When size matters: housing (no spam)

[Naffnuff]

In certain cases one family can own a whole country, such as the Wallenbergs do Sweden. But they are kind enough to let us stay and work in their factories, so long as we abide by household rules, so I suppose we are better off than the horses.

For our own use--very much negative to everyone else, thank you!--we have but 32 sq metres (ca 350 sq feet), that is for me, wife, and two guinea pigs. I suppose we could have had more, but we prefer travelling.

Originally Posted by Lady Dragonfly

There is a zoning ordinance that requires a house to be a certain size in a certain neighborhood. For example, in my subdivision, a house cannot be less than 2,200 sq feet.

What do you mean, a house cannot be less than that size?

Edit: Do we have anyone from Hong Kong here? I saw on a documentary that some people there rent small boxes in a kennel-like facility. Does anyone know if that is true, and if so, how common it is?

[Lady Dragonfly]

Originally Posted by Naffnuff

What do you mean, a house cannot be less than that size?

That is exactly what I meant. That is how consistency of a neighborhood is maintained. Usually, a certain future residential area (a piece of land owned by a realtor/land developer) is cut into similarly sized lots and put up for sale. The city bureaucrats issue a very particular Covenant that is supposed to cover everything you may (or may not) build on those lots. It tells the prospective homeowners that their future dream home must be within certain parameters (specified separately for one-story and two-story houses), must have no less (and no more) than so-many-car attached (God forbid detached) garage, must have, for example, a brick facade, a full basement etc. The architecturally acceptable design must be submitted for approval, before you can start digging. Eventually, all houses in this particular neighborhood would end up in a certain predictable price range.
Actually, all these restrictions are beneficial. That means if people decide to make a major investment and purchase/build a house, they can do it without running a risk that somebody else would decide to construct a tree house next to their dream home, causing it to lose its market value.

[Naffnuff]

Originally Posted by Lady Dragonfly

That is exactly what I meant. That is how consistency of a neighborhood is maintained. Usually, a certain future residential area (a piece of land owned by a realtor/land developer) is cut into similarly sized lots and put up for sale. The city bureaucrats issue a very particular Covenant that is supposed to cover everything you may (or may not) build on those lots. It tells the prospective homeowners that their future dream home must be within certain parameters (specified separately for one-story and two-story houses), must have no less (and no more) than so-many-car attached (God forbid detached) garage, must have, for example, a brick facade, a full basement etc. The architecturally acceptable design must be submitted for approval, before you can start digging. Eventually, all houses in this particular neighborhood would end up in a certain predictable price range.
Actually, all these restrictions are beneficial. That means if people decide to make a major investment and purchase/build a house, they can do it without running a risk that somebody else would decide to construct a tree house next to their dream home, causing it to lose its market value.

Hm, very interesting. It may well be that we have similar rules in Sweden, just that I have yet to have the privilege of owning my own house.

I must strongly protest against your attack on tree houses, though! I happen to find them very charming!

[Lady Dragonfly]

I must strongly protest against your attack on tree houses, though! I happen to find them very charming!

OK, let it be a chicken house then.

[fable]

Originally Posted by Lady Dragonfly

OK, let it be a chicken house then.

Boneless? And in a nice curry sauce?

Our house is about 2500 sq ft, with about 800 in a full, unfinished basement. It suits our needs, as well as containing all the piles of paraphenalia that you accumulate as you go through life without the regular benefits of Zen. It's relatively airy and bright, and the neighbors wave at us. This in itself is a significant improvement over New Jersey.

Most new houses I've seen in several states are generally similar in size and features, though prices vary widely according to market. Older houses over the last 60 years or so were smaller. Far large, roomy houses, you really have to go back to the turn of the 20th century to find the like. And for apartments, to anything before WWI.