Oh heck no... I am very happy with the ugly buildings being torn down. After all, I LIVE IN A CONDO!

Nina, are you suggesting that the ugly townhomes are better than the uglier buildings that have been torn down recently around here?

Shame, shame.

We are are looking at buying a bigger place in Ballard and when people ask what, I always say "one of those ugly townhouses". I would LOVE a better design but I'll take what I can afford for now. At least by me calling them ugly, I don't have to listen to the whining about how they are ugly.

Honestly, I rather look at ugly townhouses than the stupid denny's and all the other barely taken care of shit around here.

Kim - totally agree, you go for what you like... or remodel it into what you like.

I was just responding to Peter's comment about how those things (granite counters, hardwoods, high ceilings) are 'familiar' to us.

No, they're not familiar to me – having never owned a home before. And my home, with all its terribly familiar finishes, is pretty damn nice :)

"tudor w/high ceilings"----meant to say w/o high ceilings. i pulled a suthii.

realistic yuppie-

it's all a matter of taste. i live in a tudor w/high ceilings (don't have to heat empty space), tiled counters period specific and butler door/doors that i can close to keep the warm air where i want it. again, it's all a matter of taste.

Peter, that's a ridiculous statement.

1) Townhomes are not cheaper than single family homes in Ballard … but I challenge you to find anything below $450k that's south of 85th.

2) High ceilings, granite countertops, and hardwoods aren't nice? I guess if you want to live in a cave, that's your perogative, but the rest of us like to have a nice open floorplan and floors / counters that will add value to the home when we eventually sell it.

3) Townhomes and condos are all young professionals can afford in this city.

Peter, regardless of whether or not I am a fiend of Suthii, he's right on this point. I have no granite countertops, no high ceilings, and categorically reject your "hotel room" comment. OK, I do have wood floors. But we did buy a townhouse in Ballard because it was the only thing we could afford here.

"Everyone I know in a town house bought them because they could not afford a single family home in Ballard. That simple.

All my fiends in them..."

2 points on this:

1) Your average single-family townhome is priced at or above the price for an older single-family home in Ballard. People buy them because they like granite counter-tops, hardwood floors and high-ceilings. People like things that are familiar to them. Townhomes have the same clean, soothing feel of a hotel room, mall or office town foyer.

2) You have no friends.

it cost so much because one has to pay for the "good design inspiration".

Nobody's disagreeing with you on that, Evan. We're all saying the same thing twenty different ways.

I posted my first comment to simply show that spec homes need not be boring and repetative, even with today's current land use code...if the developer is willing to "design" rather than simply "build". Affordability is a whole other topic, and one I could discuss at great length.

I agree with your comments on "good" design. There are many different definitions of such, and the 780 house hits all the criteria you listed above. But it's also a very subjective topic. Everyone's definition is different. Personally, I'd like good design go beyond the bare minimum. Good design needs to inspire, and at the very least, not make me want to vomit when I see it plastered all over my neighborhood.

And for the record, "trendy" style is not expensive at all. Trendy is made in China and can be purchased at Pier 1.

Oh, and I still refuse to agree that "Good Design" has to be expensive. True that good materials, trendy styles, and high levels of craftsmanship cost money. But "Good Design" is not nescessarily what is plastered all over architecture magazines - it can be something as simple as good orientation on a building site - or a design that respects neighbors and context - or means something to its future owner.

Yeah - I tend to agree with Suthii's comment on that point too. There's nothing at all wrong with buying a townhome, and making it your own. There's also nothing wrong with buying, or "settling" on something that you can afford in a place that you enjoy living in (sayeth the relatively new homeowner).

"They’ve found out how intolerant people are in these parts."

Wow I finally agree with suthii. Yay Ballard!

suthii-

hope your fiends read this blog.

"All my fiends in them"

Boy was that a Freudian typo...'friends'

"simply because it’s what’s available."

Everyone I know in a town house bought them because they could not afford a single family home in Ballard. That simple.

All my fiends in them, sadly, are embarrassed to be living in a town home because some people in Ballard/Seattle seem to think that buying one makes you a social leper. They've found out how intolerant people are in these parts.

I'd love better designed town homes though.

One more thing. I've always wondered while looking at these boring projects if people buy them because they LIKE them, or simply because it's what's available.

Your comments aptly illustrate the answer. We need to make good design available and affordable. Well, duh.

Points all well taken. Good design certainly doesn't have to be exclusively for the rich...but it's difficult to achieve otherwise, at least in this city. It's a subject I spend much time talking about with my architect buddies. Ten years ago, $300 a square foot was considered a lush budget. But now it's nearly impossible to achieve for a custom designed home in the city. And by custom I don't mean the common understanding of the word, but rather an exclusive or original design that has been prepared for your lot and your lot only. Sure, anyone can copy drawings from one project to the next...hence cookie cutter housing. And the cost per square foot inevitably goes down.

But what started the discussion for me was the specific concept of a spec home. Yes, the 780 house is a spec home. He bought an empty lot (one of the last in the city) and designed and built the place from day one with the intention of selling it. His goal was to provide an eco-friendly well designed home at an affordable price. Unfortunately, the affordable aspect was a pipe dream. Lesson learned. But does that mean we give up on good design as an alternative to cookie cutter housing?

In my experience, land use codes rarely "inspire" good design. Because the bottom line is that folks who develop properties for maximum profit always have and always will do the bare minumum they can.

" The $780,000 is not a spec house, or even a townhouse."

If they can sell badly designed town homes for $400-450K, how much will well designed ones go for?

... by highlighting the scenarios that are appropriate to that spot. The $780,000 is not a spec house, or even a townhouse.

Ok - so the rules don't dictate that every townhouse has to be a high design custom house like the one suggested, my understanding is that what they do is provide more FAR (Floor Area Ratio) depending on site conditions or amenities.

There are going to be 7-8 different ways scenarios that different sites will fall into, and the city hopes that this additional flexibility will prompt more variety amongst the developers.

Right now, since there isn't much room at the bottom, we get extreme cookie cutter designs since what they build is the absolute cheapest possible within zoning and building code.

The design review portion of the plan (I hope) will force developers into solving the differing sites in more appropriate ways.

" uncultured noveau riche"

That's 'nouveau' riche.

Monsieur Duncan, Tu parles Français aussi?

"I guess good design is only for rich people…"

That must be the demographic Kim thinks Nickels is after with these new rules.

Good design is apparently only for rich people, but hopefully the new owners of this house aren't the uncultured noveau riche like Suthii who spend their free hours contributing nothing to society.

"I guess good design is only for rich people…"

Keeps you motivated!

Wow, I thought this was sarcasm but I guess folks are serious. My SO & I are professionals but we couldn't even begin to afford this. I guess good design is only for rich people...

"The bottom line is that there is really no way to turn a profit, or even make a living, by starting each project fresh with a blank sheet of paper."

Well, still a beautiful house and I'd be happier if he could get $800-900,000 for it and turn a nice profit. Maybe in '06 but not this year.

wasn't this home highlighted in the sunday local magazine a couple of weeks ago?

sounds like the mayor is begging for votes from some demographic.

But that is the sad reality of this discussion. Here we have a guy who acted as his own contractor, did most of the work himself, hired subs to do the rest, totalled his receipts, and set this price to basically cover his expenses.

The bottom line is that there is really no way to turn a profit, or even make a living, by starting each project fresh with a blank sheet of paper. That's why we see cookie cutter housing.

At $780,000 all you need to squeeze into the box are a couple of well paid, high tax paying professionals. Now that's what Ballard needs more of! Say no to cheap, affordable town houses, they only undermine our home values. !

Nice. I like it, but I don't think that is part of the mayor's multi-family agenda. He would rather see how many taxpayers he can fit into a box. :)

What a beautiful house. I agree with Suthii.

Thanks Suthii. The "developer" here is a young, talented thirtysomething friend of mine who has poured his heart and soul into this. I've got my fingers crossed for him...

"design a thoughtful custom spec house"

Beautiful house and at $780,000, just the kind of home I hope we see lots of in Ballard.

Oops, I pasted the link in the wrong place. Here it is:

http://gregorys.mywindermere.com/index.cfm?fuse...

Change the code all you want, but developers will still find a way to make boring repetitive buildings. That what they do best...and sadly, it's the only way for them to earn a buck.

The only alternative is to design a thoughtful custom spec house and pray you can sell it for the asking price just to break even...like this one on the market in the I-District.