Having recently experienced the City of Austin permit process it’s interesting to hear about an additional set of requirements. This story popped up today in one of my real estate news feeds:
AUSTIN (Austin Business Journal) – A proposed city ordinance could require local home builders to equip all new single-family homes with features designed especially for disabled individuals and the elderly…
The article mentions the following proposed requirements:
at least one building entrance on the first floor served by a ramp or no-step entrance
doors that are at least 32 inches wide
hallways that are at least 36 inches across and level with door thresholds
first-floor bathrooms with reinforced walls capable of supporting grab bars
Perhaps this proposal was made with the best intentions, but is it necessary? Many of the above requirements can be installed on an existing home. Is there a shortage of homes with these features?
When government must intervene, I prefer the carrot to the stick. Instead of a hard requirement, could the city provide an incentive for builders to include the above features? This would preserve the choice for builders/homeowners and address the issue (with sufficient incentive).
We started our home search about 4 years ago. We wanted to find a small home in Central Austin that we could live in immediately and remodel in the future. Like every home buyer, we were first concerned with location and price.
Step 1 – Use Map data to find target areas
To help narrow down our options we began by plotting homes for sale in a way that would allow us to quickly evaluate the price relative to the area. We used Google Earth to visualize this data, here is an example map (icon colors indicate relative $/sqft):
Mapping the relative prices of homes for sale allowed us to quickly identify areas and properties we could afford, or where there was an anomaly (a good deal). We honed in on these areas and began looking at houses.
Step 2 – Look at houses to buy and to learn
We probably toured at least 100 homes. Large homes, small homes, new and old. This gave us an excellent understanding of the home values for the different areas. Seeing the new homes gave us ideas for what to do (and not do) when it came time for our remodel.
Side Note:It is a good idea to check out remodeled homes in your area when planning a remodel. This not only gives you ideas, but also helps you understand values in the area.
Step 3 – Evaluate houses for living and remodeling
When we found a good price/location match, we then had to examine its potential for remodeling. Here is a list of the criteria we considered:
Lot size & orientation
Tree locations
Power lines at side or rear
McMansion Ordinance Implications
House condition (aesthetic & structural)
House location on lot
All of the above will determine the possibilities for an addition/remodel. In our case the lot orientation and tree locations as well as the condition of the existing home were most important. The lot orientation and tree locations not only determine where you can build (due to protected trees) but also the sun exposure and prevailing winds – very important for an efficient home.
As to the homes condition, we had two rules:
The home had to be livable, because we needed to move in immediately. This was not only to get a feel for the existing spaces and the lot, but also to meet the neighbors and enjoy the area.
The home had to be mostly original. We did not want to pay for someone else’s remodel that didn’t meet our taste or standards.
Conclusion – What we found
Ok, I know what you’re thinking – “Get to the point. What did you find?!” We found a few great homes, made offers on 4, and had 1 offer accepted. During the option period we had an architect and builder review the site to make sure we hadn’t missed anything. With a clean bill of health we closed and moved in to this home:
Wednesday, May 14th, 2008 at 9:29 pm By Ryan Brown
Be sure to check out a tour of Mid-Century Modern homes in the Austin Area this weekend. Here is the website with full details: Austin Mid-Century Modern Homes Tour
President-elect Dwight Eisenhower had just returned from Korea. A first-class stamp was 3 cents. America had just seen its first magazine-style TV show, something called “The Today Show” starring Dave Garroway. And “Singin’ in the Rain” was playing at the Paramount Theatre across the street from Scarborough’s Department Store.
The Heritage Society of Austin pays homage to the city’s modernist roots and honors some of Austin’s premier mid-century architects during the Mid-Century Modern-themed Heritage Homes Tour on May 17th. This 16th annual tour has been revised to include both a daytime self-driving tour from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 pm then a Twilight Tour, also a self-driving tour, beginning at 6:30 which will conclude at a Mid-Century Modern bash starting at 8:00 at the final featured home. (Text by Sydney Rubin)
I’m definitely going to check out as many of the homes as possible. Unfortunately I won’t be able to make the Moonlight & Martinis: Twilight Tour. Hopefully next year it won’t be on the same day as a Radiohead concert!
A few quick notes about fun events in Austin this weekend. It looks like the weather is going to be great so get outside and enjoy!
Gardens On Tour
Every year the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center puts on a tour of gardens in the Austin area. It’s a self guided tour (like the AIA Homes Tour) which allows you access to amazing examples of landscape design and construction. Here’s a description from their website:
Join us Mother’s Day Weekend for an exclusive look into some of Austin’s most unique gardens. Gardens On Tour on Saturday, May 10, is an annual self-guided tour of carefully selected private landscapes and the celebrated gardens of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
The tour is Saturday, May 10, from 9AM to 5PM. Tickets cost $25. See full details here: Gardens On Tour
Movies in the Park – Best in Show
After a nice day touring beautiful gardens, why not catch a movie? Saturday night you can see one of my favorite movies in Republic Square park. The Austin Parks Foundation will be showing Best in Show as part of their Movies in the Park program. Festivities start at 7pm and include events for your pets. Check out full details here: Movies In the Park
For those who aren’t familiar with the movie see full details here: Best in Show Website.
In case you haven’t seen it, here’s a clip introducing one of the families competing in the dog show:
Tuesday, May 20th, 2008 at 9:50 pm 
By Ryan Brown
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