How is this NOT a capital offense?

This morning, I was walking around the neighborhood where I get my hair cut. There are some lovely examples of well-loved Craftsman homes there. And then there was this:

No, that shop is not in front of and overlapping that old Craftsman house . . .

. . . that shop is actually built onto the house, cutting it in two!

Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, how is this not a capital offense? Who would commit such an act of depravity upon an innocent house?



The blog, Casa Decrepit, has an excellent post called Crimes Against Victorians. As you see above, the humble Craftsman bungalow is no less under attack than the stately Victorian.



On a leisurely stroll today alone, I observed:

Why? Why so much white paint? Why so much pointy fencing? Why so much stucco? Why so many satellite dishes? Why are Christmas lights still up? Why are there two white lions on the porch? (I couldn't get a good picture of the lions through all the fencing. But they're dutifully guarding the place.) Why? Why? Why?

Also on my walk today, I saw this nice house:

This is the kind of house that makes me want to invite myself in and get to know the people who live there.

And then there's this house, right next door:

The sad thing is, viewed side by side, they look like they may have started out as sister-houses:

It happens in so many families; one good girl, one shameless hussy.

The house on the left also displays not just one, but two fine sculptures like this:

I know, I should contain my cattiness a little. But was this really necessary?

Sometimes, a crime against a Craftsman can be as simple as the perceived need for a security door and bars on the windows:

Our house came with three security doors, one in the front and two in the back. As a special bonus, one of them came with a bullet hole. In its day, the bullet hole was the highlight of the tour. Alas, that door is gone now.

The opposite of protecting yourself with a steel door is surrounding yourself with glass:

I'm not sure why anyone would want to enclose their porch behind a big glass window. I don't even see any orchids, though they don't appear to have a green thumb anyway.

And speaking of green, closer to my own home (around the corner), I offer this:

Isn't there a rule about using three colors on a house exterior? Aside from the siding and trim, couldn't the stones on the pillars have been the third color? Did the stones have to be green as well?

Is there a house in your neighborhood that is more sinned against than sinning? Send me a photo along with any catty comments you'd like to include. I'd love to post a nationwide crime-spree. No prizes, just links - unless you want to get really catty and prefer to remain anonymous.

You can send the gory evidence to why.s999 at Yahoo.com.