cottages

[iris lilies]

I can certainly understand that. If we ever move to somewhere that it snows I’d be torn between the convenience of an attached garage and the desire for a better looking home.

In Hermann we even had room to have a detached garage. But early on I just threw in the towel about aesthetics.

[catherine]

Our first house in New York had a garage that you entered from the side of the house which didn't really upset the aesthetics of the front, but to be honest, it was a bilevel raised ranch which is hard to make attractive anyway. I hate raised ranches. They might be very functional in terms of providing a lot of living space, but I hated the entryway which forces you to use stairs to get to the main living area. Seems like bad Feng shui

[Rogar]

I love my garage, especially in winter. It's fairly common around here for people to store their tools and junk in the garage and leave their fancy cars and trucks at the curb or in the driveway. One neighbor I've chuckled at has three big screen TVs against the back of the garage, a frig, a giant tool box, and a couple of lounge chairs.

[iris lilies]

Our first house in New York had a garage that you entered from the side of the house which didn't really upset the aesthetics of the front, but to be honest, it was a bilevel raised ranch which is hard to make attractive anyway. I hate raised ranches. They might be very functional in terms of providing a lot of living space, but I hated the entryway which forces you to use stairs to get to the main living area. Seems like bad Feng shui

I have come to learn that East Coast “raised ranch” is what we call in the Midwest “split foyers.” I think. It is where you walk into the front door and have to go either up or down.It’s a 70’s thing.

That differs from a split level.

Split foyers are my least favorite house.

I don’t mind split levels with their half staircases throughout. but neither are traditional structures.

[catherine]

I have come to learn that East Coast “raised ranch” is what we call in the Midwest “split foyers.” I think. It is where you walk into the front door and have to go either up or down.It’s a 70’s thing.

That differs from a split level.

Split foyers are my least favorite house.

I don’t mind split levels with their half staircases throughout. but neither are traditional structures.

Yes, the "raised ranch" and "split foyers" seem to be the same thing.

In our NJ neighborhood, which was built as a development in the 70s, has many of these homes. My own house was/is split level--the living room is raised up about 4 steps. Very typical 70s middle-class design.

With the influx of Asians into our neighborhood, the larger raised ranches are snapped up for $500k+. The reason is, the ability to convert the lower level of the raised ranch into an in-law suite is ideal for multi-generational families. We rented out the lower level of our raised ranch in NY for a while--it had a full bath and a kitchenette.

[pinkytoe]

Tri-levels, raised ranches and basements are abundant here and were novel to us. There are pluses and minuses. With ours, the split is in the middle of the house so the entry has no stairs which I am glad of. I curse the six stairs up or down daily though because I end up leaving shoes or glasses on one or another and go back and forth, up and down. I figure the exercise is good though. Nevertheless, I am looking for a better-designed, one-level house next time. So many ugly, poorly designed houses out there though.

[iris lilies]

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...1_M78435-38091

this cute little old house is currently for sale in Hermann. It’s probably sold already. It’s
On a nice street.

[iris lilies]

I Was very much charmed by this cute old house in Hermann and it sold immediately. It has a lot of original Victorian charm. Plus, it has an additional dwelling unit in the back that could be rented it out to tourists.

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...1_M84079-36752


This little old house sold very fast here in Hermann, and I couldn’t figure out why it was so expensive. But then I saw it is from 1840 which is very old for these parts. Also, it sits on a hill and has a fabulous view of the Missouri river. Under that awful siding, could it be stone? It sits in an area where there are many stone houses. Would some clueless person have covered up the stone exterior with the siding?

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...1_M77902-10527

[Tybee]

Boy, Hermann reminds me a lot of Galena!

[iris lilies]

Boy, Hermann reminds me a lot of Galena!

I made an aborted trip to Galena in the summer of COVID. It is a funny tale. I thought I would give myself a little vacation-and drive my convertible up the Great River Road to Galena. Stay over night. Have a little change of scene.

shouldn’t be hard to get there following the Mississippi’s Great River Road, agreed? It was a beautiful cool June day. But … Somehow the road goes out in parts not far from st. Louis. I got lost. I had a map, but it did not help. I tried Google Maps on my phone, but being out in the boondocks, had no reception. Rats.

I drove on for a bit until I recognized an intersection and then thought I had better turn around and go home while I still could find my way home.

DH found it all amusing. I did have a magical 10 minutes driving around tiny Elsah, IL where there were 3 little boys playing in the creek and I could hear them discussing my car. That was like a throwback to a different time, Opie Griffith in Mayberry.