A house from the 40's would often have "double-coursed" shingles. Two layers of extra long cedar shingles which allowed a much increased "exposure". This install method was popular from the 1920's into the 1950's. Often the asbestos plank siding (or aluminum, steel or vinyl) were applied over the cedar shingles to avoid having to repaint every so many years. In Seattle, with the moisture, it's tough to get long life out of paint. But, the original cedar shingle siding under the asbestos could be in good shape. Cedar will last 100 years with a good install and roof overhangs. Could be much cheaper to salvage than a rip-off and cementitious siding install. The shingle products you showed will look good to many, but will make some of us cringe - if you deviate too far from the original minimalist intent of the mid-century house. Too much embellishment on a mid-century screams I don't know what I'm doing. I'd at least go with the cementitious shingles installed evenly and not with the "cottage look" uneven install, which might look cute on a 1910 house but could be kitschy on a 1940s house. Careful with measuring the windows yourself. You can slap trim and caulk on a bad measurement, but the long term waterproofness of the wall will suffer.
What they don’t want is three more cars per lot with no off street parking, the original off street parking eliminated, making for an unpleasant, overcrowded neighborhood with 5 cars total per lot, all parked in the street, and the units so close you hear your neighbors talking and the toilet flush. (been there, done that, it’s not a pleasant way to live) Don’t expect public transportation to solve any issues because we don’t do that Accessory dwelling units might have seemed like a good idea, but they aren’t if you live there, especially if they keep growing larger than the area of the lot supports
I just purchased my first home a week before the zoning announcements and it's now in a proposed LR2 zone. I have mixed feelings. On one hand, I'm excited to see our city address a real problem, and I hope it means better public transportation for the neighborhood will follow. On the other hand, the city is telling me that my single-family home really should be something else, and that I shouldn't get too comfortable. With this, I expect that the already desirable neighborhoods will become even more competitive in the future as density increases around them. I also hope we can keep some of the aesthetic of changing neighborhoods alive and maybe split some existing homes into multiple-unit homes rather than just tearing them down and copy/pasting the same new construction. There is a balance to be found between the utilitarian need to create enough homes for everyone and in creating spaces where people want to live. Looking at Vancouver, BC as a potential example of this where there are apartments/condos in neighborhoods that were once single-family homes. And importantly in Vancouver, a very residential downtown.
A house from the 40's would often have "double-coursed" shingles. Two layers of extra long cedar shingles which allowed a much increased "exposure". This install method was popular from the 1920's into the 1950's. Often the asbestos plank siding (or aluminum, steel or vinyl) were applied over the cedar shingles to avoid having to repaint every so many years. In Seattle, with the moisture, it's tough to get long life out of paint. But, the original cedar shingle siding under the asbestos could be in good shape. Cedar will last 100 years with a good install and roof overhangs. Could be much cheaper to salvage than a rip-off and cementitious siding install. The shingle products you showed will look good to many, but will make some of us cringe - if you deviate too far from the original minimalist intent of the mid-century house. Too much embellishment on a mid-century screams I don't know what I'm doing. I'd at least go with the cementitious shingles installed evenly and not with the "cottage look" uneven install, which might look cute on a 1910 house but could be kitschy on a 1940s house.
Careful with measuring the windows yourself. You can slap trim and caulk on a bad measurement, but the long term waterproofness of the wall will suffer.
The offset is interesting. I would ask if they have installed it on a home nearby that you can drive past
What they don’t want is three more cars per lot with no off street parking, the original off street parking eliminated, making for an unpleasant, overcrowded neighborhood with 5 cars total per lot, all parked in the street, and the units so close you hear your neighbors talking and the toilet flush. (been there, done that, it’s not a pleasant way to live)
Don’t expect public transportation to solve any issues because we don’t do that
Accessory dwelling units might have seemed like a good idea, but they aren’t if you live there, especially if they keep growing larger than the area of the lot supports
The offset is nice, but like you said it could look a little “off” I think the plain normal pattern would be better.
I just purchased my first home a week before the zoning announcements and it's now in a proposed LR2 zone. I have mixed feelings. On one hand, I'm excited to see our city address a real problem, and I hope it means better public transportation for the neighborhood will follow. On the other hand, the city is telling me that my single-family home really should be something else, and that I shouldn't get too comfortable.
With this, I expect that the already desirable neighborhoods will become even more competitive in the future as density increases around them.
I also hope we can keep some of the aesthetic of changing neighborhoods alive and maybe split some existing homes into multiple-unit homes rather than just tearing them down and copy/pasting the same new construction. There is a balance to be found between the utilitarian need to create enough homes for everyone and in creating spaces where people want to live. Looking at Vancouver, BC as a potential example of this where there are apartments/condos in neighborhoods that were once single-family homes. And importantly in Vancouver, a very residential downtown.