Small house design is a talent
Sometimes you don't realize that certain things require talent until you've seen the task carried out so badly, you wanna cry. I pitty the real estate agent trying to push 1708 4th St NW, because it is 1,326 sq ft squandered. It's supposed to be a three bedroom, more accurately, it is one bedroom and two small offices. Okay one of those offices could have a twin bed or child's bed, but it would be tight and the closet door would need to be removed. I'm trying to think if my cubicle at work has more square footage than the other bedroom.I could design something better than that with a pencil some paper and a copy of Not So Big House. Heck, with my own house, I think I did. Though the living area is about 1000 sq ft., I don't think it feels cramped. Yes, my bedroom is the size of a nice walk in closet, but it is big enough for a bed, a small wardrobe, small dresser and a big pile of dirty clothes that I really need to wash.
There were several mistakes, in my opinion, with 1708 4th St. Let's start with the 1st floor. The stairs are not up to code, maybe because to get anything big (couch, fridge, etc) through the front door and into the house, you're taking out part of the stair railing. The fireplace is in a wierd spot. Does a gas fireplace add so much to a property that even a tiny wierdly placed one works? The kitchen is okay. I recognize it as an IKEA Akurum/Rationell style kitchen. IKEA understands small spaces. The second floor is where the tiny bedroom/offices are. The hallway is nice and big, but there is something wrong when the bathroom on that floor seems bigger than one of the bedrooms. I kid. However, I would have made the bathroom a 3/4 bath to get a few more feet for the bedroom. If a tub is needed, use the one on the 3rd floor. The thrid floor bathroom is big and the window faces the street. Plantation shutters will be required. Outside the back and front yards are paved with concrete. These can be improved with some container plants.
Labels: houses
posted by Mari @ 30.3.09
6 Comments:
i was curious and stopped in the open house on sunday. that second floor is a mess, if you ask me. it's 2/3 hallway.
i'd tear up the concrete in the front and back and give the space a little more available green area. probably a good idea since the city is going to start billing you for the percentage of your property that is impervious.
Our upstairs 2nd floor is hasty like that. 4 odd-shaped, impractical rooms and a bathroom where there could have been 2 bedrooms and a spacious bathroom. In the race to gut and sell, often times the houses end up looking very retarded, and ultimately unsellable.
I am glad the mad buy/sell hysteria is over. Now maybe we'll start getting neighbors who actually want to live there.
I'm in an ok mood so I'm not deleting your anon comment. However next anoon gets nixed.
i would say that the use of terms like "retarded" in such a way need to be avoided as well.
see here.
This post got my interest piqued! I need to check it out.
This house is so sad! We were excited to see it, as we're looking to buy in the area...but it's just terrible. There is absolutely no living area on the first floor--the stairs take up half the space!
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