Cars slowing down to get a good look at our house is a pretty frequent occurrence.  It seems that 30-50% of pedestrians that pass by our house slow down or stop for a good look.  If we are outside, people often stop and tell us how much they like our house, including people in cars.

What makes our house so appealing to people?

I think a big part of the appeal is the style of the house – craftsman.  The essence of the craftsman style is quality over opulence.  Partially a reaction to the overly ornate styles that preceded it, the craftsman style is really about fine woodworking and attention to detail.  That includes the attention to detail that our architect put into the project, which includes layers of craftsman features (like the gabled roof elements), as well as including most of the important craftsman elements, like the rake of the roof beams, the knee braces and out-lookers, the angled columns, the double airplane wing roof gables, the ears on the window casing, the multiple exterior “textures” of siding, shingles, and bard and batten, and the second story skirt.  Add to that the lovely Santa Barbara sandstone that ties in a common local element, and you have what amounts to a very interesting house.

The paint scheme was also very well thought out, and helps highlight many of the elements.   I’ve seen many local craftsman (and other style) homes that have a paint scheme that does not do them justice.

I like to think that by building an appealing house, we’ve helped to make the neighborhood nicer.  We certainly enjoy the opportunity it has provided us to get to know more of our neighbors.