Finally glad there is someone else out there who feels not everyone needs to live in a brand new, butter freakin churning disney/colonial williamsburg, home.

Next will be Alexandria residents required people to purchase horses and buggies and leave their cars on the outside of city limits.

Second, to me, the builder’s attitude is everything that’s wrong with the approach to developers’ thinking. One article about this house says that the builder wanted to disprove that people wanted small houses by building this house, which he considers to be a small house. At 2,880 sq. ft. and 3-1/2 baths (!!!), that’s a pretty huge house by The Not So Big House standards. This house that maximizes what is permissible under the applicable zoning regs., which likewise shows a that the goal here was to maximize, not to design well. That’s not a comment on the architecture. I’ve seen better and worse. It’s just what the final building reflects about the thinking of the person that made the conscious decision to build this house (and carry the cost of financing that expense until it is sold).

Also, the idea of the Not So Big House is a focus on design suited to the occupant (instead of size). This house, having been built on spec, has not been built to suit to any particular person other than the builder’s idea to maximize what he can build on a lot. The photos of the kitchen shown above show a pretty unremarkable in terms of layout, design or any kind of innovation. The best that can be said about the kitchen is it has a 36″ Wolf range. I like Wolf ranges, but that can’t make up for a fairly blah kitchen. There are plenty of big windows, but they look right onto the neighboring property a few feet away.

About the only thing you can applaud is an exterior style that is atypical for this area. Even so, it’s fairly unremarkable architecturally.

It’s silly to blame the zoning code for producing a house like this, because it existed before the house was built, and nobody forced the developer to do it. It was a voluntary, conscious decision. I’m just glad I don’t live in that house’s shadow.

So, the builder has successfully shown that he can build a house that maxes out what he is permitted to build within the constraints of the zoning code. At best, he has accomplished what every run-of-the-mill developer does every day.

The builder has also successfully shown that he would rather build a house to the max rather than one that suits the site well. That’s McMansion thinking forced into a north Arlington-sized box. Also unremarkable, except in its obstinacy.

The builder has also shown that he is a bit of a gambler, who probably overpaid for this property and, having lost his gamble, now hopes to make it back by selling a 2,880 square foot house.

Fortunately for the developer, sooner or later, someone will come along who wants to live in north Arlington badly enough that they just might buy this house despite the poor decsionmaking that produced it.

As I recall, Builders are in business to build homes, make money, express their ideas and sell homes. Sometimes they guess right and sometimes not. IMHO, I will be surprised if he garners his asking price, or anything north of the million dollar mark, regardless of the economy. And I for one like the home even though I would find it difficult to live in, especially with a family. As a single man, it would be fun.

There’s no doubt from what I’ve read, that Mr. Simpson built this home in spite of his variance request being denied. So if in fact this is what he was left with after being denied a variance, who do we have to blame but ourselves? We should always know the end game before we make our stand. In the end, he had nothing but the existing code framework that was left him by the County, didn’t he? As a business man myself, I applaud his moxxy. And regardless of what some may think, I believe the house’s design will ultimately fit in with the new construction that will be undertaken at the now defunct shopping center.

Change happens; it always will as long as we live. We can choose to embrace it, attempt to modify it or go elsewhere. It will always be difficult to please everyone. So thank God we have choices, even though they may not always be easy ones. It was probably not any easier for Simpson to make that choice than it would be for the disgruntled neighbor to move, should they decide to do that.

As a closing comment, can you imagine our still living in catalog ordered Sears homes? conastoga wagons? tents? rustic log homes? tee-pees? houses with out-houses?

Just a thought….hmmmm.

At 2800sf, your house is well worth the price. A lot of people have very immature view of this part of noarl. The 4 of us moved to the Courthouse area and into an 1100sf condo 3 years ago. We paid well over 600k for our place, I hated the place for 2 of the 3 years i’ve lived here because of buyers regrets. I felt I got screwed, maybe I did. Now I can’t see myself living anywhere else, the quality of life here is awesome.

I have many friends who once lived here but moved out to fairfax because they wanted more for their money. They did, but now many of them wish they could move back into town. They’re here every weekend for entertainment. They’d take a much smaller place closer in if they could sell their current one. The moral of the story is this, at 2800 sf with 3 bedrooms, the house can accommodate a large family, and in town, that is priceless.

PS, check out The Atlantic mag. March 2008 - title: The next slums

This house is on the wrong side of the tracks away from ooo-la-la Clarendon and Lyon Park. It’s mixed in with a lot of working class housing stock. It’s right on the 4B bus line so +/- quick bus to Rosslyn but loud rumbling buses stopping at your front door 18 hours a day.

$1M is a pipe dream. 10 blocks west, maybe, but not at that location.