Yesterday I posted a few examples of newer houses in the neighborhood that I thought fit in with the zeitgeist of the neighborhood. Today I'm giving examples of ones that swung and missed. Again, this is totally subjective so what I like doesn’t translate to what everyone else likes. Take my critiques with a grain of salt.
First up has nothing to do with the house structure itself. This bungalow was one of the smallest houses in the area until the new owners basically more than doubled the size. You can’t see the addition from the angle of this photo, as they hid it well. The only issue I have is that the house went from a nice white to this putrid green. Do we really need a return to the 1960s? Let me answer that for you. The answer is a resounding "NO".
Next up is a large house under construction. This could eventually wind up being a beautiful house but it dwarfs the size of the original house on the lot by at least 3 times.
The next house is simply too big for its lot. The angle of this photo doesn’t reveal well enough that the house isn’t perpendicular to the sidewalk. While I like the design of the house (on a different lot, of course) the other thing I don’t like a lot about new Atlanta-area construction is the use of 3 and 4 types of exteriors. This house has 4 – stones, shingles, siding, and striped boards. It makes the design too “busy” looking.
The last one is probably the house that inspired me to make the past two days blog posts. I’m sure the inside of this house is beautiful but again the replacement house is about 4 times the size of the initial bungalow. I do give them credit for leaving a large tree on the side of the house but this place is simply not aesthetically pleasing for several reasons. First, when looking at both photos, there are 5 types of exterior handiwork, topping their neighbor across the street for “busiest” design. Second, the front, which I actually like, is ruined by the addition of faux farm stones on the chimney. It’s trying too hard to look authentic and comes off looking more generic than any replica house you’d find at Epcot. Third, the people who built and bought this house, unless they’re moving for job reasons, are “flippers”. The house is for sale less than a year after being built. Fourth, when you’re selling a house, you might want to replace the dead tree in front. Oh, and you might want to cut the grass.
No other house in the neighborhood has a 3-car garage. To their credit they did make the third door entrance grass and not a giant swath of concrete but the house simply sticks out like a sore thumb among these other modest houses. Were this house on a larger lot, had only 2 exterior schemes and got rid of the fake country-style chimney, it could actually be a beautiful house.
