fair came to Knoxville. The amphitheater was made out of tubular steel and some sort of space age canvas material used by NASA. 24 years later, the ampitheater is still there and in great condition. I wondered what a tent made out of the stuff would cost since the canvas on the ampitheater has outlasted most roofs.

12   skibum   2006 Jun 12, 8:18am  

NEED:
-no carpeting, hardwood flooring preferred
-bike-able distance to work
-big enough yard for gardening
-no 1960's crappy ranch stucco boxes
-no McMansions

PREFER:
-view of no other houses, very few houses okay
-lots of Cal oaks on the property
-solar panels
-at least 1 acre property

Basements are nice, but I wouldn't list it as a top priority.

13   Joe Schmoe   2006 Jun 12, 8:22am  

I would enclose my entire backyard in glass, making it a giant greenhouse. That way I could air-condition it and ensure that the temperature remained constant at 72 degrees F.

This would also eliminate bugs, bird droppings, and pests of all kinds.

Those in colder climates could heat the greenhouse so they'd have an "endless summer."

I wonder why more people don't do this?

14   skibum   2006 Jun 12, 8:23am  

Joe Schmoe Says:

I would enclose my entire backyard in glass, making it a giant greenhouse...I wonder why more people don’t do this?

Because most people don't want to live in a fishtank.

15   edvard   2006 Jun 12, 8:25am  

That would be expensive. Ever priced structural, insulated glass? It's be over $500 a pane. An entire yard would probably be well over 150-200k just for the glass. Then again, it'd be kinda cool to be able to wonder around in the yard in shorts when the weather outside was snowy.

16   Joe Schmoe   2006 Jun 12, 8:28am  

I would also try to ensure that I never have to set foot in the outside world. The garage would be air-conditioned, so I could setp from the comfort of my McMansion into my Hummer without dealing with heat or humidity. Our office garage has a/c, so that's no problem, and there is a grocery store in Pasadena which also has it.

The trick woud be getting gasoline. Even with the Mobil SpeedPass, you still have to get out of the car. I guess I'd need to install a gas pump inside the garage as well.

17   skibum   2006 Jun 12, 8:33am  

Joe,
Sounds like your dream world is "Logan's Run", except without the killing off anyone over age 30, or whatever.

18   requiem   2006 Jun 12, 8:37am  

Joe,

Try moving to places like [Oregon?] where full-service gas stations are mandatory.

19   requiem   2006 Jun 12, 8:39am  

I could go for a nice tower. I think, a large basement, and a small Carmel-style cottage above ground, a separate tower, and some sort of hanging bridge structure from house to tower that has a midpoint stop at a treehouse in a tree of Appropriate Size.

Almost like some kind of warren, I guess. Different style structures connected by passageways.

20   skibum   2006 Jun 12, 8:43am  

Joe,
Have you seen the Simpsons episode where Homer gets a hold of a teleporter and decides the best use of it is to be able to sit in the living room on one end and take a crap at the same time by having his butt in the bathroom on the other end? I bet you'd be into that.

21   edvard   2006 Jun 12, 8:49am  

Joe,
ya! how about we motorize toilets too! I imagine a new company: "Crapper on wheels", where by GPS, you can call a remote controlled 4 Wheel Drive crapper to come to you, no matter where you are; in the woods, in the back yard, or at Wal-Mart. life would be so much better!

22   skibum   2006 Jun 12, 8:50am  

ww2, It would be easier and cheaper to just wear adult diapers.

23   edvard   2006 Jun 12, 8:52am  

Skibum,
probably true, but I don't know anyone that likes the sensation of crap that diapers would cause. What about a pill that has all your daily dietary needs and is so perfect that you don't produce any waste? you'd NEVER have to use the bathroom ever again.

24   skibum   2006 Jun 12, 8:55am  

I like how the thread of "dream houses" has morphed into discussing the finer points of crap in your diapers. Sort of emblamatic of the bubble, I'd say.

25   tsusiat   2006 Jun 12, 9:01am  

Wait 'till the crap really does hit the fan.

Maybe HARM or Randy H can do a graphic with Benanke wearing a couple pairs of Depends strapped to his ears held on with duct tape, and call the thread something like Benanke's pooper scooper, where we can all argue about all the dirt descending from the latest housing hiccups, burps and trends.

Yeah, adult diapers, cooolllllll.....;)

26   Joe Schmoe   2006 Jun 12, 9:08am  

On a serious note, I really like skylights. I have no idea how practical they are -- probably an insulation nighmare -- but I like them. It would be great to have one in the kitchen. A living room skylight is probably impratical, a bedroom skylight is an intriguing thought.

I would also like my own sauna. If it's expensive or too much of a pain to install it's not worth it, but if it's a cheap and easy addition, I want one. An indoor Jacuzzi tub is another good thing. No one ever seems to use the outdoor ones, but I bet the indoor versions get some use.

Gotta like those French doors that open out into the backyard. Bay windows are also a good thing, especially if you put one of those benches on them so that you can sit and read in the window.

From an impress-the-neighbors standpoint, I'm all for a circular driveway. Those things are so awesome! I'd put one in even if I had a generic POS ranch house. You can't really play basketball in them, though, so maybe the circular driveway is out.

A front porch would be cool too. I don't know that I'd actually use it, but they look cool.

27   Joe Schmoe   2006 Jun 12, 9:11am  

The one other thing I have always wanted is a library. If I am ever super rich I will get a house with a two-story library in it, and one of those ladders that is attached to a wheeled track.

Of course, all of the books in the library would be lowbrow paperback thrillers, instead of the Great Books of Western Civilization in their original Latin, but that's okay. It'd still be a library.

28   skibum   2006 Jun 12, 9:24am  

Joe,
Unless your indoor jacuzzi is in a vast indoor swimming pool complex or the like, the indoor jacuzzi's I've been in tend to be too loud when the bubbles are going to be really all that enjoyable. The sauna idea is not bad, though I'd prefer a steam room. I've had the same dream of a two-storied library with rolling ladder. Then I could sit there in my smoking jacket, slippers and pipe as Jeeves gets me my scotch.

29   HARM   2006 Jun 12, 9:44am  

O.T., but the Dow is down another 100 pts. today on the expectation of BB making a "tough" inflation-fighting speech tonight (indicating Fed funds rate to go up another .25 on June 29th). It (and S&P) are off by 12% since last November, and Nasdaq's off by 15%.

http://tinyurl.com/hjnap

Mmmm... I can taste the panic. Yummy.
God, I wish Heli-Ben would raise it a full .50, but I think this is as likely as me getting appointed NAR spokesman.

30   skibum   2006 Jun 12, 9:50am  

HARM,
I agree w/ you on the hope for a 50bp hike, not to "stick it" to the masses, but because I really think this economy has a lot of shaping up to do yet. It still amazes me that Lereah and the NAR have the chutzpah to "strongly ask" the Fed to hold of on rate hikes because it could effect certain "rate sensitive" markets. I wonder if a serious stock market correction would further dampen the housing market by drying up easy money even more.

31   ScottJ   2006 Jun 12, 9:55am  

Oh man... dream home? The first thing that comes to mind is true audio/visual room. Not a living room converted into a Best Buy style "home theater". I'm talking 4 foot thick post tensioned slab under a 30x40 room with slightly rounded walls to reduce/eliminate standing waves. The room would be at least 15 feet high and facing North. Why facing North? In the Bay Area, rooms facing North don't get very hot. The sun comes from the South East and ends in the South West most of the year. I wouldn't want to air condition the room, the fan and condenser would bring unwanted noise into the environment. There would be 5 floor to ceiling windows across the side facing North so that there is plenty of light in the room. Of course I would like at least 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and a nice yard. A small lawn to cool your feet on warm summer days and a deck for BBQs.

I do like Tadao Ando Architecture, but there's too much concrete in the structures to "feel" any warmth. I don't know much about architects, so, I'd have to do research for which current architect to go with to design my ideal living space.

DinOR, there was an article about "yurts" in the sfgate.com. Here's the link. They sound facinating, but I don't think I could live in one.

http://tinyurl.com/n9t4t

32   HARM   2006 Jun 12, 10:06am  

On topic:

I want a stately manor befitting someone of my unsurpassed brilliance and financial acumen. Nothing short of a custom-built 50,000 sft. mansion made from the skulls of disgraced NAAVLP peddlers, flippers, Realtwhores and federal regulators (lynched by the public). My driveway can be made of solid gold paving stones pried from Marina streets, while my 20-car garage will be filled with Italian sports cars, Hummers and Escalades repossessed from above gallery of RE rogues. My manse will be staffed 24/7 by recovering f@cked borrowers, who will be required to take my 26-week "Debt does not = Wealth" deprogramming course (at their own expense, naturally).

Architectural style? I haven't given it much thought, but given that the main building component will be human skulls, I'm guessing a thick-walled adobe finish will be in order. Mediterranean, Spanish or Sante Fe would probably be most appropriate.

33   HARM   2006 Jun 12, 10:37am  

Is it just me, or does this bring to mind some intriguing possibilities?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13284249/from/RS.3/

Hmmm... imagine you're a delinquent FB coming home from (another) double-shift at Wal-Mart. Your key won't open the lock! Oh, that's right... you missed your last reset payment. Too bad --no house for you tonight! How much is the blood bank paying per pint these days?

34   skibum   2006 Jun 12, 11:53am  

HARM,
Is this what you'd like in your dream home?

http://croad.net/images/Europe/wall%20of%20skulls.jpg

35   Peter P   2006 Jun 12, 12:05pm  

My problem is that my preference changes all the time. Remember that I used to like ultra-modern houses with lots of glass? Now I dream about an updated Victorian. Perhaps a Victorian with a glass wing? :)

36   surfer-x   2006 Jun 12, 1:15pm  

Do you think I’d qualify for a loan to buy the Pacific Ocean ?

You already did, HaHa co-signed for you, he makes $160K/YR total compensation. He is a very wealthy man, but he cannot afford a house.

37   surfer-x   2006 Jun 12, 1:22pm  

Fuck the house, I just want a tee shirt thats says "eat your fucking house fucker", or "how's your equity" or "ask me how to make 450 out of 750"

Oh how quickly it has turned. Who's taking bets on how long before maggotassfuckermotherwhosuckscockforcrack posts the bullshit SFMLS listing for _______ over asking.

My bet is withing the next 20 posts.

38   surfer-x   2006 Jun 12, 1:23pm  

I would just like to go on record saying to those fucks who thought they were super savvy because they signed loan papers FUCK YOU

39   surfer-x   2006 Jun 12, 1:53pm  

HaHa, don't worry i fo not either.

40   surfer-x   2006 Jun 12, 2:07pm  

SFWoman, generally i enjoy your posts, and often have thought how nice it would have been to meet you at the Top of the Mark for drinks, but madam you have descended so far into trolldom it is not even remotely humorous.

SF PRIME RE only goes up, our troll will post proof soon.

Why do you hate Amerika?

_______
Sarcasm off.

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