Steve Jobs to Build 'The iPhone of Houses'

[Santabean2000]

This is the Mac mini of houses at best.

Wow. Some of you really are hooked on the bigger is better buzz.

Seriously, get out and see some of the world. Perspective people. The world is NOT just the US.

Anyone tootin' on these forums (including myself) can consider themselves truly blessed.

A Mac mini house..? Hardly. It's a mansion by any worldly measure.

 

[Aeolius]

The world is NOT just the US... It's a mansion by any worldly measure.

But he is building this house in the US, which apparently defines "mansion" as 8,000 sq ft or more.

 

[Santabean2000]

But he is building this house in the US, which apparently defines "mansion" as 8,000 sq ft or more.

Yep, and the average US 'car' looks more like a tank to the rest of the world.

Define your own boundaries, and call them normal. Nice.

 

[Aeolius]

Yep, and the average US 'car' looks more like a tank to the rest of the world.

Actually, I do drive a tank of sorts; a 10-passenger van with a wheelchair lift.

Define your own boundaries, and call them normal. Nice.

I never said it was normal for the "rest of the world". I was simply stating what was normally considered a mansion in the US.

As for boundaries, if money was no object I'd be living on a self-sufficient seastead out in international waters.

 

[D'Illusion]

If the garage is detached, what does he do when it's raining?

 

[JTR7]

And I recognize this awful trend, the trend of overindulgence and unnecessary opulence. That's why I'm an architecture major, to hopefully convince people like you waste is not the best option, even if you can afford it. The best spaces are often the most well designed small spaces. Clearly, you have never experienced this.

Clearly you have never experienced 4 screaming kids trying to use the same bathroom in the morning while getting ready for school. You seem to be emphasizing form over function. And who defines "overindulgence" and "unnecessary opulence"? Personally, I find that what I want to do with my hard earned cash is the perfect amount of "indulgence".

 

[Santabean2000]

I never said it was normal for the "rest of the world". I was simply stating what was normally considered a mansion in the US.

Which brings me back to the notion of perspective. I'm not trying to get at you. It's just been my experience that a lot of folk from the US don't actually know that they're from the US; you ask them "Where are you from?" and they'll reply Texas, LA, etc. You really sense a lot of people feel like the US is the world, and have never ventured too far out of it. Again, I'm not trying to get at you; you may be the most worldly of people.

I was just getting mad at the folk who claimed that SJ's house was anything but a complete mansion. It is. US definition or not.

 

[Aeolius]

Fair enough. Three of my children were born in China, while a fourth was born in Taiwan. I have seen plenty of families living in ruins, huts, and caves in my journeys.

 

[4nNtt]

If I were to build my own house, I think the laundry room would be the central point. It would be a big room where clothes are stored and laundered. No other closets, just a big open area for everything else. Except the toilet. That can have a room of its own.

 

[true777]

Wow. Some of you really are hooked on the bigger is better buzz.

Seriously, get out and see some of the world. Perspective people. The world is NOT just the US.

Anyone tootin' on these forums (including myself) can consider themselves truly blessed.

A Mac mini house..? Hardly. It's a mansion by any worldly measure.

Get out and see the world? I was born and raised in Europe, have been to 50 countries and have lived on 3 continents. And you? And I much enjoy living on a 5-acre property with 2 houses on it offering 9 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms and all the bells and whistles next to Woodside. To me space is just a great luxury, not bumping into one another, being able to house grown kids and friends for extended periods of time, etc. To each their own, but I truly cannot see Jobs' tiny home (by Woodside standards) being anything but a retirement house. It does NOT look like a home for a family with kids. An older couple perhaps. And where is the home office?

 

[vincenz]

Wonder if he'll let me crash on his sofa!

 

[Plymouthbreezer]

Get out and see the world? I was born and raised in Europe, have been to 50 countries and have lived on 3 continents. And you? And I much enjoy living on a 5-acre property with 2 houses on it offering 9 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms and all the bells and whistles next to Woodside. To me space is just a great luxury, not bumping into one another, being able to house grown kids and friends for extended periods of time, etc. To each their own, but I truly cannot see Jobs' tiny home (by Woodside standards) being anything but a retirement house. It does NOT look like a home for a family with kids. An older couple perhaps. And where is the home office?

You're a bit out of touch, perhaps. On top of that, you continue to stress your wealth and worldliness in each post.

Most Americans do not have what you do. And to the person who said I've never experienced "4 screaming kids," I have.

I think you both are just use to having more, and space, and more space. My grandmother raised her six children in a three bedroom, one bath home — that she shared with my grandfather — and never had any issues. My grandparents, mother or my aunts never complained, and looking back, I think the experience enriched them tenfold. My grandparents were successful and could have afforded a home with "enough space" (by your standards) for all their kids, but they made out just fine in the first floor of an apartment building with "just" 2,200sq. feet.

You obviously have never lived like most people; you say that quite plainly by stating you've "been to 50 countries" and lived on "three continents."

It's the internet, and you can be as big of an elitist as you want. However, you're the type whose coming across as the largest, most arrogant person in the room [forum?]. If you were really as cultured as you seem to suggest, you'd have an air of refinement (that's noticeably lacking here), knowing that bragging is no way to get ahead.

But, you're already a "higher level person," so who am I to hold you back?

 

[Santabean2000]

Get out and see the world? I was born and raised in Europe, have been to 50 countries and have lived on 3 continents. And you? And I much enjoy living on a 5-acre property with 2 houses on it offering 9 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms and all the bells and whistles next to Woodside. To me space is just a great luxury, not bumping into one another, being able to house grown kids and friends for extended periods of time, etc. To each their own, but I truly cannot see Jobs' tiny home (by Woodside standards) being anything but a retirement house. It does NOT look like a home for a family with kids. An older couple perhaps. And where is the home office?

Been to 50 countries, and clearly haven't seen a thing.

I'm currently living in South East Asia. Every day here is a humbling experience.

You're missing the point anyway. If you have lots, great, but most people don't. And I mean the vast majority.

 

[Polo5]

could i move in with you steve?

 

[finnns2000]

As a fan of Japanese architecture and minimalism myself, this is a refreshing idea to read about. Nothing beats a mix of modern and Japanese architecture.

 

[Aeolius]

As a fan of Japanese architecture and minimalism myself, this is a refreshing idea to read about. Nothing beats a mix of modern and Japanese architecture.

To each their own, I suppose. Personally, I dislike modern-looking houses. When we built our house, I wanted it to look like it had been here half a century.

I still don't consider my house a mansion, though. When I think of a mansion I think of fragile decor (not childproof), rooms decorated just for show (formal dining room, etc), immaculate landscaping, a garage without a drop of oil on the floor, a wet bar, and either a room devoted to the display of taxidermy or a room filled with musical instruments that no one plays.

 

[finnns2000]

To each their own, I suppose. Personally, I dislike modern-looking houses. When we built our house, I wanted it to look like it had been here half a century.

I still don't consider my house a mansion, though. When I think of a mansion I think of fragile decor (not childproof), rooms decorated just for show (formal dining room, etc), immaculate landscaping, a garage without a drop of oil on the floor, a wet bar, and either a room devoted to the display of taxidermy or a room filled with musical instruments that no one plays.

I don't mind the older Ivy League look for a place but imo it's time to move forward and discover the "future" that we all used to dream about. Floating cars, modern structures being the majority, etc.

 

[173080]

Wonder what the stairway leads to?

Heaven. Oh wait...

 

[JTR7]

Most Americans do not have what you do. And to the person who said I've never experienced "4 screaming kids," I have.

I think you both are just use to having more, and space, and more space. My grandmother raised her six children in a three bedroom, one bath home — that she shared with my grandfather — and never had any issues. My grandparents, mother or my aunts never complained, and looking back, I think the experience enriched them tenfold. My grandparents were successful and could have afforded a home with "enough space" (by your standards) for all their kids, but they made out just fine in the first floor of an apartment building with "just" 2,200sq. feet.

Used to having more? No. I am one of eight kids and my wife is one of ten. We both grew up in modest houses. Mine was 4 bedrooms 2 baths, same as hers. It did not enrich my life. My sister and I never got along because of tight quarters, and after we moved out our relationship remained tense. We finally started getting along just before she died. My house now is 4 bedrooms 2 baths, one of which is converted to an office. My sons and daughters share their rooms. But, given another chance (we bought the house before our first, who would have thought there'd be 3 more) we would have made a home elsewhere. Now that this is home, it's hard to leave.

Don't presume to know my "standards". We have enough space, but doing it all over I'd choose more. I work hard. I make money accordingly. What's money for if not improving the lives of my family? I don't want a big house for no purpose, I'd just like enough to give my children some personal space so they don't have to collide every day.

 

[Aeolius]

For comparison, my house has 7 bedrooms and 5.5 bathrooms. Granted, one of those bedrooms was supposed to be a home office and another was supposed to be a craft room.

Upstairs 2 of my sons share a room, 2 of my daughters share a room, my 16-year old daughter stays in what was the scrapbook room and my father-in-law has a bedroom.

On the main floor is the master bedroom, my 16-year old son's room (same size as the master, to accommodate his wheelchair), and my 2 youngest daughters' bedroom (wired to the hilt with plugs as it was to be an office).

It may be a larger house, but it definitely gets used.

 

[freebooter]

Jobs should build his iPhone of houses out of iPhones.

 

[mgamber]

Wonder if he'll let me crash on his sofa!

his sofa will probably crash on it's own.

 

[Plymouthbreezer]

Used to having more? No. I am one of eight kids and my wife is one of ten.

That was directed more at True... But, thanks for the enlightenment.

Don't presume to know my "standards". We have enough space, but doing it all over I'd choose more. I work hard. I make money accordingly. What's money for if not improving the lives of my family? I don't want a big house for no purpose, I'd just like enough to give my children some personal space so they don't have to collide every day.

Good goals. And money is fine to have (and as you say, enrich your family, not just for the sake of having wealth).

Some of these posts are coming across as narrow-minded. If you backed your initial post with these facts, I'd have replied differently.

 

[Aeolius]

...it's time to move forward and discover the "future" that we all used to dream about. Floating cars, modern structures...

Whose dream is this, again? If it has to be glass, I'd go with a seastead, otherwise my dream house looks like Dr Frankenstein's castle on the outside and Vernian Steampunk on the inside.

 

[iDabble]

i grew up in woodside, and it seems like this house would be very out of place. i'm not saying i have anything against his simple house or anything, just that it doesnt fit in with the area.

hope he enjoys getting no signal out there...everytime i go back there my iphone drains it's battery in about an hour searching for signal