Every time I see Charleston & Charleston Home Magazines I find myself thinking of our hometown as just a little bit more cosmopolitan, ever so slightly hipper; I feel like the lucky local who lives and works and buys groceries in a place people write books about and save up to visit. Cool.
With features on a really great family retreat on Sullivan's Island, artistic Lowcountry couples and the new Charleston County Superintendent of Schools, check out the latest issue of Charleston magazine here: http://www.charlestonmag.com/
My favorite Charleston Home article so far extols the joys of catching, cooking and, of course, eating your own shrimp, complete with photos and recipes. Browse through the whole issue here: http://www.charlestonhomemag.com/
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Monday, August 27, 2007
Ship to Shore Housing
What an idea! I love watching innovations like this grow from a mere concept (my introduction at a neighborhood council meeting several years ago) to the first generation model (their first house built in North Charleston in 2004) to the development of a full-scale plan for best use (their hopes to capitalize on both the economic and ecologic benefits of SG Blocks). This will be fun to follow!
"Late last month, [David] Cross, 44, stood outside the ConGlobal Industries North Charleston depot surrounded by the pieces of his first official business deal for his newly formed company, SG Blocks LLC.
Four shipping containers with some missing side panels and apertures for doors and windows sat strapped to flatbed trucks. The next day, the retrofitted cargo containers would be shipped to Fort Bragg in North Carolina, where they would meet up with similarly recycled shipping containers from ConGlobal depots in Jacksonville, Fla., and Norfolk, Va. In a matter of days, the boxes would be welded together and turned into a 5,000-square-foot administrative building.
Though Cross has been at this endeavor for a number of years, with the formation of SG Blocks—the SG stands for safe and green—Cross is hoping to sell his design to the masses as an alternative to traditional housing structures.
It has taken a good deal of time, Cross admitted, to sell the public on the idea that the 4.25-ton cargo containers piling up in port cities courtesy of America’s trade deficit could be recycled into homes that have no resemblance to cargo containers.
Still, Cross is confident the steel containers can provide safer, more durable and environmentally friendly structures for homes than traditional building supplies, and simultaneously bring down homeowners’ insurance rates. "
For the full Charleston Regional Business Journal article: http://www.charlestonbusiness.com/pub/13_17/news/10109-1.html
For the SG Blocks website: http://www.sgblocks.com/
For clips from Bob Vila's show on the container houses: http://www.bobvila.com/BVTV/Bob_Vila/Video-0226-06-1.html
"Late last month, [David] Cross, 44, stood outside the ConGlobal Industries North Charleston depot surrounded by the pieces of his first official business deal for his newly formed company, SG Blocks LLC.
Four shipping containers with some missing side panels and apertures for doors and windows sat strapped to flatbed trucks. The next day, the retrofitted cargo containers would be shipped to Fort Bragg in North Carolina, where they would meet up with similarly recycled shipping containers from ConGlobal depots in Jacksonville, Fla., and Norfolk, Va. In a matter of days, the boxes would be welded together and turned into a 5,000-square-foot administrative building.
Though Cross has been at this endeavor for a number of years, with the formation of SG Blocks—the SG stands for safe and green—Cross is hoping to sell his design to the masses as an alternative to traditional housing structures.
It has taken a good deal of time, Cross admitted, to sell the public on the idea that the 4.25-ton cargo containers piling up in port cities courtesy of America’s trade deficit could be recycled into homes that have no resemblance to cargo containers.
Still, Cross is confident the steel containers can provide safer, more durable and environmentally friendly structures for homes than traditional building supplies, and simultaneously bring down homeowners’ insurance rates. "
For the full Charleston Regional Business Journal article: http://www.charlestonbusiness.com/pub/13_17/news/10109-1.html
For the SG Blocks website: http://www.sgblocks.com/
For clips from Bob Vila's show on the container houses: http://www.bobvila.com/BVTV/Bob_Vila/Video-0226-06-1.html
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Wall Street Journal Suggests "Selling Houses By the Yard"
The clever title of this article sums it up nicely. An appealing yard – which may not factor into the appraisal at all – can be very significant in the sale of a home and the price received.
"Real-estate agents say a nicely landscaped property can have a pronounced effect on the asking price of a home, depending on the region and the condition of the neighbors' yards. Doreen Drew recently sold a house in Anthem, Ariz., that had sculpted hedges, a lush lawn and a backyard waterfall for $1.1 million, nearly twice the asking price of a similar home nearby with a plainer yard.
Kathleen Wolf, a researcher at the University of Washington in Seattle, recently reviewed several regional studies that used appraisals or sales data to analyze the impact of trees on single-family home prices. She found that, overall, a lot with trees adds about 7% to a home's price. Nearly 20% of buyers say they consider landscaping to be a 'very important' factor in their decision to buy a house, according to a new study by the National Association of Realtors."
For ideas about how to go about realizing some of this landscape profit potential for your home try the "quick fixes" in this article (also from the Wall Street Journal Online): http://www.realestatejournal.com/buysell/tactics/20070821-fletcher.html?refresh=on
For the full Wall Street Journal Online article "Selling Houses By the Yard": http://www.realestatejournal.com/homegarden/20070820-fletcher.html?refresh=on
"Real-estate agents say a nicely landscaped property can have a pronounced effect on the asking price of a home, depending on the region and the condition of the neighbors' yards. Doreen Drew recently sold a house in Anthem, Ariz., that had sculpted hedges, a lush lawn and a backyard waterfall for $1.1 million, nearly twice the asking price of a similar home nearby with a plainer yard.
Kathleen Wolf, a researcher at the University of Washington in Seattle, recently reviewed several regional studies that used appraisals or sales data to analyze the impact of trees on single-family home prices. She found that, overall, a lot with trees adds about 7% to a home's price. Nearly 20% of buyers say they consider landscaping to be a 'very important' factor in their decision to buy a house, according to a new study by the National Association of Realtors."
For ideas about how to go about realizing some of this landscape profit potential for your home try the "quick fixes" in this article (also from the Wall Street Journal Online): http://www.realestatejournal.com/buysell/tactics/20070821-fletcher.html?refresh=on
For the full Wall Street Journal Online article "Selling Houses By the Yard": http://www.realestatejournal.com/homegarden/20070820-fletcher.html?refresh=on
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