Please vote in this poll using the sidebar.
What's your favorite type of Seattle housing stock?
- Craftsman (59%, 57 Votes)
- Split-Level (1%, 1 Votes)
- Rambler (15%, 15 Votes)
- Post-War Cinder Block (4%, 4 Votes)
- High-Rise Condo (5%, 5 Votes)
- Townhome (0%, 0 Votes)
- Other (16%, 15 Votes)
Total Voters: 97
This poll will be active and displayed on the sidebar through 10.03.2009.
softwarengineer » Sep 27, 2009 at 11:25 am
Ramblers Use More Lumber than Two Story
But a 1500SF rambler has the approximate equivalent living space as a 1800SF split level, with less air space to heat in the winter.
Kary L. Krismer » Sep 27, 2009 at 1:26 pm
I like houses built between 1965 and 1999 that are either large ramblers or two story, with no plastic pipe or vinyl siding, on a lot that is a minimum of 8000 feet.
Ben » Sep 27, 2009 at 5:22 pm
I like houses with no asbestos, a large lot and no carpet.
Scotsman » Sep 27, 2009 at 5:27 pm
A friend who does some remodeling in Seattle says that homes built during the great depression have the highest level of craftsmanship, as only the best carpenters were hired. It sounds plausible. Anyone else have similar experience?
Jasper Paulsen » Sep 27, 2009 at 7:25 pm
I like the early twentieth century houses and apartments that were not Craftsman houses, but only if they have been upgraded to withstand a 7.4 quake on the Seattle fault. Many of them are called Tudors, some are called “Mission” style.
These homes tend to be in established neighborhoods, with wide sidewalks, long-term neighbors, and convenient buses, schools, and corner stores. The lots tend to be between 40′ x 100′ and 50′ x 150′: This is a convenient size for gardening.
These homes tend to have nice layouts — a modest living room, a modest dining room, and a kitchen on the main level; bedrooms upstairs; and a basement. Some of them have gorgeous bay windows, with angled sides.
They also have nice detailing — 3/4″ x 7 1/2″ baseboard (plus shoe molding), an arch between the kitchen and dining room, an arch between the living and dining rooms, an arch-themed entry, 3/4″ x 3 1/2″ trim around the windows and doors, small hex-grid tiled bathroom floors.
Jasper Paulsen » Sep 27, 2009 at 7:50 pm
My favorite detail in these “Tudor” and “Mission” homes is in the ceilings of the living and dining rooms. First, the ceilings are slightly high — about 8′ 4″. Second, they have overhead light fixtures, but not can lighting. This means they do not have dark areas on the ceilings and walls. Third, many of them have a marvelous cove molding, which was made as part of plastering the walls. The top two inches of the molding is a vertical plane, about 5″ in from the main wall. The rest of the molding is a quarter-ellipse, which transitions over 6 – 10 inches from nearly horizontal at the top to vertical at the bottom, and completely blends into the wall at the bottom. The top two inches of the molding reflects the overhead light fixture, yielding a horizontal band of light around the top of the room. The quarter-ellipse is subtle enough that the wall below the band of light does not appear dark.
This feature is only available in new construction by special request. The 8′ 4″ ceiling height is uncommon nowadays, but it is easy to build — it uses 96″ studs with an extra base plate. The extra ceiling height allows room for the “tray” effect of the molding. The elliptical molding is even more unusual nowadays.
vermillionsky » Sep 27, 2009 at 8:12 pm
I’ve always wanted a craftsman bungalow just like the one on that wikipedia page. soo cool. I doubt I’ll ever have one now, but a girl can dream ;) One of my friends in Ohio has a craftsman home that has all the original woodwork (including built-ins with leaded glass in the dining room, and inlaid wood floors throughout) and original pressed Chinese leather on the walls of the entryway. She paid ~$65k for it at a sheriff’s auction about ten years ago….
TJ_98370 » Sep 27, 2009 at 8:15 pm
Wasn’t cinder block construction rather disparagingly referred to as as “brick-ick” at one time?
Ira Sacharoff » Sep 27, 2009 at 8:33 pm
I grew up in a cinder block home, built in the 1930’s, so I have my fondness for them. The town I grew up in, in New Jersey, was all cinder block homes with flat roofs, not such a good idea for the climate, and cinderblock retains moisture. So f you’re dream home is a moist, flat roofed cinder block home, Roosevelt NJ is your place.
shawn » Sep 27, 2009 at 9:47 pm
RE: Scotsman @ 4 – My mom’s house was built in ‘35 and it has beautiful ceilings. Plastering where the walls meet the ceilings in a nice arch (rather than 90 degree angels), which seems easy till you look at the corners. You don’t see that today.
Kary L. Krismer » Sep 27, 2009 at 10:12 pm
RE: Scotsman @ 4 – I think it’s more that they spent more time on things back in the old days. Just compare installing side shingles to T1-11 siding.
Also they went a bit overboard on materials. I’ve seen floors that were basically laminated 2×10s, such that the floor is 10″ thick wood. A bit of overkill.
AMS » Sep 27, 2009 at 10:13 pm
RE: Scotsman @ 4 – Some of the WPA workers did the highest quality work. Even if many of the homes were not WPA projects, the workers were in the area. Take a look at the quality of the WPA projects. Some are amazing. These same workers could have done work on the homes built during that era.
AMS » Sep 27, 2009 at 10:17 pm
RE: Kary L. Krismer @ 9 – This reminds me about the wood workers of the past. Today everything is mechanized–the skill is in operating the machinery. Hand carving is about as popular as wood constructed horse drawn carriages. Boeing had all those woodworkers. Boeing wood furniture would never happen today.
Ray Pepper » Sep 28, 2009 at 7:30 am
Craftsman style Quadrant homes. I adore the light gray vinyl, with style A elevation(no extra charge), and the Truman Show feel of the neighborhood. No trees just a periodic twig style 3 foot high bush.
singliac » Sep 28, 2009 at 8:49 am
RE: Ray Pepper @ 14 – Haha. I was up at Snoqualimie Ridge for work, and I thought it was funny how the Quadrant homes have nice craftsman details in the front, but then I looked at the sides and back, and it was the classic Quadrant box shape.
Kary L. Krismer » Sep 28, 2009 at 10:20 am
I like the ones where they’re still building in the complex, but mold or mildew is already growing on the siding of the ones sold.
Seriously, does a builder need to be asked by the owner to correct a situation on a building they built where they’re still trying to sell others just like it? The mold/mildew that is visible from the road sort of counters the For Sale signs on the street.
softwarengineer » Sep 28, 2009 at 11:38 am
RE: Kary L. Krismer @ 2 –
Practically all kitchen/bathroom drains are plastic, the last 20 years or so….but, the vinyl hosing replacing CRES and copper pipes is a plumbers’ union nightmare IMO, not only does freezing not break hose like solid pipe, do a cost estimate on replacing a simple hose [its about an hour job and you can probably do it yourself too] versus solid pipe with a barrage of fittings and pieces….LOL
CRES rots and leaks fast too and copper solder leaches heavy elements into your drinking water….I know use a Britta pitcher…LOL
Kary L. Krismer » Sep 28, 2009 at 11:49 am
RE: softwarengineer @ 17 – I was only addressing the supply pipes. Plastic drain pipes go back to at least the mid-70s.
My main concern is longevity. I remember the first batches of plastic pipe that didn’t last too long. Copper is fairly proven.
Sorin » Sep 28, 2009 at 12:20 pm
Other – Dwell style Modern. I just wish there were more around here that were modern in the original sense of blending indoor and outdoor living spaces. Facades and most of the tightly clustered townhomes don’t count. PB Elemental and others have managed to pull off some good examples in recent years.