If you've been reading C&H for any length of time, you probably know that I'm just a little obsessed with books and bookshelves. I'd love to have a library in my dream home, complete with floor-to-ceiling shelves. And who can forget the odyssey with the salvaged Borders bookshelf? (By the way - it was well worth the insane effort!)
So when I stumbled across a house built of bookcases, I had to share. According to a post written by our friends at Bit Rebels, the house was created in Japan a few years ago by a designer named Nendo.
Look closely, and you'll notice that bookshelves were used to create exterior walls. There's an additional overhang to help protect the books from the elements, as well as a cozy spot of floor that makes a great place to plop down with a good book.
One of our favorite animated movies of all-time is "UP", and central to the movie is the house that the old man decided to move with him as he went exploring.
You can now see a real life version of this home in Harriman, Utah, built by Blair Bangerter, a son of Norman H. Bangerter, who served as governor of Utah from 1985 to 1993. The younger Mr. Bangerter first saw "Up" two years ago. A longtime animation buff, he said that he was thrilled that the film gave a starring role to his other passion -houses - and became preoccupied with replicating the colorful Victorian in real life.
By and large, one of the hardest parts of successfully gentrifying an area is actually picking the right location. Between existing neighborhood conditions, rehabilitation projects, attracting like-minded new residents and later profitable businesses, finding the proper balance in between both the controllable and uncontrollable forces is no simple task.
So there may come a time when despite your best efforts, gentrification is no longer a viable option for your neighborhood. Maybe there was too much backlash from existing residents, or not enough potential for business establishment or growth, or you can't seem to find anyone else willing to move to your area. It might also be as simple as your personal ability to keep up with everything -- maybe you run out of money or stamina, or you have kids and need to get to a better school district or have a bigger home. Whatever the reason, it is completely possible that you may have to tally your losses and move on.
Now that we've not only looked at the definition of gentrification, the socio-political-economic reasons why it happens, and the pros and cons of the phenomenon, it's time to talk about what that means to you, the average DIY enthusiast.
The tricky thing about gentrification is that you may not notice that that's what you're looking at when potentially buying a home to renovate. Often, it's so easy to get caught up in the potential of a property (or neighborhood) that you might forget to look around objectively and take in your surroundings outside of your ideal mental picture.
