I saw that one of my favourite houses is on the market and so I got right on-line to see what it looked like. I’ve actually only seen it from the outside, zooming by on the way to and from my parents’ old house.
All this house needs to look like it’s from a wee village in the Cotswolds is a thatched roof, but I am pretty sure they’re illegal here… and besides, no one in this area knows the art of thatching.
I am going to digress for a moment – why, in this day and age of digital photography, and photoshop, can’t real estate adverts have decent images???
Anyway, back to this charming house… It even comes with a little guest house with a Juliet balcony.
I am assuming that they’ve converted the whole thing from a garage to living quarters and that these doors are purely decorative.
I was all prepared to love this house, when this image popped up on my screen.
For the love of all things architectural, how the hell did they ever think this looked good? And how in gawd’s name did the zoning ever get approved? It doesn’t even look like the same property as the front of the house!!!
It’s like the home version of a mullet hair-cut. Serious in the front and horrific in the back. It is just tragic! What happened to the rest of the lovely roof-line?
This made me lose any will I had to look at more pictures of the house. It’s just ruined. I am so sad now. Seriously, since I was a teenager, I’ve loved this house and the way it was settled into the landscape, and now this!!! It is borderline criminal the way this has been ruined. They will never sell it.
And what’s up with these strange windows????
It was built in 1853, and ruined sometime in the last 30 years, it looks like. Apparently, the main house is divided into two units, just like the mullet. One lucky person gets to live in the sweet front of the house and some poor thing has to live in the hideous addition.
This is all too painful, and I feel like I need to go drink something strong. If you can bring yourself to look, here’s the listing with the remaining pictures. Just don’t blame me if you start sobbing.
Good gosh! The stuff of nightmares, I couldn't bring myself to look.
ReplyDeleteWow.....all I can say is WOW :-(
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot I don't understand. Why wasn't this listed if it was built in 1853? That extension should not have been approved regardless! Interestingly there is a london agent that started because he knew the important of pics - you should check out domus nova because he has made the other agents in central london improve their marketing skills.
ReplyDeleteCharming house! If we bought it the first order of business would be to tear the addition down! What were they thinking?
ReplyDeletei suppose if someone really loved it they could buy it and tear off the addition.
ReplyDeleteOh my Sainted Aunt! I've been an admirer for years too, Meg - having lived "up the hill" on that small bit of Old Court Road. I had no idea THAT was going on around the back of this home. I'm with Michael - tear that bit down, if at all possible. Architectural "mullet" - an apt description.
ReplyDeleteYup! New part is a tear down. But the old part is lovely. Hope somebody with taste buys it and does the deed.
ReplyDeleteWait these are rental units. Money makers. why would you want to deny housing to people in a nice neighborhood. Perhaps repainting the green accents on the addition would make it less jarring. The siding under the odd shaped opening with an apparent porch = the siding looks BENT, Dented-- maybe it is aluminum siding for low maintainence. I wonder what is underneath if that is the case. Yes, it is a mismatch. but it was approved by the city plan board. THEY are the problem.
ReplyDeletelol, a house version of a mullet. that is a perfect description
ReplyDeleteI've driven past countless times over the years and always thought the house was so charming - had no clue there was a rear addition bearing no architectural relationship to the original house. How sad. I often wonder if the average person recognizes how much thoughtfully and beautifully designed architecture enriches our everyday life.
ReplyDeleteyou said it all + awful xxpeggybraswelldesign.com
ReplyDeleteMF thank you for the links to other bloggers. Tone on Tone covered an event that you no doubt would have featured had you not been sooooo involved with the sail er sale. But in July, Baltimore was visited by the frigate Hermione and the Tone on Tone photo essay of the visit to Maine is out of sight. pun intended!!!
ReplyDeleteSuch a shame! We have a similar looking house on Woodley Road in Washington that I've admired for years. I'll have to peak around the back the next time my dog and I walk by to make sure it hasn't been similarly destroyed. Thanks, I guess, for sharing!
ReplyDeleteMeg, totally agree with your comments about that ridiculous addition. At first, I thought I was looking at a different house! Things aren't always what they seem. One might have assumed that a person with taste would have purchased that lovely cottage...
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother lived here briefly as a single woman after college with two roommates in the late '40s. She had a few old pictures of the place and this addition was already in place and had been for some time. It was broken up into units in those days as well. I doubt there was any sort of zoning regulations restricting landlords from tacking on extra space in those days, at least in the county. In the old days Ruxton and the area of the Green Spring Valley surrounding the Hunt Club golf course used to be lousy with little cottages being butchered to optimize the potential renting space, Roland Park has always been more strict in keeping that sort of thing from happening, as I'm sure I don't need to tell you.
ReplyDeleteWTF????? that's terrible! and such a darling house!!!!!
ReplyDelete