On Sat, 28 Jan 2006 17:20:54 GMT, "Larry L"
wrote:

(snipped)


I find it impossible to think of a 'right' reason for a aging couple with no
children at home to build and occupy a several million dollar, sprawling but
cheerless, "trophy" that feels more like a government office building,
including a 3 story high 'dome' than a home.

I can't think of one, either, but obviously the owners could and did.
Maybe they'd had too small a space to live in comfortably for most of
their life, particularly when they were children. Maybe they thought
it was some sort of requirement of their social and / or economic
class. Maybe they just liked lots and lots of pure space in some sort
of exaggeration of the Scandinavian design principles.

If they had an architect design it to their specs, they'd be as proud
of it as you would of a good pup you'd bred and trained yourself. If
they picked it from a number of already made up designs, it'd still be
their personal choice and they'd have emotion invested in it as well
as money.

I think this would be all very much more important to the nouveau
riche than to old money types. They can finally have dreams they'd
never thought to achieve. And they want others to see and share them
or at least admire them.

I have trouble with the prairie palaces, too, but my own dreams of
living space would be more based on what a house would look / be like
if you took two to four double or triple wide trailers and joined them
in an L or quadrangle space as a model. I, too, would have more space
than anyone needs, but it'd be all on one level. Though given a
choice between land space and housing space, I'd go for more land
space around me every time. Personal choice / preference.

Stairways are my big gripe about the newer architecture. Steps should
be wide enough, even carpeted, that at least women (though I'd prefer
it for men, too) be able to put a foot straight on the step and have
the foot entirely on it without having to angle the foot or step just
on the balls of the feet. I've seen some so narrow that they're going
to be very hard for older folks (which all are apt to become with time
and luck) to walk down carefully. And that's without any carpeting.
Architects and builders want to show so much space in the rooms that
they aren't willing to use it up for stairways.

Ah, well, interior space is the fashion now. It'll change. It
always does.