Tiny “Spite” Houses

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Continuing my interest in tiny houses, here’s a post about tiny “spite” houses.

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I came across this blog post about spite houses, which are

A building constructed or modified to irritate neighbors or other parties with land stakes. Spite houses often serve as obstructions, blocking out light or access to neighboring buildings, or as flamboyant symbols of defiance. Because long-term occupation is at best a secondary consideration, spite houses frequently sport strange and impractical structures.

A couple of the highlighted spite houses are tiny!

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The Hollensbury Spite House:
John Hollensbury vs Horse-drawn Wagons in Alexandria, Virginia 1830

More info here.

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The Skinny House: Sibling Rivalry in Boston, Massachusetts 1874

More info here.

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The Alameda Spite House:
Charles Froling vs Neighbour & the City of Alameda, California 1900s

More info here.

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The O’Reilly Spite House:
Francis O’Reilly vs Neighbour West Cambridge, Massachusetts 1908

More info here.

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The Montlake Spite House:
Typical Neighbourly Clash in Seattle, Washington 1925

More info here.

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Assorted Links

Senator John Barrasso, Republican of Wyoming, introduced legislation on Monday to block the Environmental Protection Agency from taking any action to regulate greenhouse gases to address climate change.

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Cyber thieves are actively targeting the European carbon credit market.

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UC Berkeley tops an international ranking of “greenest universities.”

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There’s no such thing as free parking.

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Assorted Links

Here’s a quick round-up of some of some of the latest stories on the controversy surrounding the installation of SmartMeters in California, especially by PG&E.

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According to an independent report by the California Council on Science and Technology, the intensity of the SmartMeters’ radiation falls well within federal limits for wireless devices.

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Pacific Gas & Electric Co. does not plan to comply with Marin County’s moratorium on the installation of its controversial wireless utility meters (aka SmartMeters).

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Marin County sherriffs announce that they will not enforce the SmartMeter ban.

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Two women were arrested in Rohnert Park, California today for blocking a truck carrying smart meters. The arrests follow two earlier, similar ones in the area.

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Assorted Links

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has proposed changes to Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims (Green Guides) that would make greenwashing more difficult.

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Starbucks has set a goal of making 100% of its cups reusable or recyclable by 2015.

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The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has upgraded its green building standards, requiring LEED Gold certification for all new federal construction and major renovations.

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The editorial page of The Sacramento Bee ran a head-to-head editorial last week discussing whether the proposed high-speed rail project in California is a valuable addition to infrastructure or a boondoggle.

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More Tiny Houses!

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We’ve highlighted tiny houses in the past – here are a few more that we’ve come across lately.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

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Fuyuhito Moriya purchased a parking space in Tokyo, and then had an ultra-small three-story home built on the 30 square meter lot (about 323 square feet). CNN has a video here.

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CNET recently ran an article on Tumbleweed Tiny Houses, which can be as small as 65 square feet. You can read the article here.

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Dwell featured a small house in Toronto, located on a street full of other small houses, due to small lot sizes. You can read the article here. The architect, Andrew Reeves of Linebox, has a blog dedicated to the project.

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Assorted Links

A climate skeptic, Representative John Shimkus of Illinois, seeks the House Energy and Commerce Committee chairmanship.

San Francisco transportation officials are facing a shortfall of at least $137 million as they try to move forward with plans for a new subway tunnel for the city’s light-rail service.

Several glazing industry associations successfully appealed changes to ASHRAE Standard 90.1 that would have reduced the amount of glass allowed in commercial building envelopes.

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Assorted Links

Drivers crossing greater downtown San Francisco and the southern border with San Mateo County could be hit with a new toll costing them as much as $1,560 a year.

Republican governors-elect intend to kill plan for new high-speed rail projects.

Levi’s is introducing a new line of jeans called Water<less, reducing water use in the manufacturing process.

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Assorted Links

GM and PG&E reassure us that electric cars won’t bring down the grid (assuming we get smart grid communications).

CNN Money on what the election means for renewable energy.

National Geographic looks at why solar energy is so expensive.

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Assorted Links

A home in Berkeley is the first in California to have permitted interior use of rainwater.

A new British law imposes fines for landlords renting out energy-inefficient property.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood talks about livable communities.

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