">HomeOwnerNut

I’m delighted that there’s a company out there dedicated to “buying ugly”. I haven’t researched the business, but I hope they renovate, remodel, or repaint where necessary to restore some sanity to the neighborhoods where they find these living monuments to the decay of Western culture. Some of the homes I found in my search are new and simply ugly by design, while others were probably attractive at one point and have slid across the well-delineated line between acceptable and hideous.

What Have We Here?

And that’s the point. I have no idea what we have here. This Canadian eyesore has been cobbled together with siding and now straddles less-than-artistic styles of shotgun architecture and neo-classic vomit. It looks like it has herpes. The folks at Urban Think say it best: “Shabby rebuilds and uninspired designs will eventually bring down property values. We understand the limitations of time and budget, but heartily believe that smart, quality construction can continue on time and on budget, with consideration and planning.” Amen.

Pink is the New Oink

The people who buy houses and flip them will have their hands full with this Floridian monstrosity. I doubt they can turn it around simply by applying Better Homes and Gardens’ “20 Ways to Add Curb Appeal.”

Poppies Will Make Them Sleep

A visitor to Afghanistan took hurried photos of the “Poppy Palaces” or “Narcotecture” of the rich opium drug lords’ castles. They’re heavily fortified, well protected by private militia, and look like a cross between corporate offices and Shogunate palaces. One drug lord is building a Kabul home that looks just like the White House in D.C.

Elsewhere, Under the Rainbow

The good news is that the willow tree beside this home blocks the view from the neighbor to the left. The bad news is that you’re the neighbor in the house across the street.