<p>I love “your” house CountingDown - but for .5 million could they not pave the driveway!!?? </p>
<p>Half a million in the bay area might get you a bedroom…</p>
<p>I spent a great deal of my childhood sitting in a doug fir in our backyard.
This is very appealing to me.
<a href=“Would You Live in a Treehouse? - The Atlantic”>http://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/383163/adults-who-live-in-tree-houses/</a></p>
<p>Bromfield2, you had me at “Nantucket”. :::::::::swoon::::::::::
And the St. Michael’s MD cottage…adorable.</p>
<p>The Christies real estate sites are dripping with droolable architecture. The ultimate in lottery fantasies involves the purchase of a Paris apartment and filling it with all the antiques and paintings I can dig up in St Germaine and the First. And don’t let me get started on my Chateau.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.prestigeproperty.co.uk/property/134498/French-Chateau-Creuse-23-France/”>http://www.prestigeproperty.co.uk/property/134498/French-Chateau-Creuse-23-France/</a></p>
<p>:) PRICE REDUCED!!</p>
<p>The allure of the affordable is lost on many of us in California. However, I do at times “dream” about cashing in on my own house here. (but frankly i still love it in CA). France is the only place that has a marginally affordable pull on my heart strings. </p>
<p>here’s one I could afford if I sold my house here!</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.prestigeproperty.co.uk/property/171828/French-Chateau-Sarthe-72-France/”>http://www.prestigeproperty.co.uk/property/171828/French-Chateau-Sarthe-72-France/</a></p>
<p>I love the Seattle Craftsman that Abasket posted. There are a few Craftsman style homes where I live but none were on the market when we bought and there is part of me that wishes we had held out and rented longer. A small cottage version would make a lovely retirement home. I’m surprised they don’t do any new construction in this style. My region is loaded with big colonial style development homes, not my thing at all but I guess it is popular.</p>
<p>Musicamusica, and even if you tire of the chateau you still have:
</p>
<p>If I felt could maintain more than one home, (and I won the lottery) I’d like a Horta house in Brussels.</p>
<p>I like where I live. The middle of nowhere. A mid 19th c house that was untouched from the time it was built till we acquired it after it had been empty 40 years. We have outbuildings. This project has turned into my entire bucket list. I am working on the “cook house”</p>
<p>Exactly @Deborah T . I am from California so I NEED an Orangery. But I do wonder what sort of upkeep a moat requires. How do you find a good moat guy?</p>
<p><a href=“MPs' expenses: what does it take to maintain a moat?”>MPs' expenses: what does it take to maintain a moat?;
<p>I am too exhausted to even think about maintaining a moat. However, if I were still in my 30s… :)</p>
<p>I only want a castle if it hasn’t been remodeled. I’m using heavy hangings to keep out the cold and damp. I’m not even going to think about plumbing.</p>
<p>Lately, I’ve been contemplating telling some folks who will need to sleep in outbuildings, “don’t even think about plumbing. It’s just not authentic.” </p>
<p>hahahaha @deborah t ONLY on CC.</p>
<p>My dream city house is for sale just a couple of blocks and a lottery win away:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.berkshirehathawayhs.com/American-Heritage-Real-Estate-IL308/homes-for-sale/1224-N-Astor-Street-Chicago-IL-60610-99745221”>http://www.berkshirehathawayhs.com/American-Heritage-Real-Estate-IL308/homes-for-sale/1224-N-Astor-Street-Chicago-IL-60610-99745221</a></p>
<p>There are a LOT of $1M+ houses in St. Michael’s, several within a couple blocks of this place (and all built within the past ten years). Not sure why this one is comparatively reasonable, though 1700 sq ft of house and .2 acre lot probably has a lot to do with it. It’s 80 miles from downtown DC across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, so not really commutable. OTOH, it is a high-end area for weekend houses and such. Pretty historical little town, lots of B&Bs. I love the porches, kitchen and the upstairs office (craft room).</p>
<p>While the house is smaller than ours (which is what I’d want) and the yard is low-maintenance, the price is higher than our current place (not good if we want to be mortgage free in retirement). But it’s nice to think about… 
</p>
<p>@Hanna I love the kitchen with the fireplace</p>
<p>I was trying to use a photo of our bungalow cottage as my avatar, but now I can’t post anything!</p>
<p>One reason why we bought in the city, ( besides the short commute) was because I liked the detailing and materials used in older homes.
Sadly, while not in my immediate neighborhood, but elsewhere- charm is being sacrificed for density and sq footage.
Compared to what is really going up, the new home in the photo isn’t bad. It looks like the builder at least tried to blend in with the neighborhood.
But a few streets down, we have split levels which look really odd, and condos with windows loking into each other.
<a href=“http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Bungalows-biting-dust-for-suburban-size-homes-1228698.php”>http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Bungalows-biting-dust-for-suburban-size-homes-1228698.php</a></p>
<p>Im drawn to the contemporary rooms, but I would need someone to follow me around 24/7, cause I like everything to be out where I can see it.
I actually prefer cozy I guess.
<a href=“Pamela Pearce Design | Pacific NW Interior Designer | Bellevue, Seattle”>http://pamelapearcedesign.com/nw_contemporary.php</a></p>
<p>LOL for half of million, you can only get this in Berkeley. Of which I was over bid by 30+K, this house will be sold over 550K. Here is the deal, this is a house so called “fix upper”, where the roof, the sub floor and the walls must be replace, so are the kitchen and bath. Lots of mold due to the roof leak. Of course, the plumbing, electric and sewer have to be replaced as well. However, with almost 6000sf, it is considered a LARGE lot…</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1256-Hopkins-St-Berkeley-CA-94702/24841443_zpid/”>http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1256-Hopkins-St-Berkeley-CA-94702/24841443_zpid/</a></p>
<p>So basically it’s a tear-down, because they don’t even have pictures of the interior on the listing. There’s one in my neighborhood listed at $1.6 million. I guess they figure they can fit two fancy townhouses onto the lot. “Bring your investors!”</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.berkshirehathawayhs.com/American-Heritage-Real-Estate-IL308/homes-for-sale/334-W-Schiller-Street-Chicago-IL-60610-130540498”>http://www.berkshirehathawayhs.com/American-Heritage-Real-Estate-IL308/homes-for-sale/334-W-Schiller-Street-Chicago-IL-60610-130540498</a></p>
<p>Hanna, is that a super fabulous location?</p>