Bay Area

[Rippling]

Relocated recenlty from abroad, currently living in Danville, looking to buy something around 3K sq ft, sub 1050K home.   But not a tract home, something contemporary or at least mid-century modern.

So hard to find.   Architecture in the Bay Area is the poorest I've seen.  Every house looks the same where I live, from 80-90 Blackhawk, Shadow Creek home with their fake Greek and Mediterranean elements (like plastic Doric columns and fake wook detail features).  Everything is so tacky, I fell sick.

Homes are big, though, and the school distric is important for me.

So far, all I've found are two:

This one, kind of outdated, but at this price, no money left for renovations:

http://www.redfin.com/CA/Alamo/3057-Lunada-Ln-94507/home/899833

My favorite home I've ever seen for sale in the last 3 months since I've started looking.  If it was still for sale, I would have to sell my cars to buy it and buy clunkers, but perhaps doable.   Good thing it's not for sale, too tempting.

http://www.redfin.com/CA/Walnut-Creek/2461-Larkey-Ln-94597/home/1335095

Nothing has appeared since, not in a good school district at least.  Some Eichler homes in Walnut Creek are simply way TOO SMALL.   

Otherwise, only millionairers have good taste.   Alamo Creek neighborhoods, in Danville, are new, had a great opportunity to offer something new, and it's a mess of fake stones, wood features and fake columns.   Nothing irks me so much as a column that has no role bearing weight.  

Why all those homes have to have a tile roof, or other fake material?   We don't see that in Oakland hills and SF, I see more straight, concrete roofs.   Either contractors are too lazy, or engineers are architects now a days.

/end of rant.   Sorry for that, but any suggestion where I haven't been looking at is appreciated.

[norcalnative]

Which way is your commute?

I actually found Danville to be chuck full of cookie cutter houses the 5yrs I lived there.

[mediaguru]

I like these two you linked.

At least they seem to have character, some level of je nais sais quoi....

The first one is very... I don't know... circa 1979 Rustic Modernism? (I think I am just making stuff up here, but that's what I think when I see barn-like lofts and angles such as these)

But having said that, even though it may feel "dated", it doesn't feel "bad/ugly"

[elt1]

OP, where do you find lots of modern architectural homes that don't make you sick? Where is this utopia of perfect houses?

[Furpants]

Good luck. Most people love fake columns and other sins against architecture. If you want to find a custom built/architect designed home in Danville at 3000 sq. ft. you are going to need a minimum of $1.5m.

[elt1]

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Furpants wrote:

Good luck. Most people love fake columns and other sins against architecture. If you want to find a custom built/architect designed home in Danville at 3000 sq. ft. you are going to need a minimum of $1.5m.

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maybe the OP should buy in Berkeley or Oakland, or perhaps buy a lot and build a smaller masterpiece.... Most people don't need that big a house....at least that is what everyone says about other peoples houses at the planning commission meetings

[Rippling]

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norcalnative wrote:

Which way is your commute?

I actually found Danville to be chuck full of cookie cutter houses the 5yrs I lived there.

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I commute to Concord, but depending on the project, San Ramon, Dublin.   So basically 680 corridor.

[Rippling]

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mediaguru wrote:

I like these two you linked.

At least they seem to have character, some level of je nais sais quoi....

The first one is very... I don't know... circa 1979 Rustic Modernism? (I think I am just making stuff up here, but that's what I think when I see barn-like lofts and angles such as these)

But having said that, even though it may feel "dated", it doesn't feel "bad/ugly"

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I agree.  It's growing on me by the day.  I'm going to see it this Sunday.   

[Rippling]

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Furpants wrote:

Good luck. Most people love fake columns and other sins against architecture. If you want to find a custom built/architect designed home in Danville at 3000 sq. ft. you are going to need a minimum of $1.5m.

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How can you possibly love fake?   Do you have fake granite in your kitchen?  If not, would love to have it?  I think you can have laminates any color/pattern you want, but most people will want the real thing.

I agreen with you on Danville, but there's nothing around: Livermore, Pleasonton, even Dublin.   It's just fake tract homes.   It's like a desease - the façades actually remind me of laminate countertops in the kitchen.  So you want granite in the kitchen, but plastic greek columns all around your house?  I don't believe that.  But builders think we do.

[Rippling]

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elt1 wrote:

OP, where do you find lots of modern architectural homes that don't make you sick? Where is this utopia of perfect houses?

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Marin county mostly, houses are reasonable, but the sq/ft costs are terrible.   Piedmont, Montclair.   Other than that, I've been to São Paulo, Madrid, London, when you build new, you see modern homes.

But here in the bay area, brand new million dollar homes are build, that look just like the neighbors.

In Marin, I've seen many 3000sq ft there that are modern, but 2-3Million.   In Livermore, the same home would have to be around 900K, since I've seen 4700 sq ft homes in South Livermore for 1.1Million.   But they prefer to look all the same.

Funny is that you think it would be cheaper to build squarish homes with big windows.  But maybe it wouldn't sell.