It might just be because I'm living in OTR now so I'm noticing it more, but there are a lot more little projects happening throughout the neighborhood which are being done by individuals or smaller development groups than what I noticed in the past.

 

For instance, the building behind me on Republic just finished a renovation into a single family home. They built a suburban style garage on the vacant lot next to the building which was somewhat unfortunate, but it was a pretty extensive project for a couple pregnant with a kid. I believe they worked with a builder but it wasn't a spec project which I think is a really good sign. People with money and starting families doing very specific projects in OTR.

 

I saw drawings for a new single family, infill building in the 1500 block of Republic with an attached garage facing alley. 

Good to hear. But...

 

They built a suburban style garage on the vacant lot next to the building

 

...That's an efficient way to murder the historic character. Hard to believe that is allowed in a historic district. Did they get a variance or something? Anyone know?

 

In my opinion the garage is tastefully done and looks good from all angles.  By the way jmicha from your descriptions of construction in the area I think we must be neighbors on Race St.!

If you go to 3CDC's website they provide quarterly updates here:

 

http://www.3cdc.org/3cdc-in-the-news/otr-work-group/

 

If you click on the most recent, they have two projects that I don't believe have been talked about here yet:

 

1316-1318 Race Street -- Eight Condos

1408 Elm Street -- Six Condos

 

They also have a map that shows the properties that they own on the quarterly update.

It would appear that way. I'm loving where I'm living. And the fact that buying a condo only runs me about 100 more a month than my rent up in Clifton is a bonus.

 

The garage, though certainly not ideal, is at least done so in a manner which isn't as offensive as it could have been. There is only pedestrian access to the alley between Republic and Race and that may have factored into letting them construct it facing Republic. The rest of the renovation looks good and they clearly have money so it'll be taken good care of. Not ideal but could be significantly worse.

 

The 1318-1316 Race Street projects I've heard will be around $400k. Not surprising based on their location.

Opening sometime this fall.  September-ish.

Yeah...that's what they said, but there's no way in HE-Double-Hockey-Sticks they can finish construction in two months. That's a MASSIVE building.

Yeah it doesn't appear there are enough people there everyday to be on a September opening schedule. Unless they plan on having three shifts going for the next two months straight.

^I've heard March 2015 for Taft's.

That seems entirely more reasonable. Would it be nice to have that across the street this Fall? Sure. But it's clearly not happening. It was an ambitious timeline but just not realistic.

From what I've heard, the owner was having trouble finalizing financing.  Not sure where that stands now.  All that's going on the inside the building is minor framing and carpentry work.

The announced budget of $8 million was absolutely insane.

That's the same cost as Moerlein, which was new construction (cheaper) and a bit larger.  Taft ale house is giant. It will seat almost 200 people. And it's a massive church that has been vacant for decades.

The announced budget of $8 million was absolutely insane.

 

Yeah, I didn't really understand it either. When I saw the budget and time frame I assumed it was going to be a Rhinegeist type operation where they were just putting a restaurant in a gutted and stabilized space with bare wall and some random art. When I saw the renders showing a fully finished interior for that entire space, I thought it was crazy. We'll see. I'm hoping for the best.

The thing is that Rheingeist proved you could do pretty much nothing to a space and people will show up and show up in large numbers.  Obviously Taft Ale House is trying to be something different, but the exact same target demographic is going to Rheingeist.  I bet they could get away with opening something in the "raw" church and just as many people would show up and spend almost as much money.  Even if it's only half as much money, they could still theoretically make twice as much if their overhead is a fraction of what they're planning. 

3CDC: Work will continue without feds

"3CDC missed out on receiving federal tax credits to help fund its developments earlier this month, but officials from the Over-the-Rhine-based community-development entity say projects under construction will continue.

...

3CDC, though, is shelving plans to develop a new office building as part of Mercer Commons' third phase and a mixed-use project at 15th and Race streets in Over-the-Rhine."

 

<a href="http://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2014/06/28/cdc-downtown-redevelopment-federal-tax-credits/11617811/">Read More Here</a>

I read that article last night and was disappointed a bit. I'm glad the current projects will continue on as planned but shelving the office portion of Mercer Commons and replacing it with a surface lot and shelving the massive 15th and Race projects is a pretty big deal. Those are both quite large projects that would've brought a significant increase in office square footage and the 15th and Race project would've transformed nearly an entire block. Hopefully they aren't shelved for too long.

Could be a blessing in disguise.  There are dozens of people working on small projects by themselves.  Without 3CDC dumping loads of new product onto the market, people will be motivated to renovate buildings on their own. 

This is true. It seems like any small-time developer or individual would seize this opportunity to bring to market a product which won't be as widely available as it was when 3CDC was consistently brining real estate to market.

The problem is that it will be very, very difficult to make money on any of these buildings until the rent and condo sale prices get truly insane.  It needs to get to where studios are renting for over $1,000/mo and there's no such thing as a condo under $250,000 and most are $500,000 and over.

How do properties like The Leopoldt Townhomes on Jackson work in that case? They aren't that expensive from what I've heard and they're a pretty extensive reconstruction/rehab. Or any of the several North-of-Liberty small time developers doing pretty extensive work. I looked at a condo done by a lady where the entire first floor was removed and opened to the basement to create what she referred to as a "basement loft." These aren't being done with tax credits or any subsidies but are making money and are funding continued development by these people.

 

Is it just that these happen to be buildings without major structural/plumbing/etc. type work required? Because some of these small-time properties seem to be in rough shape before their redevelopment.

I read that article last night and was disappointed a bit. I'm glad the current projects will continue on as planned but shelving the office portion of Mercer Commons and replacing it with a surface lot and shelving the massive 15th and Race projects is a pretty big deal. Those are both quite large projects that would've brought a significant increase in office square footage and the 15th and Race project would've transformed nearly an entire block. Hopefully they aren't shelved for too long.

 

Is the new massive parking garage going to be a part of 15th & Race or 15th & Vine? Hopefully that aspect of the garage gets scrapped.

That was part of 15th and Race, though I know they said the garage was also going to be used for the office at 15th and Vine. Hopefully with extra time that garage can be shrunken (since I doubt it would ever be eliminated entirely) and allow for a higher density of housing. It's right on the streetcar and should take advantage of the reduced parking requirements. Maybe now is the time to push for different site planning for that project.

How do properties like The Leopoldt Townhomes on Jackson work in that case? They aren't that expensive from what I've heard and they're a pretty extensive reconstruction/rehab. Or any of the several North-of-Liberty small time developers doing pretty extensive work. I looked at a condo done by a lady where the entire first floor was removed and opened to the basement to create what she referred to as a "basement loft." These aren't being done with tax credits or any subsidies but are making money and are funding continued development by these people.

 

Is it just that these happen to be buildings without major structural/plumbing/etc. type work required? Because some of these small-time properties seem to be in rough shape before their redevelopment.

 

These people might make money, but they don't make enough money to make the effort worth it for big-time investors.  And small-time investors can renovate a house or building without significant water damage, but there are only so many of those in the neighborhood.  The majority of the buildings are very large and require very complex repair work.  Look at how much the city paid to stabilize the Meiners(?) Building two yeas ago at Vine & 15th.  For a private investor, putting $400,000 into merely stabilizing a building in 2011 would have meant $400,000 wasn't in stocks in back-to-back 30% return years.  That's an opportunity cost in excess of $200,000.  Big-time investors don't throw the big money down unless they're getting a return that is similar to stocks but with the low risk of bonds.

But wouldn't that just support the statement that it would be more likely for small-time developers or individuals to do projects while 3CDC reduces its upcoming supply of apartments/condos/retail/office space?

We are so insanely far from maxing out the demand in OTR.  Literally we can add 4000 new residents into OTR and 4000 residents in Downtown and there would still be development to happen.  3CDC slowing down isn't good, and it certainly won't "turn the tide" for small time developers. 

 

Downtown Denver is building 10,000 new housing units in their core right now. 

We are so insanely far from maxing out the demand in OTR.  Literally we can add 4000 new residents into OTR and 4000 residents in Downtown and there would still be development to happen.  3CDC slowing down isn't good, and it certainly won't "turn the tide" for small time developers. 

 

Agreed. Downtown Cleveland built and absorbed 1000 units last year without any drop in occupancy rates. 3CDC is aggessive, but when you really look at their unit counts, the output is small relative to where the demand likely falls.

3CDC putting off large projects is bad because they are the major player in terms of parcel acquisition.

 

It's easy to get excited about Cincinnati when you're standing in the middle of The Banks or Vine and 14th. But Denver has seven times our absolute population growth. That puts things in perspective. Cincinnati is still a fragile market.

We are so insanely far from maxing out the demand in OTR.  Literally we can add 4000 new residents into OTR and 4000 residents in Downtown and there would still be development to happen.  3CDC slowing down isn't good, and it certainly won't "turn the tide" for small time developers. 

 

Downtown Denver is building 10,000 new housing units in their core right now. 

 

In the last two years real estate prices have gotten out of control in the in-town neighborhoods of some of Cincinnati's peers.  Columbus is starting to get ridiculous.  This is my friend from college's house in East Nashville, about 1.5 miles from DT Nashville:

 

He bought it for under $100,000 in 2011 and now it could sell for well over $200,000, even though as you can see it's in junky condition.  And it's just off a main road that looks like Beechmont Ave. or Colerain Ave.  That's why the sky is the limit for OTR property values, but the cost of renovating a typical OTR building is way, way higher than early 1900s bungalows and shotgun houses.  People are going to buy buildings in OTR without a roof and big cracks up the side and they're going to run out of money before they can finish the thing. 

Jake is right.  If they could build faster and cheaper, or if these rehabs weren't so expensive, they would be building faster.  I think things probably will pick up, but it is just unfortunate 3CDC wasn't awarded any New Market Tax Credits. 

 

I believe at some point, downtown development will move a bit faster than OTR, as there are many surface parking lots on the streetcar route that are prime for redevelopment.  OTR will keep moving ahead, though it will be hard to say how fast it will move.  GE and whatever new companies they can bring downtown will help the market.  Things are looking up, but it just seems to me that the economics are tough for OTR and we may never see it redevelop warp speed, unless Jake says, prices get insane faster than we thought and investors want to have a piece of some safe and lucrative real estate investment.

Rehabbing in OTR is expensive, sure, but it's not the impossibility some are making it out to be.  Most of these buildings are incredibly well built.  I went through a shell the other day without floors, essentially, with holes in the roof and missing windows.  Even in that condition, you could see the obvious potential.  And the joists are all there, all in good shape. 

 

Honestly, what you have to be willing to do is put up $25 or $50k on one of these smaller buildings to get the things that have to be fixed taken care of right away.

 

And the good thing is, talking to lenders (and I have talked to a lot recently), there are a lot of places out there that are now lending to people who want to do single family projects in OTR. 

The lending market is indeed starting to turn as I witnessed through organizing the three Owner-Occupied OTR sessions that took place earlier this year. What is happening though is that we have no problem with supply of rehab stock instead it is supply of actually housing units. One of our goals with the workshop was to get more people into the rehab game who would know what they are doing.

 

3CDC not receiving NMTC is a blow but one I think that could allow the company the ability to reposition and focus on some smaller projects that they may have ignored while working on something as big as 15th and Race.

 

It will likely take an entire generation to rehab the historic housing stock in the basin (OTR, West End, Camp Washington). In order to speed that up we need more developers with more capital to spend to meet the demands of the market.

Went to all three Owner Occupied seminars.  They were quite informative. 

I'm agreeing with those who say that rehabbing can be done for much cheaper than 3CDC prices. I've done it. I've got a meeting with Cincinnati Development Fund folks tomorrow on an adjacent property. who knows if they will give a construction loan, but at least they are there, and very willing to talk to people who have a well formed plan.

 

Here's an off-the-top-of-my-head test for new rehab owners. You need to answer 'yes' to all of these questions in my opinion. Or at least someone invested in your team needs to be able to.

 

1. Do you have $50-75K in cash to spend on acquisition and pre-development? (new roof, box gutter relining/repair, cornice repair, masonry repair, clean out, selective interior demolition, correcting safety issues, as-built drawings, written rehab plan)

2. Do you think someone will give you a construction loan? (Assuming you need one - if not, well what are you waiting for?) For example, can you handle an extra monthly payment of 0.005 x ($C) where C is the approximate amount of the rehab cost (above pre-development costs)? Example: $150K construction loan - .005 x 150000 = $750/month. This assumes a 6% annual interest rate, and you'd only pay this amount near the end of the construction period. You better be able to do this, cause your mortgage will be more than that.

3. Can you be organized and logical, when required? (Is a dinner for 6 fun to prepare, or an all-day freak-out?)

4. Can you recognize when a home project has been done the right way versus the easy way? I'm not talking about finishes here - those are easy.

5. Can you swing a hammer up to your eyeball level, and hit a nail on the head 8 out of 10 times?

6. Do you own a pair of work boots?

7. Do you have a tub of GoJo or similar hand cleaner somewhere around the house?

 

You get the idea. If you can answer yes then I think you can do it, and for a lot cheaper than 3CDC. Maybe even just $65-75/sq. ft. If not, then you'd better either not do it, or buy a property already rehabbed, and feel good about paying the extra amount.

Do you have enough from a sale to reinvest in other properties afterwards? There needs to be a profit motivator - some buildings will be more expensive than others.

$65-$75 in OTR of a gut rehab italianate is almost impossible for a non-developer. I just talked to two small time developers in OTR (each have done about 6-8 buildings) who said no individual can pull off $65-75 per square foot unless you're using laminate and carpet, no hardwood floors and no marble counter tops, building needs minimal masonry repair, etc. 

 

$100-120 per square foot is a reasonable rate for a moderate quality finished rehab of one of these OTR monsters.  That's the best a first timer is likely to pull off.  Unless you have a history in the construction business and have supply chain access to all kinds of bulk rate wholesale pricing, less than $100 will almost never actually happen for the majority of the buildings in OTR due to their size & condition.  3CDC, for comparison, spends $160-180, which is the high end. 

Labor costs are probably the big difference between doing something at $65-$75 a square foot and $100-$120 a square foot. If you know how to do a lot of the stuff yourself, you can save tons on labor. If we’re talking about owner occupied single family homes, you can do pretty much everything yourself so long as you know what you’re doing. If you’re flipping a building into apartments or condos, or you’re planning to turn around and sell it, that may be a different story because you’re opening yourself up to liability issues you wouldn’t have if you were renovating a home for yourself. There’s also some opinion to what is nice. Personally, I think marble countertops are overused and cliché, and you can get more creative solutions for half the cost. 

Labor costs are probably the big difference between doing something at $65-$75 a square foot and $100-$120 a square foot. If you know how to do a lot of the stuff yourself, you can save tons on labor. If we’re talking about owner occupied single family homes, you can do pretty much everything yourself so long as you know what you’re doing. If you’re flipping a building into apartments or condos, or you’re planning to turn around and sell it, that may be a different story because you’re opening yourself up to liability issues you wouldn’t have if you were renovating a home for yourself. There’s also some opinion to what is nice. Personally, I think marble countertops are overused and cliché, and you can get more creative solutions for half the cost. 

 

This is it exactly. OCtoCincy I'm not that concerned about what a developer told you - I am certain they are correct if, for example, they were asked to do all of the work. The reason why my list included items about your capability to actually do rehab work, was because I'm assuming that you would do a significant part of it yourself, and hence the reduced out of pocket cost. That's the point of "doing it yourself" I think.

Then you're ignoring massive other costs.  Your time has a value.  Spending months and months doing your own masonry work has a value.  I have friends who bought properties around 2010 and they hope to be finished by 2016.  One of the biggest "success stories" of OTR adopt was the Barr's loans building when it got sold.  The individuals who bought it lost a ton of money, fell behind on their taxes, 3CDC had to buy it from them and the back of the building began collapsing last week.

 

My only point is these buildings are very expensive, and a majority of the people who think they can renovate a 3000 square foot Italianate themselves end up taking years to get it done or can't get it done.

Labor costs are probably the big difference between doing something at $65-$75 a square foot and $100-$120 a square foot. If you know how to do a lot of the stuff yourself, you can save tons on labor. If were talking about owner occupied single family homes, you can do pretty much everything yourself so long as you know what youre doing. If youre flipping a building into apartments or condos, or youre planning to turn around and sell it, that may be a different story because youre opening yourself up to liability issues you wouldnt have if you were renovating a home for yourself. Theres also some opinion to what is nice. Personally, I think marble countertops are overused and cliché, and you can get more creative solutions for half the cost. 

 

Zack when that crew was doing the concrete work at my house last fall the labor and equipment rental costs were driven up because they couldn't get a Bobcat through the alley.  Instead they had to rent a walk-behind bulldozer that had a scoop about 36" wide and had to cart the old concrete out with a wheel barrow.  In OTR the backs of buildings are sometimes not accessible by an alley, meaning equipment, material, and waste sometimes has to be carried through the building itself and out the front door. 

 

 

 

 

New single family home construction now underway at 1428 Elm St.

 

Brick work began yesterday:

Labor costs are probably the big difference between doing something at $65-$75 a square foot and $100-$120 a square foot. If you know how to do a lot of the stuff yourself, you can save tons on labor. If were talking about owner occupied single family homes, you can do pretty much everything yourself so long as you know what youre doing. If youre flipping a building into apartments or condos, or youre planning to turn around and sell it, that may be a different story because youre opening yourself up to liability issues you wouldnt have if you were renovating a home for yourself. Theres also some opinion to what is nice. Personally, I think marble countertops are overused and cliché, and you can get more creative solutions for half the cost. 

 

Zack when that crew was doing the concrete work at my house last fall the labor and equipment rental costs were driven up because they couldn't get a Bobcat through the alley.  Instead they had to rent a walk-behind bulldozer that had a scoop about 36" wide and had to cart the old concrete out with a wheel barrow.  In OTR the backs of buildings are sometimes not accessible by an alley, meaning equipment, material, and waste sometimes has to be carried through the building itself and out the front door. 

 

I actually just picked up a permit to replace my front porch/deck. Because of the topography, all of the demolition will have to be hoisted up over the 10’-0” drop from the street to the yard and I’ll have to enter my house either by ladder or through a kitchen window (or decide which neighbor I’m going to annoy for a week). I understand the argument that time has a value, and I will be building a deck instead of taking a summer vacation, but for those of us who have lots of time but not lots of money, it’s an easy choice. For $1000 of material and a few vacation days I’ll have what a contractor would quote as at least a $10,000 deck/porch. I’d rather do that than spend $1000 and a few vacation days going to Florida.

 

The same logic could be applied to an OTR renovation. It might cost a lot to pay a crew to cart out debris through the building, or you could just spend 4 or 5 evenings a week for a few weeks doing it yourself. I think even the small time developers (who are still profit driven) are paying to have work like that done, whereas a single family homeowner (who isn’t as interested in profit, so much as having a place to live) could do the work themselves over a few years. If you have enough startup cash to get the building to a state in which you can get a certificate of occupancy for it (could be a big if depending on the building), you could spend years doing the finishing touches.

 

 

Then you're ignoring massive other costs.  Your time has a value.  Spending months and months doing your own masonry work has a value.  I have friends who bought properties around 2010 and they hope to be finished by 2016.  One of the biggest "success stories" of OTR adopt was the Barr's loans building when it got sold.  The individuals who bought it lost a ton of money, fell behind on their taxes, 3CDC had to buy it from them and the back of the building began collapsing last week.

 

My only point is these buildings are very expensive, and a majority of the people who think they can renovate a 3000 square foot Italianate themselves end up taking years to get it done or can't get it done.

 

To say that "Your time has a value" is sort of condescending and trite. An economist would probably say that if I _chose_ to put significant time into my rehab, then it was the personally optimal choice for me. So be it.

 

The point is that you seem to be the one who is wanting to confuse the issue here. My suggestion that an OTR house could be rehabbed for $75/sq. ft. (nicely) by an individual was obviously meant to include a big time commitment from the owner. And has been said before, it's a choice that many will make, and many will not (or should not). Oh, and it took me two years for a duplex, not 6.

 

And there's really not much that you can say to me about other experiences, because I've done it myself, and calculated the external labor and material cost myself. Yes, everything is hard. I'm quite familiar with renting bobcats and walk behinds, and the challenges of getting materials dumped in reasonable proximity to where the work is done. People who are afraid of such things, or who "value their time" as much as I apparently should, should just write a check.

The same logic could be applied to an OTR renovation. It might cost a lot to pay a crew to cart out debris through the building, or you could just spend 4 or 5 evenings a week for a few weeks doing it yourself. I think even the small time developers (who are still profit driven) are paying to have work like that done, whereas a single family homeowner (who isn’t as interested in profit, so much as having a place to live) could do the work themselves over a few years. If you have enough startup cash to get the building to a state in which you can get a certificate of occupancy for it (could be a big if depending on the building), you could spend years doing the finishing touches.

 

I totally agree with this.  Also, you can make smart choices that can minimize expenses and still end up with a high end look (oiled butcher block counters instead of granite, refinish damaged hardwood and tile floors instead of replacement, and stuff like that).  If you're planning on living in the property and improving it slowly over the course of 5 or 10 years, that gives you a lot of leeway.  The problem with many OTR properties is that they're not just run down, they've been abandoned for decades.  If these renovations were done 30 years ago, it would have been much easier.

Just saw this through OTR matters:

 

http://otrmatters.com/pendleton-street-townhomes/

 

Looks like there is going to be some new construction along with a renovation of an old townhome.  I know some architects will probably disagree with me, but this is way above average infill for the area, and they look pretty nice, keeping in mind that the first photo is of the backs which don't look as nice.

I personally think it's silly to build something new to look old so in that regard I really don't like these, but I get why they're doing what they're doing and respect that decision. I just hope the material choices are high quality. If they end up looking like the garbage infill on Walnut that was trying to look old it'll be a huge opportunity lost.

 

It's good to see some new construction though with street-fronting buildings and alley-accessed garages.

I personally think it's silly to build something new to look old so in that regard I really don't like these, but I get why they're doing what they're doing and respect that decision. I just hope the material choices are high quality. If they end up looking like the garbage infill on Walnut that was trying to look old it'll be a huge opportunity lost.

 

It's good to see some new construction though with street-fronting buildings and alley-accessed garages.

 

I don't feel like this new development is trying to pretend to be old. It's just fitting in with the surrounding buildings. It's using brick (good), regular windows (good), appropriate scale, and street-facing.

 

There are some very stark differences, though: It appears the windows are taller than the surrounding buildings (allowing more light into the buildings). The buildings have a slight setback at portions where windows face perpendicular to the street/sidewalk. Small balconies will exist in the front.

 

I personally think this is the best infill for a neighborhood like OTR/Pendleton. It doesn't seem to be pretending to be anything it isn't (like the affordable housing on Walnut). And it isn't using new building materials that distract from the historic nature of the neighborhood (look at Walnut and Mercer). As long as the materials look good after construction I am ecstatic about this development. This is everything new construction in this neighborhood should be. Different, yet similar.

I guess that's what I'm saying though. Obviously there are big differences, but overall it's not new looking. I'd much rather see modern materials, modern massing, modern windows, etc. in a new building than just taking what exists in the surrounding context and modifying it to be somewhat new. For example, I feel like the John Senhauser modern rowhouses up in Mt. Adams compliment and contrast the old homes significantly better than the new-old ones that exist up there, even if they are built really well with high quality materials.

Do you have examples of which buildings in Mt. Adams you're talking about? Or addresses even so I can just look at them on Google Maps? I'm curious to see what they look like.

Personally, I really like the infill apartment building on Walnut and I believe Mercer?  Travis Estall had a photograph on instagram of it the other day but I am not entirely sure of the exact address (I would link but maybe Travis would want to)?

 

Anyways, I think it looks really nice and compliments the other buildings around it nicely.  Once the neighborhood continues to develop it will blend in seamlessly, in my opinion.

 

 

I'm not sure the exact addresses, but there are several on Fort View Place that are really well done and fit well with their surroundings. Then there are the three townhomes on Monestary and Oregon which, when (if?) the other six are ever built will be a nice modern row. The Palisades fits its surroundings well but it's also pretty disconnected from the rest of Mt. Adams so I'm not sure I'd include that in my list.

 

I'm not sure who designed them, but there are also all those new ones on Baum Street which introduce some interesting new materials to Mt. Adams which is nice and their massing and scale fit nicely within the context.

 

1064 Celestial is a decent example of a larger infill house that's modern while still feeling appropriate. I don't like they painted it yellow (it was originally white) and the garage is a little more snouty than I'd like, but it's a good example.

 

http://www.senhauserarchitects.com/MonasteryResidence.html

 

I'm interested in seeing how that one turns out. I think it'll be a good example of a large-scale infill project in a location that is more traditional. It has a modern neighbor that's a poor example of this same type of project so it'll be good to see the contrast.

 

There's a new, massive house at the very end of Hatch Street before it turns into the Cloisters apartment complex. I personally love it and its scale seems to work well despite being a humongous house. And its garage doesn't face the street which is awesome. But its material selection is modern and part of why I like how much it contrasts the older homes while not being so wild to be offensive.