It may be a stretch to attribute an architectural movement to a single television show, but Mad Men and the re-emergence of Mid-Century Modern as the design-du-jour may be just such a case. Whether it’s our aspirational image of the stark lines and breathtaking views of Don Draper’s Manhattan penthouse or the funky furniture at [...]
This is one I can’t ignore. Here is the top 10 National Association of Realtors 2013 Source vs. Cost of Improvements. Note that it doesn’t reflect prices in the Bay Area, which one could easily assume will run a lot higher. I read a lot online. I maybe I saw this earlier in Bay Area [...]
Only in San Francisco would a burned out flophouse with furniture stapled to the façade be considered an official historic resource. And only in San Francisco would a landlord be contemptible enough to let the building rot away to such a degree that the city had to force a sale through eminent domain … for [...]
No garages/carports? Yes to a front porch? Two thirds of houses being built now are without garages/carports and with front porches (a decrease in back decks has occurred). The current group of buyers are interested in knowing their neighbors and not hiding the the backyard! (US Census Bureau 2011 on new single family homes). Along [...]
The other day I took a look at a place in the country built entirely without permits. It was a special place, apparently inspired by moldy rye bread washed down with a lot of cheap whiskey. It seems to have been built to the Da Vinci Code and something got lost in the translation. Today [...]
Danville is updating it’s general plan, which will include 9.6 acres of high-density, low-income housing to comply with state requirements. The townsfolk are not happy. From The Contra Costa Times: A crowd of about 200 packed into the Danville Community Center and more than 20 speakers told the town’s planning commission to essentially leave well [...]
Coming to San Francisco, apartments as small as 150 square feet? Could you live happily in one of these? From the LA Times: SAN FRANCISCO — The tiny apartments are touted as “affordable by design.” New York City has launched a pilot project to test them out. Boston is doing it too. But here in [...]
