A(r)chitecture (with a boston accent)

"OPPOsaurus WRX" (opposaurus) 04/22/2016 at 23:15 • Filed to: None

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My wife and I have been on the hunt for a new house. Right now we’re on a busy main street which I dont like, especially with the kids. My wife and I each have our own problems with finding a house. She wants a $1m house for $300k, 4 bedrooms, 2...no 3 baths, 2 car garage, basement, family room, office, master suite... you get the point. I want a quiet street and at least 1 garage. The other problem I have is I’m an architect (well almost but close enough) The average house just doesn’t excite me.

A lot of the stuff on our price range is either too small or in need of work. I see what it can be and ignore the work it will require. I usually scare my wife away from a house when I start talking about knocking down walls. A recent house we looked at was a raised ranch with an addition of a 2 car garage with a master suite and dining room above. Despite the large mold spots on the ceiling from a leaking bathroom I wanted this house. Because of the change in floor height from the kitchen to the addition, I almost had the opportunity to replicate one of my favorite moves in residential architecture.

the dining room stepped up over the garage about 2' form the kitchen. It would have been a perfect opportunity to replicate the picture above. This is the dining room as viewed from the Music Room in Adolf Loos’s Villa Moller. His design was more about the function and experience of the house. The house was designed around a dinner party. The party was laid out like a play. The guests are controlled by the design and following a very particular course.

the guest have entered the house and are socializing in the music room, eating some fancy snacks , drinking, and listening to the piano. A curtain would be drawing across the opening to the dining room. Once the servants had brought out the meal and set the table, the curtain would be dramatically draw back, like the opening to an opera, revealing a picture perfect feast. The stairs, hidden in the floor/wall, are hinged and fold out to give access to the guests. I absolutely love this. All the houses we look at are poorly laid out. I guess for now I’ll enjoy the capes and colonials we’ve been looking at.

Birddog > OPPOsaurus WRX 04/22/2016 at 23:29

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Stop looking at houses through the eyes of an Architect. You folks are all insane.

Architect’s homes are always awesome to look at but a total frigging nightmare to work on.

My citroen won't start > OPPOsaurus WRX 04/22/2016 at 23:33

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I’m not an architect but I love design. I understand you, I could never live in a boring looking house.

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > Birddog 04/22/2016 at 23:35

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I can’t even imagine the look on the contractors face when he was talking to Frank Loyd Right about his ideas lmao

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > OPPOsaurus WRX 04/22/2016 at 23:37

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Split level houses are the devil.

Also, I rode the tram past the Villa Moller for months without realizing what it was, and I’m an Architect too (well almost).

Montalvo > Birddog 04/22/2016 at 23:42

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100000000% this I try to be positive/considerate towards architects but sometimes they just make it so darn difficult and if it is difficult for me to put what is supposed to go behind those walls imagine what the service people have to go through. It is the ultimate battle between form and function.

smobgirl > OPPOsaurus WRX 04/22/2016 at 23:42

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I missed out on an un-updated Cliff May house (to a flipper, no less) and it still makes me angry 7 years later. There’s nothing that aggravates me more than terrible updates.

Not an architect, but I dabble in historic preservation and non-period-appropriate kitchens drive me up the wall.

ranwhenparked > OPPOsaurus WRX 04/22/2016 at 23:44

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You can sometimes find a $1 million house for $300k - you just need to look for a seller that’s dealing with some sort of serious personal tragedy - loan sharks, a divorce, sudden death, something like that.

OPPOsaurus WRX > Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero 04/22/2016 at 23:45

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O there were definately disagreements. He was nuts

C62030 > OPPOsaurus WRX 04/22/2016 at 23:54

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You need a Saab to complete the image.

HammerheadFistpunch > OPPOsaurus WRX 04/22/2016 at 23:55

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A buddy of mine is in the same boat...or was, hes been working as an architect for a little over a year and they just moved to portland maine, they bought a fixer upper in a big way.

facw > OPPOsaurus WRX 04/22/2016 at 23:56

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Obviously the solution is for you to try squatting in the Gropius house:

Lincoln PD might not eject you for fear of damaging the house...

The garage is detached though, and a good walk from the house, which is a bit of pain. Also it has been converted into a gift shop, which is not so convenient.

Birddog > Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero 04/23/2016 at 00:03

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Frank Lloyd Wright was the worst !

I bet I’ve worked on almost every one of his Oak Park, Maywood and Riverside homes. The Riverside homes had a monthly service schedule for HVAC and Plumbing.

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > Birddog 04/23/2016 at 02:04

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You’ve actually worked on them? Regardless of him being crazy that’s still a cool thing to put on a resume.

OPPOsaurus WRX > facw 04/23/2016 at 08:48

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I’ve been there. It’s cool. I’d probably go up to the Frank Lloyd Wright Zimmermann house in NH

OPPOsaurus WRX > HammerheadFistpunch 04/23/2016 at 08:49

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That’s what we did. Almost doubled the value.

OPPOsaurus WRX > Birddog 04/23/2016 at 08:49

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That’s harder says then done. Your 100% right. We’re nuts

OPPOsaurus WRX > smobgirl 04/23/2016 at 08:52

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O man the people across the street have a nice late 1800's house with an IKEA kitchen. We looked at a 1960's house with the original like green kitchen which was almost in perfect condition

OPPOsaurus WRX > C62030 04/23/2016 at 08:54

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Lol. Dymaxian car or bust. I could do a Saab tho

smobgirl > OPPOsaurus WRX 04/23/2016 at 09:10

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I have to laugh, because on my budget my 1906 house may end up with an IKEA kitchen too. But I at least want to stick to open shelves/farmhouse style and find an old gas stove to install. Right now it's total early 2000s investment property styling.