Monster House in 3rd Ward

[cinco]

i think the house on queens rd does feel cramped on it's lot... especially in the front and princeton rd. side. it sticks out like a sore thumb - in what is argueably charlotte's most beautiful road. i'm sure its amazing on the inside, but the outside and the way it pertains to it's surrounding fails miserably. but, lets face it - i doubt that was really ever considered... which is the root of the problem, IMO.

also, there are other old homes that have been torn down on queens rd... but hopefully the owners of these have more sense. one site that is almost fully framed out looks like a perfect size for the lot. it seems similar to the house that was once there, except that the added sq. footage is in the back. i am just holding my breath to see what material they finish the outside with. they got the dimensions spot on.

[peaceloveunderstanding]

The house in Third Ward is much worse than this specimen on QRW. There are strong parallels, with this one not being the best example of a new home being built with a touch of class, but the size isn't really the issue, the facade is. A different facade could have really improved it. There are bigger houses in Charlotte that are classy, that aren't so garish. But it's not going to be torn down, so the best improvement would be to plant some trees in the front.

[nowensone]

Perhaps it is partially the picture, but you can still tell via the pic that the house is not built the minimum 5 feet from it's lot line, nor has flat featureless builder style (vs. something designed by an architect) sides & back, which the original house in this thread is plainly guilty of. This house appears to use elegant, quality materials, as well as has atractive landscaping/grounds which compliment the house design, and also works because it is on a corner lot and is not so blatant an affont to it's neighbors.

Now I can see what you mean if this is out of the character of it's neighborhood (I am not familiar with this location), but this is still far better than the atrocities I've seen in a number of different cities, and the one at the beginning of the thread. I get the criticisms of it, but compared to the typical builder crap which is 90% of the McMansion craze, it is on a different level.

[monsoon]

..... (I am not familiar with this location),.....

[nowensone]

^ Agreed (and point taken), it is just in and of itself far better than what you'd normally get. You should have included a wider angle shot.

I think there is also something appealing about the overcast dreariness in your shot, gives it an older English tint....

[MZT]

I'm willing to some extent, to shrug this off. Change happens. IMO part of what makes Plaza Midwood interesting was that it wasn't all built at once, and there are varying styles of homes mixed together.

That said, the example house that started this thread looks too slab-sided and lacking in windows. How would you like to live next door and rake your leaves beside that huge blank wall? Yuck.

[RiverwoodCLT]

you think that is bad, you should see what they are doing in West University Place Tx. (Houston). They tear down a 1,400 sq. ft. or less house and put a house up that cover the whole lot and is two or three stories high.

West University Place Tx.

[monsoon]

That actually does not look that bad. I've see far worse in Charlotte and on the streets that we mentioned above. Of course its hard to tell from a photo.

[RiverwoodCLT]

That actually does not look that bad. I've see far worse in Charlotte and on the streets that we mentioned above. Of course its hard to tell from a photo.

[dubone]

Someone actually needs to explain this house to me, did I hear right that it is two houses not one, how exactly does that work?

[Conformity]

Here is the Polaris tax map of the parcel. They subdivided it into a front parcel and then a back parcel with a little corridor to the street, which I think Conformity called a "flagpole".

http://maps.co.mecklenburg.nc.us/website/r...GISPid=07321515

So they are building a big house covering almost the whole front parcel, and then the same in the back. (Referring to the house in third ward).

EDIT: OMG, the sum total of the tax value as of 2005 is 33600 + 24000 = 57600! They better revalue it when the houses are complete. This is the very reason I'm for corrective revaluation rather that tax rate increases. They just bought a subdivided parcel for 3/4 of a million bucks, yet the tax value is 33600. Nuts.

[monsoon]

The tax value won't rise though until they do a county wide re-assessment. I think the next one is scheduled for 2008. It ought to be interesting to see what that does to some property tax bills.

[Conformity]

Land area changes, changes in zoning and permitted improvements or additions, all drive the tax man into the field (thanks to computerization and cross-departmental efficiencies created thereby) on a real time basis. The property is reassessed without regard for countywide reassessment anniversaries.

Here's an example:

http://meckcama.co.mecklenburg.nc.us/reloo...t.aspx?12705601

[MZT]

I rewired a house last year for 200 AMP service and grounded outlets, and that permit did not trigger a revaluation. Seems like you can do some upgrades without being re-assessed. It's adding square feet that gets their attention.

FWIW, unheated square feet are not taxed too bad. I think there are really only a few months of the year, that you can't use an unheated room in this climate. So I'm leaning towards doing that if I ever enlarge my house. (Plus you can always stick a portable kerosene heater in the corner if it matters enough to you, to use year round.)

[Mobuchu]

That is one of the ugliest houses. The same problem runs even more so rampant on maryland ave. That used to be one of my favorite street in charlotte, now it is so litered with 6000 sq ft homes on lots that are less than 1/3 an acre that its ridiculous.

[voyager12]

The QRW house looks completely out of place and bizarre compared to almost all the other large homes on the street. The neighbors loathe it but that's what happens when there is no unified front to enact sensible building restrictions in neighborhoods. This could have been prevented. The faux French Chateaux close to the Kings&East intersection is also dumb looking but at least it's recessed in. 3rd ward may end up looking even more heinous because there is even less motivation to pass regulations in that part of town than Myers Park.

[sfmartin]

Here is the Polaris tax map of the parcel. They subdivided it into a front parcel and then a back parcel with a little corridor to the street, which I think Conformity called a "flagpole".

http://maps.co.mecklenburg.nc.us/website/r...GISPid=07321515

[MZT]

So UR-1 zoning only requires 24' of frontage? That seems mighty small - then they choke that down to 5'!

[sfmartin]

UR-1 is URBAN Residential, after all. It is intended to encourage density.

[ChiefJoJo]

which house are you speaking of?

[Charlotte_native]

The tax value won't rise though until they do a county wide re-assessment. I think the next one is scheduled for 2008. It ought to be interesting to see what that does to some property tax bills.

[dubone]

There has to be something missing in the designs of these. Older mansions and big homes from the roaring 20s or the Victorian era still somehow do not have the same awful relationship to their surroundings.

The bottom line is that in an era with smaller families, we SHOULD be looking to higher quality of architecture, of materials, of craftsmanship, of efficiency, of sustainability, etc. Instead, it is almost like there are no craftsmen, materials, or technology on which to spend the money, so they must maximize the spending on pure square footage.

[Conformity]

Well I guess it's working then ... congrats on the density

I still don't understand how they are able to avoid the min lot width of 20' - it seems like that minimum must be maintained throughout the lot.

[Conformity]

The house that I am referring to is on the actual Queens Road. It really looks a lot more out of place than it does here in this photo. It dwarfs the mostly 1920s homes that line that road as it is as deep as it is wide. And aside from its size, an faux disney land castle plopped down in that neighborhood is completely out of character. My guess is this place probably exceeds 15,000 sq ft.

[monsoon]

Yeah, not only is it hugely excessive, it's really bad architecture. It's like "Lets build the most gaudy house we can for as much money as we can". There are NASCAR drivers in this area that have designed garages that have made it into Architectural Digest. This place in comparison looks as if it needs to be sitting on the strip in Las Vegas.