esrosedotblog

YARDS

We are getting a lot of new construction here.

You have to know that technically we are a city, but it is country with a concentration of civilization. Wild, wilderness all around the 'settlement'

It is hard to miss the fact that the developers are really packing the houses into the subdivisions.

Most individual homes are built with as little side setback as possible. One, near us, but not too near us, has zero sideyard and this is for million dollar plus houses.

But, we have always been amazed at the way Californians who have all the space in the world, sort of, use up all the available lot space with HOUSE!

We are fortunate or think we are. We have a fenced front yard, a sizable side patio which we can eat on and a back yard which, even taking out the pool, is way larger than the house itself.

There is a lot of room for the dog to run and the dads to grow things and have separate 'outdoor rooms'.

Our neighborhood is old. In California years (about 4 eastern years) this means back to the mid fifties. About half the houses have good sized back yards. They tend to be the older ones. The newer ones have no yard room at all; maybe a pool and a patio but no more.

There are whole neighborhoods that have no yard but back onto a golf course or a common 'lawn' and pool area. These are condo houses.

Many of the mid-fifties houses use up an incredible amount of front yard with driveway. Californian's addiction to their cars.

This cheek-to-jowl living just knocks me out.

Then I thought, maybe that is because I am an easterner. I am used to space. But it is funny. Back east has much less space but uses it quite differently. Big yards. Funny.

Then I wondered. Is this true? Dave is on the Zoning Board of Kingston MA. I wrote and asked what was up there; actually, what is side to side and around back.

Here is the dope. In a new house today they require 15-30 feet side setback depending on the zone. Keerist. That would wipe these guys out here out! The lots are probably not that big in some cases.

I asked about history. Yard size goes along a time line. It is the same as here really. Really old houses have big yards. Houses built prior to zoning got way small yards. That is one reason why zoning was put in, I suppose.

Dave says that subdivisions, small ones in their case, are like here. Near zero side setback.

What gives?

This idea of filling your lot up to near overflow with house is very strange. As a kid I grew up in yards. Where do kids play? What about dogs? What about the oldsters? No fresh air?

Conspicous consumption?

Maybe it is because we are surrounded with such wide open country. We are hunkered down. But I don't think so. Too atavistic.

And so on.

Just one more way we are all going to hell in a handbasket?

I do have to admit that we spent 10 years in a high rise apartment (with a great view) and another 12 years in various row houses in Boston. No yards. So what the hell am I complaining about?

Mostly that we moved out of the city to get to the 'burbs and the 'burbs' are turning into the city.