YEAR 1 REFLECTIONS

Looking Back at Year 1 in the SH2.0 Pleasant Ridge House

Today marks the 1-year anniversary of my moving into the Starter Home 2.0 Pleasant Ridge project as a first time home owner, so I wanted to take some time in this blog post to reflect on some of the lessons learned from the unique experience I've had of living in a house I designed and how it has shaped my worldview the past 12-months.

3 Lessons Learned from a Year Living in the Starter Home 2.0 House

1. The Importance of Ownership: Over the past few years, I've read multiple articles claiming Millennials to be the 'renter' generation, suggesting (wrongly, in my opinion) that owning a home is no longer a good long-term investment. However, even if that were the case, I would argue the greatest benefit I have experienced as a homeowner, is the psychological boost it has given me to want to care for and improve my surroundings, whether it is the interior of the home, the yard, or the surrounding community. It is almost as if there is some sort of built-in trigger about being physically and emotionally invested in a place that compels homeowners to constantly want to better the environment in which they live, something that is critical to the development of strong neighborhoods, and something I never experienced as a renter.
2. The Freedom of Closeness: I think there is some hesitation for people buying homes in urban neighborhoods because they are nervous about the close proximity of surrounding buildings taking away the freedoms they have living in isolation somewhere out in suburbia. That said, living in an urban environment where I've been able to walk to restaurants, bars, shops, church, the park, the rec center, the bus stop, and get from my house to my office in 5-minutes has made for an incredibly freeing lifestyle if you ask me.
3. How to Be a Good Tour Guide: Whether it's been neighbors, friends, family, colleagues, or appraisers, it's been very flattering to have numerous people reach out to me over the past year with an interest in getting a tour of the Pleasant Ridge house I designed. In the process, I feel like I've become better able to articulate the story of the Starter Home 2.0 project and play off of the emotional reaction it evokes in others as they experience the different spaces throughout the property.

Overall, it's been a really great year and I'm interested and excited to see what this blog post and the Starter Home 2.0 project at-large looks like come September 30, 2017.

A LITTLE MORE

More Space, More Light

After reviewing the initial draft of the construction drawing set and going through another iteration of furniture test fits for the Oakley Home 2.0 project, I came to the realization this past week that the plans were coming up just a little short space-wise. As a result, I made the decision to extend the plan another 2'-8" in length to provide some more square footage to the living, dining, kitchen and master suite above. I also added a double casement window near the dining area, to provide additional light and views for the home's primary gathering space. While 32" might not seem like all that much, I think it will make a huge difference in the feel and function of these spaces when they get built and will be well worth the additional upfront cost. Below is an updated perspective and a furniture plan showing the new and improved layout.

WET BASEMENTS, DRY BASEMENTS

Sump Pumps Revisited

On August 28, the Cincinnati Neighborhoods of Pleasant Ridge and Oakley were among the hardest hit by what was classified as the city's 100-year flood after hours of non-stop torrential rain. When the storms subsided, well over 1,000 homes were flooded, many for the first time in their histories. Not being home at the time all this was happening, I was definitely concerned about what I would find when I walked down the basement steps the next day, especially after seeing images like the one below posted by local residents.

Fortunately, when I got back home and went downstairs the following morning, I was pleased to discover a bone dry basement. While living on top of a ridge certainly helped the situation. I have to give a lot of credit to the sump pump, which kicks on whenever any water builds up around the base of the foundation, preventing it from making its way into the house.

Below is a close-up of what the inside of the sump pump looks like along with a section detail showing how the drainage pipe around the foundation ties into the sump tank that discharges the water outside the house. 

MASTER BREAKDOWN

Oakley Home Master Suite Design

When giving tours of the Starter Home 2.0 Pleasant Ridge house to friends, family and other acquaintances this past year, I've received positive feedback on everything ranging from its walkable location, to the clean exterior design, to the open plan layout. However, the singular feature that has evoked the biggest 'Wow!' reaction has undoubtedly been the master suite, something that the vast majority of homes in Cincinnati's streetcar suburbs (whether Pleasant Ridge, Oakley, or even Hyde Park) simply do not have. The SH2.0 Pleasant Ridge suite, complete with double sinks, a spacious shower, and dedicated linen and walk-in closets is able to not only satisfy the desires of an individual homeowner like myself, but more significantly, those of couples with children as well. Fortunately, I have been able to successfully incorporate all of these features on an even larger scale into the design of the SH2.0 Oakley master suite, with the Bedroom, Bathroom and Closet elements described in greater detail below.

The Bedroom: At 220 square feet and 35% larger than the Pleasant Ridge master bedroom, the plan layout for this area of the home provides ample space for a queen/king size bed with night stands, a credenza and miscellaneous additional furniture pieces. 9' high ceilings and 6' tall windows facing east will allow the warm morning light to pour into the room when desired and the wall area between the door to the bathroom and walk-in closet makes for the perfect flat screen TV location..

The Bathroom: Featuring a 6' wide double vanity, 4'x3' shower enclosure with glass door and floor to ceiling tile, as well as a tucked away toilet for some additional privacy, the SH2.0 Oakley master bathroom is a whopping 50% larger than that of the original SH2.0 Pleasant Ridge plan, which is quite spacious in its own right.

The Closets: Despite the fact that my linen closet turned into a running shoe rack at the Pleasant Ridge house (I do have linens, they are just all in the hallway linen closet), I've still managed to make effective use of the master suite closets pictured below. Whether the Oakley house linen closet actually gets used for that purpose, I'm not sure. However, the walk-in closet with 35% more floor area than than what is currently in the Pleasant Ridge property is definitely a nice bonus to the suite.

Please note that specific finishes, casework and accessories are still to be determined, but will definitely be blogged about when those selections are made.