House for Sale

 

Meanwhile, over in the real estate section…

I spied the following houses on Twitter this week.* They all happen to be in Ellicott City. What follows is not a scholarly treatise on the state of real estate nor suburban architecture. It’s…well…commentary.

House number one:

House number one made the list because it is on Broken Lute Way, which is one of the notable Columbia Street names that people love to laugh about. (I have known actual lutenists who didn’t think it was so funny.) However, this home is said to be in Ellicott City. 

Not with that street name, it ain’t.

Of course what that means is that it’s in Dorsey which manages somehow to be in both Columbia and Ellicott City at the same time. This continues to bug me for no good reason, in addition to the fact that it’s  really none of my business. Still, if I broke down and bought a house on Broken Lute Way I would want everyone to know it was in Columbia. 

Your mileage may vary, as they say.

House Number Two looks to be the same house as House Number One, but squeezed (hard!) so that the garage popped way out in front of the house.

I’ve written before about the trend to put garages out in front. Apparently it has to do with fitting the most house plus garage on a small lot. While I now understand the reasoning, I still think it looks odd. If I had the money to buy this house I would turn the garage into a glamourous entrance (entrance hall/great room?)  to the house and just park in the driveway.

House Number Three has an interesting and engaging look about it. It’s a refreshing change from typical suburban architecture.

Until you look at the back.

For me, this was a letdown. It looks like every other suburban house and lot in the area. This house turns the mullet style around: it’s party in the front, business in the back. It may very well be a fabulous house inside but the back was disappointing.

And finally - - the piece de resistance: House Number Four:

2.9 million, in case you’re wondering. When I first looked at this home I made the assumption that its owner had it made to their personal specifications. I had some thoughts about that. Sure, you may want an enormous home in this particular style, but will anyone else feel that way after you? Is this house so specific to the original owners that no one else ever want to buy it?

Does that matter? If you have the money to build whatever you want, do you have the responsibility to think of how that house will continue on in the community long after you are gone?

Well, it turns out that my assumption may be incorrect. This house was built in 2008 as a part of a subdivision called Riverwood Estates. From what I can tell, Riverwood Estates describes itself as a varied assortment of estate-style homes, so that means they don’t all look like this one. But I’m not sure if they were all built by the same builder or if any were built at the direction of the potential home owner.

It may sound rather unyielding of me, but… I think that, if you are responsible for creating a house like this, then you and your descendants should commit to living here in perpetuity. It’s an homage to European wealth. Have plans to pass down your home through generations to come? This is the one!

I imagine you also have a coat of arms, and possibly even keep a few heraldic trumpeters on staff. It’s that kind of house.

What kind of house catches your eye?

Village Green/Town² Comments

*None of these photos belong to me. They are captured directly from real estate listings. - - jam