the new neighbor

Poked over at the permit site today to see what's happening with the lot to our south, and plans have been posted! All in all, I think (from a selfish perspective), Steve Zagorski did a great job. While the design is not terribly progressive (although it has it moments), it's respectful and responds to the challenges of the site in interesting ways.

Similar to our issue with backing up to the backside of an auto dealership, Zagorski designed a U-shaped house that puts some structure, including a two-story bit, between the outdoor patio and the fahrvergnugen. 

To further isolate the house from the enticing polebarn view, he added a second story to the back of the U:

This is good news for us since we'll face a single story along the length of our house (sunlight!), don't have to worry about people peeking into our bathrooms (have you ever seen a grown man naked?), and will still be able to see the sky. Yay! Despite the house mostly having one level, it still holds 5 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms, and 3,933 square feet of conditioned space, 3,318 of it on the first floor. 

Most of the northern side of the house doesn't have windows except for the living room, which line up with our backyard just off the back of our house:

Other elevations to gawk at:

The southern elevation above is interesting since the thermal loading will be total bitch on this house unless they plant some trees in the patio area. With two-foot overhangs, it's gonna be shake-n-bake in the summer. 

All in all, though, from a selfish perspective, we're happy. It's a good looking, MCM-inspired house that won't lord over us.

Other 3-D renderings on the out take:

 

 

That back corner of the back volume is the most architecturally interesting (at least to me) with the cantilevered vestibule and the floor-to-ceiling windows. It even has eyebrows like some of our windows. 

Let construction begin!