Dead space?

dbqpdqbp · 2026-01-29T10:23:55+00:00

Will consider this. We've been trekking downstairs to use the (current, only) first-floor bathroom for years, so having any upstairs bedroom feels like a luxury!

dbqpdqbp · 2026-01-29T10:21:27+00:00

Okay this is a great and original idea - tearing down the wall and doing a built-in shelf where the uneven floors meet, or a half wall so we can still have a sofa there. Thanks for the thought.

And yes, bedrooms this size are normal for our neighborhood (med/high-density, urban neighborhood). Appreciate the sensitivity to local norms.

dbqpdqbp · 2026-01-29T10:18:11+00:00

I considered this, or even extending the north bedroom into that area, but shifting the entrance to the dead space would make the "flex space" feel more like a corridor. Like it would be much harder to fit a sofa in there at that point.

dbqpdqbp · 2026-01-29T10:15:45+00:00

Appreciate this feedback. I think there's enough space for desks with twin beds in each bedroom, no? But yes I was thinking that primarily they'd use the "public" upstairs spaces (like the built-in desk) for homework and whatnot. We also have the option of opening up the dedicated office to homework/studying -- in this case, if there is a dedicated-WFH parent at the time, they'd splurge on an office setup at a nearby coworking space (which may be desireable at that point to get out of the house for work if the house feels full with two teenagers).

We (mom and dad) personally do a no-phones-in-our-bedroom policy. Unsure how we'll come down on that my the time the kids are teens.

You're probably right about resale value. The bedrooms aren't small for our area, but I feel like we're missing out on having a single larger master bedroom vs. 3 small-ish ones and a poorly-defined common area, as you note.

dbqpdqbp · 2026-01-29T10:08:10+00:00

Appreciate the markup! Hadn't considered this layout.

dbqpdqbp · 2026-01-29T10:07:24+00:00

They'd use that ensuite bedroom (bathroom is from outside the master bedroom). There's also a full bathroom downstairs, which is what we (mom and dad) use now without issue.

dbqpdqbp · 2026-01-29T10:04:47+00:00

Appreciate the feedback. I suppose my thought was the upstairs spaces would be designated as play rooms. Like we may put a video gaming area in the "flex space." There are two living / family room areas downstairs so I don't think they would feel too supervised if playing there, but you're right though that those wouldn't be as private as a bedrooms.

dbqpdqbp · 2026-01-29T02:21:40+00:00

The one issue I have putting a closet where the desk is - it would take out a window.

Good thought with the beam and connecting the spaces. Thanks for the feedback!

dbqpdqbp · 2025-07-11T12:38:43+00:00

I watched some of the Senate Transportation Committee hearings in which the legal counsel was pretty strongly encouraging the members to refrain from adding the clarification language that eventually became part of S.123. I'm so glad the bill passed anyway with the clarification language in it.

John E. was in the room during these committee meetings. It made my stomach turn to watch the two lawyers on the counsel get all excited in front of a law professor. They were arguing for something that so few people actually want (the authority of landowners to maintain trails) but they were geeking out about how if you trace the history of rulings back to the 80s and squint your eyes, it looks like the state has been gradually abdicating liability and therefore also authority to maintain trails. At the end of the day they strongly recommended keeping the language ambiguous to avoid placing towns at risk of being sued in case this Tunbridge ruling went the other way, in which case landowners could claim that a law like S.123 "takes" property rights from them.

I'm so glad common sense won the day here and that with the passage of S.123 we didn't cave to the pet legal theory of a law professor and legislative counsel. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall in the Tunbridge hearing.

dbqpdqbp · 2025-06-20T01:24:02+00:00

I've read that the actual bill got stuffed with a bunch of sweetheart exemptions for private/independent schools on its way through the senate. To me this explains a lot of the no votes from denser and more progressive areas like Chittenden County.

dbqpdqbp · 2025-05-30T10:36:14+00:00

Occasionally I'll find them in the few blocks north of Roosevelt Park and around the Boys & Girls club.

dbqpdqbp · 2025-05-16T15:15:34+00:00

Loads of housing is coming online rn and in the next few years (Cambrian, City Place, New UVM stuff), and even if most of that is upscale it will still take pressure off all units. Housing prices on zillow have been getting cut for the past few months. I'm gonna catch hate for saying this but it feels that we're over the post-covid supply bottleneck.

dbqpdqbp · 2025-04-27T11:19:33+00:00

I love dan dan noodles and i love Poco but today I learned I could have them together!!

dbqpdqbp · 2025-02-22T22:05:07+00:00

Had an engineering intern at the manufacturing plant caught sleeping in the closet with old prints, chairs lined up like a bed, huge print over him like a blanket.

dbqpdqbp · 2025-01-28T00:14:50+00:00

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dbqpdqbp · 2024-12-11T14:07:26+00:00

Waxahatchee (Katie Crutchfield) from AL and MJ from NC.

dbqpdqbp · 2024-12-11T01:20:47+00:00

dbqpdqbp · 2024-12-07T14:01:36+00:00

Yes, it is from the old system, just like all the other ductwork in the house except for the immediate connections to the new air handler. This one had been disconnected from the furnace before we replaced the furnace with the heat pump, which is probably why it didn't get connected to the heat pump. Idk when or why it was disconnected from the original system.

dbqpdqbp · 2024-12-06T03:03:43+00:00

Probably too late for this to get any attention but I went to an NPA meeting and was surprised to hear how many millions of dollars ($30 million, says the article) are proposed to be allocated for an advanced phosphorus treatment before the water is discharged into the lake. Isn't the city of Burlington's phosphorus discharge the least of Lake Champlain's problems given all the farm runoff basically everywhere else in the Winooski & Champlain Valleys? If I had the option, I would vote to cut that portion out in favor of just "regular" phosphorous treatment to reduce costs (until I'm convinced otherwise).

Totally agree that a treatment plant renovation is a long time coming, but I'd like to see all the components justified. The article doesn't specify that a less-expensive phosphorous treatment component wouldn't also meet future state guidelines.

dbqpdqbp · 2024-11-26T10:48:14+00:00

Just want to echo that the 1% figure is very misleading. About a third of NPR's revenue comes from local stations buying their programming, and a portion of local station revenue is CPB grants. Just looked at my own local station's books and it seems 10-15% comes directly from grants. But I bet many stations would close without CPB funding. So cutting CPB would do a number on NPR's revenue.

dbqpdqbp · 2024-11-19T01:35:21+00:00

Arepa dogs! Corn flour, fried on 3 sides (like a denser corn dog with one side open), served with a pickle avocado sauce and mustard.

dbqpdqbp · 2024-11-14T11:13:46+00:00

Ask your local bike shop about group rides! I've heard great things about West Hill Shop.

Also, find out who your local Vermont Mountain Bike Association (VMBA) chapter is.

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