I just got a glimpse of white people nearly breaking their arm to pat themselves on the back because of a monstrosity of a "sustainable" house on the Westside.
Still, the stats are impressive:
Company: Framework Design did the deedI've walked past this thing and it's soooooo much more dopey looking than the photos indicate, especially given that it's located just a few feet away from some low income housing that's occupied by non-hipster white people who I'll kindly refer to as "sons of the soil."
Location: Westside neighborhood of Kansas City, Missouri
Size: approx. 6,500 square feet of commercial, residential and workshop space (two offices, two residences, and a woodworking/furniture shop)
Years lived in: officially 5 months - started in 2007, built from 2008-9.
So . . . The real deal on this kind of hipster housing is that it looks great when captured by the selective eye of a real estate photog but it doesn't fit in with the character of the neighborhood, it unfairly raises the property taxes of lower-income neighbors, residents of these lame housing schemes put themselves at risk by making themselves targets in the urban core . . . And most importantly: People who build these houses aren't really investing in the neighborhood, they're merely looking to flip a property and hope that suckers who buy into environmentalist garbage will pay top dollar. Even a cursory glance at The Westside will reveal that this neighborhood currently hosts no less than a half a dozen urban-environmentally-friendly-mini-mansions that are for sale for mid-five-figures and have been sitting empty for months and years in some cases.
I'm sure that saving the planet with silly "sustainable" designs is a wonderful thing but it's also a selling point for people desperate to make a profit by attempting to push po'folk and minorities out of their homes using trendy middle-class buzzwords.
Hey T, give the single Mom/business lady a break. Whereas you are absolutely correct that this house is out of sync with the neighborhood she built it in, it is a cool building to look at. How she got the financing for this monstrosity, I will never understand. But she perservered and apparently completed the home. When the time comes to sell the house, she will never get her investment back. So I hope she, her child and her boyfriend live their happily and for a long time (so, presumably, she can pay down/off her mortgage).
ReplyDeleteThis house is an architectural jewel Tony. The westside is lucky to have it. This is top notch Architecture.
ReplyDeleteWhile I'm not necessarily a fan of the architecture, I am a fan of anyone who is willing to invest more than they can ever hope to recapture in a future sale. This homeowner has demonstrated true commitment to the neighborhood because she'll be living there for a very long time. Some will say that she's foolish for making such an investment; I think she isn't viewing it as an investment, but rather as the place she will live and work for the rest of her life. That's commitment. As for impacting the property values of nearby houses, perhaps that wouldn't be as much of a problem if those homeowners would actually maintain their houses instead of allowing them to continue to deteriorate. If they put the money that they do spend into home improvements, instead of fancy vehicles, they might have an asset that gained in value and usefulness, instead of a vehicle that they might soon be living in.
ReplyDeletehey, not only all this, above, it was built by students, for pity's sake, specifically as a learning tool. It is extremely cool on the inside and out, frankly, and has terrific, very forward technology throughout. I don't know if it was put in an empty lot or if it replaced some dump but it was and s a big improvement for the neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteMo Rage
White folks create nice things, black folks destroy them.
ReplyDeleteKansas City summed up in one sentence.
Tony=hater!
ReplyDeletemo windows....mo way fo dis nigga to breaks in a steals yo stuff!
ReplyDeleteThat indoor staircase looks like a code violation. It's supposed to have handrails on both sides. How did they get the building official to not notice?
ReplyDeleteSo what do you think of this one?
ReplyDeletehttp://bit.ly/8eAana
3:49, that was exactly my question - we gutted a 2 story condo and codes dept was all over us requiring 36" and 42" high railings. We considered removing them after the inspections and CoO were granted, but didn't. Maybe these folks did.
ReplyDeleteEven though it sticks out like Rosie Odonnell at a dick convention, I kind of like the place.
ReplyDeleteJust pay your inspector....$150 to $500 gets a lot of things "overlooked" in KC. LEARN HOW TO PLAY THE GAME!!!!
ReplyDelete