Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks - Gizmodo Comments

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

olivius — Sat, 17 May 2008 05:24:33 EDT

for me, it has no privacy at all n its space look bit limit~
however, it gave a sense of modern~XD

olivius

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

not2techy — Sun, 11 May 2008 00:55:21 EDT

I'd get curtains, and to h#11 with the architect's sensibility. That place would definitely be getting curtains.

not2techy

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

Eric Merrill — Sat, 10 May 2008 15:28:11 EDT

Glad none of you guys like it. More for me!

I happen to be in love. The first floor should be some kinda bike/motorcycle/vespa parking mixed with a bathroom though. Drive in, pee, go upstairs to the fun.

Eric Merrill

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

bosskev — Sat, 10 May 2008 00:00:30 EDT

Oh, c'mon, Munch, be a sport with SuperCollider. It's only a whine tab.

bosskev

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

Munch the BanNail — Fri, 09 May 2008 22:18:34 EDT

@SuperCollider: Dude - It took you 90 seconds to click a link, hit CTRL F, type the word 'popcorn' and read 50 words? That 90 seconds you wasted should be the least of your concerns, man

Munch the BanNail

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

whiteoak — Fri, 09 May 2008 20:36:25 EDT

hmmm... I think one of the reasons for having alleys is that the space helps slow the spread of fire from one building to the next.

whiteoak

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

SuperCollider — Fri, 09 May 2008 16:33:02 EDT

@Munch: That's about 90 seconds you owe me, Munch. I'm gonna go ahead and start a tab.

SuperCollider

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

k4ffy — Fri, 09 May 2008 16:21:03 EDT

uhh. there's an unenclosed shower in the bedroom, right next to the TOILET

k4ffy

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

bosskev — Fri, 09 May 2008 16:17:36 EDT

@allstarecho: "...I'd use the street level room as a garage for the car."

Motorcycle, maybe. At 7'10" wide, even if you could get your car to squeeze in without scraping your mirrors, you probably wouldn't be able to open the car door for entry/exit. Unless your car's a convertible, in which case you could just scramble across the hood and flop over the dashboard...in full, laughable view of everybody.

bosskev

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

jimbosmithy — Fri, 09 May 2008 16:17:10 EDT

Alleyways usually have a function, that's why they're there. Now how're the garbage trucks going to pick up that garbage?

jimbosmithy

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

allstarecho — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:50:51 EDT

@The_Duck: The glass doors swing open. Look at the pics of it on the site it came from.

Since I don't need a workspace, and one floor is already a living room, I'd use the street level room as a garage for the car.

allstarecho

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

Numb-Nuts619 — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:32:41 EDT

No one has even commented on the fact that your neighbors can see you fornicate!

But hey if your good enough you can even charge your neighbors!

Numb-Nuts619

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

Munch the BanNail — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:27:59 EDT

@lillian27: Crap. Maybe that's why they rebuilt it, lol.

Munch the BanNail

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

FiveLiters — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:26:26 EDT

Or,if you're more the traditional type:
[www.thelittlehouse.ca]

FiveLiters

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

tamoko — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:03:44 EDT

@designguybrown: Kind of like those pod hotels the Japanese use... all the comforts of home, in a 6 X 3 box.

tamoko

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

tamoko — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:02:35 EDT

It's an interesting idea. I can see this in third world cities in the coming decades, hell even here in La, New york or Miami. Gibsonesque shanty towns filling up all the cracks and available spaces; stacking to fill the areas that others have abandoned.

Micro living is a cool concept, but i agree with most of the other commentors - It takes some getting used to, and definetley isn't for everyone.

tamoko

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

infmom — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:55:54 EDT

Wow, and I thought those Japanese pod hotels were bad.

infmom

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

ka1axy — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:53:56 EDT

Baths on the roof are going to be cold in winter. And I second the comment about next to the bed not being a great place for the toilet.

I think they need one more level for a real bathroom.

ka1axy

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

PeterSimpson — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:48:21 EDT

Going to be a mite cold taking the morning bath in the winter.

And I second the comment about the toilet next to the bed.

I think they need one more level for bathroom.

PeterSimpson

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

designguybrown — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:42:44 EDT

I suppose that it could always be the 'downtown place' - y'know the one that supplements the country home with stables. You stay here three weeknights every week and then go to the other place when claustrophobia sinks in - saves on the 90-minute commute everyday i guess.... you could probably clean the entire place from top bottom in a few hours... nice to be walking distance to good currys, thai, and nightlife..
((sorry - i am reaching -- it does kinda make me want to give up my will to live))

designguybrown

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

brutek — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:36:01 EDT

Make the lowest level a tunnel for cars & trucks and this could work (if building codes aren't violated with this and/or adjacent buildings).

brutek

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

vote Obama — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:29:55 EDT

what a horrible place to live

vote Obama

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

lillian27 — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:29:21 EDT

@lillian27:
Eh! Darn link. How about this:

[en.wikipedia.org]

lillian27

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

lostarchitect — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:28:13 EDT

the problem is that most of those alleys are air shafts for the adjacent buildings, at least in new york. you CAN'T build in them. Also, you'd be building on the lotline, so you'd need fireproof walls which would make the place even more narrow. no thanks.

lostarchitect

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

lillian27 — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:27:51 EDT

@Munch:

I like the train station in Wheaton, kinda Richardsonian Romanesque in style. It says it was rebuilt and I wonder what the original looked like.

lillian27

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

kahri — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:27:35 EDT

kahri

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

The_Duck — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:21:22 EDT

How did they get the furniture up to those higher levels? I'm guessing the couch and bed were not carried up that spiral staircase. Was the furniture placed in during construction? If so, what happens if you want to update your furniture? (New slip cover for the couch perhaps?) And what happens if just a year or so down the road one of your neighboring buildings (aka one of your walls) should be slated for demolition?

Part of me likes this idea, but I just don't think it has been very well thought out.

The_Duck

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

DustyButt — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:20:04 EDT

To everyone who says that this micro living looks neat... WHATEVER.

It gets old when you do it day after day after day after day after day...

And you realize how much you pay for a place that shrinks exponentially if you bring in anything that wasn't there before hand.

DustyButt

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

Isoko — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:19:28 EDT

Looks awesome, but kinda dangerous. Imagine getting out of the tub, and slipping on soap. That would be a hard fall

Isoko

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

bosskev — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:17:19 EDT

SO sorry for that one! Apologies to all.

bosskev

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

bosskev — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:16:40 EDT

@kahri: "ever been awakened by the sudden urge to pee?"
Well, sure. Isn't that what mattress pads are for?

bosskev

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

kahri — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:10:34 EDT

@bosskev: ever been awakened by the sudden urge to pee? Now just some good aiming and you're back to sleep.

kahri

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

ANoel — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:09:49 EDT

Throw in some more beds and hot chicks...
looks like someone ripped the face off a Amsterdam whorehouse.

ANoel

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

Curves — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:09:46 EDT

I have friends in NY who live in an apartment about the square footage of my closets. I am not streamlined enough to give up that kind of space. All what youre used to I guess.

Curves

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

Darrone — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:08:42 EDT

@bosskev: Making it by far the best college dorm style.

Darrone

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

bosskev — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:05:31 EDT

I was kind of diggin' it. Fun. Funky. Inventive. That is, until I went to the link and saw just where they had placed the toilet...shoved up next to the bed, inches away from your pillow. Umm, no.
[www.archinect.com]
For whatever reason the photo won't embed, so hit the link above.

bosskev

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

qbrad — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:05:12 EDT

Can anyone say "Fifth Element"? It's just like the block where Cobin Dallas lived. Wow, Luc Beson, you're a futurist!

qbrad

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

kahri — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:04:46 EDT

so living in a box in an alley is new? I keeed, I keeed.

kahri

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

bobman1235 — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:03:06 EDT

Or... you could.... move out of the city, perhaps?

Why anyone would want to cram themselves in with OTHER people is beyond me. There's still plenty of space out there.

bobman1235

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

Drew Draws nothing of merit — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:00:11 EDT

You know, I was just thinking to myself the other day "what we really need in big cities is less open space and more high-priced, minuscule, reptile-house styled apartments", and TA-DA!

Drew Draws nothing of merit

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

DeadWriter — Fri, 09 May 2008 13:58:43 EDT

I'd live like this. I like the idea of micro living. I'd want a fireman's pole and I'd move the stairs to the back.

Where's the fire escape?

DeadWriter

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

loogee — Fri, 09 May 2008 13:51:54 EDT

This is pretty hot.

I can definitely see this being a way of rethinking luxury living without having a big impact on an environment. It reminds me of the railroad style apartments in Brooklyn.

loogee

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

DustyButt — Fri, 09 May 2008 13:50:36 EDT

I'd rather have a palacial estate in SixthToe Arkansas than live in that over-priced, over-glorified shoebox.

Of course... I live in DC, so I just made a completely hypocritical comment. But, I'm getting out if the rat-race one day! I'm selling my shoebox/condo and LEAVING... I swear!

DustyButt

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

Zan — Fri, 09 May 2008 13:45:03 EDT

its like somekinda Bruce Lee 8 levels of death home game

Zan

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

Munch the BanNail — Fri, 09 May 2008 13:42:39 EDT

I've seen better uses for an alley...

[en.wikipedia.org]

Find the word 'Popcorn' and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Munch the BanNail

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

Hand_O_Death — Fri, 09 May 2008 13:38:18 EDT

I'd leterally buy that for a dollar, any more and it is not worth it.

Hand_O_Death

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

Kaiser-Machead's Chips Ahoy! — Fri, 09 May 2008 13:37:30 EDT

It's cool and depressing at the same time. It's like living in stacked U-Haul trailers.

Kaiser-Machead's Chips Ahoy!

Alley House Brings Luxury Living to Cockroach Cracks

Darrone — Fri, 09 May 2008 13:36:35 EDT

Add an epiphany toilet next to that bathtub, and I'm sold.

It reminds me of the hookers in Amsterdam. Maybe you go up a level every time you request something weird. Definitely don't want to go to that top level.

Darrone