The house two doors down

Used to look like this. (This is how it looked when we made an offer on our house.)

(Google Maps photo.)

Yes, I know it's homely. But the issue was lack of investment (a/k/a disinvestment) and lack of maintenance.

The owners (the daughter of the owner inheirited the house when he died) are supersizing it in order to maximize the value. They have distinctly suburban sensibilities, using materials and architectural styling that is not original to the neighborhood.

They likely will get their money out of it, because they didn't have to pay market price for the house. But I wish they would have just made it into a four square, which is a similar type of house in the arts & crafts-craftsman-bungalow typology. In Seattle, many new houses are constructed in this style.

You can see why I favor design review, whether or not a neighborhood is designated historic. When I first started getting involved heavily in civic affairs, about 8-9 years ago, I would be excited when I saw new foundations or other building activity on empty lots or nuisance properties in the city. Now, I expect the worst...