User profile

Status:
Name: Jerry Gropp
Nickname: Jerry
Member since: 2009-05-05 00:09:30
Website URL: http://jgropp2.googlepages.com/alterationsanadditions
About me: I'm a long-time Seattle area residential architect specializing in Pacific NorthWest Contemporary single-family homes per my WebSite- As you can see from this, most of my design work is in the PNW although I've designed homes as far afield as Hawaii and Argentina. I often work with local homebuyers in evaluating possible purchases before the sale as well as advising how the homes being considered can be adapted to the families involved after the purchase. This is usually especially helpful and takes into account many factors including Building Codes, ease of maintenance, etc. Here's a link describing the above: "Informal" Home Inspections-My experienced architect help in evaluating a home purchase. http://tinyurl.com/lywxd6
 

User comments

The Fed's new GFE Helping to Insure Consumers Get 'It'?

August 26th, 2009 at 11:04 am

Dustin- Said “followup comment notifier plugin” is useful to us Commenters. LottaLiving.com has a very good one. JG

The Fed's new GFE Helping to Insure Consumers Get 'It'?

August 24th, 2009 at 7:11 pm

“restoring sanity to reasonable lending guidelines and rational lending decisions” is exactly what I mean when I say “normalizing“.. JG

The Fed's new GFE Helping to Insure Consumers Get 'It'?

August 24th, 2009 at 5:27 pm

I’ve been practicing residential architecture for a long time and I’m very glad to see efforts made to normalize the mortgage situation. JG

Lawyers Provide Better Representation - Part 1 of 4

August 10th, 2009 at 4:18 pm

This should make a good topic. I’ve wondered about the same thing myself. JG

Starter homes you can STAY in

August 8th, 2009 at 5:08 pm

Further thoughts now that I’m near Durango, CO enroute Santa Fe with working internet. The other night we stayed with friends in Baker City, OR where $350M was top of the market unlike our Mercer Island where it’s the absolute bottom. I like the thought that smaller homes are worth cherishing. A great essay Ardell!

Go Ahead, Make My Day

August 1st, 2009 at 3:16 pm

Seems like the Real Estate profession is being infected by the same virus as is the Architect profession. We’re both being beset by ever-increasing hordes of regulation writers. To some of the younger practicioners, this all seems normal- which is really frightening. JG

Moving to Seattle - Bridges and Traffic

July 24th, 2009 at 9:10 am

Mercer Island is the best way to hedge the where to live bet. I discovered this long ago in my architectural practice requiring me to be everywhere/anywhere at any time. Here’s a Google “knol” I’ve just written on the subject (Click) http://tinyurl.com/nkfsmp

Collaboration: The important DNA in any small business

July 23rd, 2009 at 10:15 am

David’s “Real Estate remains an army of one” is true- as far as it goes. It’s that way with my very personal old-fashioned T-Square plan drawing. At a certain point, however, I have to hand it over to the Contractor and his Sub-Contractors while keeping a firm hand on the execution of the Client-approved Design Concepts. So the “army of one” at this point becomes rather larger.

Collaboration: The important DNA in any small business

July 23rd, 2009 at 10:05 am

Tim- Please fix the above typo- “suject” and then delete this. Thanks. Jerry-

Collaboration: The important DNA in any small business

July 23rd, 2009 at 9:57 am

Working as a sole practicioner all these years, I’ve found the preceding “discussion” of great interest. I’ve just wriiten a Google “knol” on the suject with an example of same: “Collaboration- an important concept. The architect needs a team to make his projects into reality”. Here’s a link- (Click) http://tinyurl.com/nrmqnc

Collaboration: The important DNA in any small business

July 23rd, 2009 at 6:20 am

A good discussion above- but Tim and David are talking past each other. They’re both right.

Are We Facing A Housing Shortage?

July 23rd, 2009 at 5:57 am

Chuck- as to: “single family houses or condominiums – those seem to be increasingly two different worlds”- twas ever thus. I’ve always had trouble with including both under “housing” per se. Jerry

Are We Facing A Housing Shortage?

July 22nd, 2009 at 4:34 pm

David-
There are a lot of interesting thoughts in what you’ve just posted- in particular:
“The post is about facing a housing shortage. There is a lot of chatter on the internet and in Real Estate offices that as construction stops we will eventually run out of new The post is about facing a housing shortage. There is a lot of chatter on the internet and in Real Estate offices that as construction stops we will eventually run out of new construction inventory. The theory is if we stop creating supply the demand will catch up”.

It’s apparent to me as a long-time custom home architect: with all the foreclosed houses available at discounted prices, realtors and architects’ customer/clients have no incentive to build new and/or remodel until said construction inventory is worked off. However buying off the bargain shelf is the smart thing to do using the savings to upgrade the perhaps fortunate purchase.

Collaboration: The important DNA in any small business

July 22nd, 2009 at 4:08 pm

Tim- This fits your “Collaboration: The important DNA in any small business” thesis so well expressed above. Ray Brandes and I created a lot of custom homes together.

Click here: A long-term architect-builder relationship. – a knol by Jerry Gropp Architect AIA

Are We Facing A Housing Shortage?

July 21st, 2009 at 4:28 pm

As to: “We have spent more concern for the Monorail than having a world class destination to operate it in”- the Monorail had to come first so we can progress toward said “world class destination”.

Seattle - What's Happening "today"?

July 21st, 2009 at 4:01 pm

Would have been great to have had Twitter years ago when I was working with a dozen custom home design clients and their craftsman contractors at a time. Here’s one of them- Ray Brandes (Click)
http://tinyurl.com/nqkxv2

Mukilteo Real Estate: #10 best community in America by Money Magazine

July 21st, 2009 at 3:20 pm

Tim- Enjoyed reading your Mukilteo piece very much. We lived in Mid-Century Innis Arden and passed through Mukilteo often on our way to our weekend place on Marrowstone Island. It’s one of those on-the-water places like Edmonds that have developed well over time as we’ve seen on later trips through. I’ve designed a lot of custom homes out that way. Here’s one in Meadowdale: (click) http://tinyurl.com/m93dmk

Are We Facing A Housing Shortage?

July 21st, 2009 at 2:52 pm

Thanks for the answers, David. You’re closer to all this by far than I am (by design). As to the new redesigned RCG site, I really like the multi-subject layout and the UpDate column on the left. Your stuff is always worth reading. Jerry

Are We Facing A Housing Shortage?

July 21st, 2009 at 7:19 am

David- Please clarify these for me: JG

1- It’s all about what low level developers want. Large scale developers want concessions from a city. Low level developers pay bribes. That’s what we got, and we got to pay for it by providing amenities

2- I really don’t see the point here if the site keeps having issues.

Price per square foot revisited

July 20th, 2009 at 8:19 pm

That’s the problem with metal roofs (and metal airplanes and metal helmets) hailstorm noise. I well remember the latter from Amarillo AFB where I was stationed during WW2. I remodeled a house with rubber shakes last year- these worked out fine- hard to tell they weren’t cedar. J-

Are We Facing A Housing Shortage?

July 20th, 2009 at 4:43 pm

David- As to your: “Light Rail to connect our future slums”- this well-designed new civic acquisition goes right through Hooverville which my father took me to see. So maybe some things have gotten somewhat better in my native city.

Price per square foot revisited

July 20th, 2009 at 3:42 pm

Ardell- Here’s a link to one of my homes that we earlier had to build with a flat roof due to lot restrictions. When the original uphill owners moved on, the new ones let us to remake the roof into a low-pitched metal one. As you can see, it took a bit of doing but it was worth the effort. J-

http://tiny.cc/0L0vO