Arrol Gellner is a practicing architect with 30 years of experience in residential and commercial architecture. He is a graduate of the College of Environmental Design at the University of California at Berkeley.

He wrote an awesome article about the bygone days of yore when you could buy a “mail order house.”

If you know about any mail order houses still in use around Atlanta, please let The Rootdown Group know - we would love to see the property!

Mass production residential is still in it’s “re-infancy,” but as we have reported before, there are some nifty new pre-fab ideas out there…

Arrol states “Over the course of the 20th century, there have been many attempts to bring mass-production methods to the building industry. ”

Many folks remember or have heard about the “Sears Roebuck” houses - Arrol offers a nice explanation…“…retailing giant Sears Roebuck began offering houses by mail order. Each Sears Modern Home came in a 25-ton kit consisting of precut lumber and virtually all the other materials required to complete the building. Prices ranged from $650 to $2,500, and 22 styles were offered. Precutting the lumber not only made the houses cheaper, but also reduced onsite construction time by some 40 percent. More than 70,000 Sears Modern Homes were sold before the program ended in 1940, a victim of the Depression economy and vexing differences in local building codes.”

You can register here to become a “Sears Home Enthusiast!”

Get your real estate on, and if you are in a true Sears Modern Home from the early 20th century, then please let The Rootdown Group come see it!

100 Trulia Voices answers and I’m still #1

That’s right yours truly is still #1 in Atlanta.

At least as of the end of the day on April Fools Day.

I ain’t fuh, fuh fuh foolin’…

Life is good - get your real estate on!

“For over 30 years, Paul Bianchina has been combining his two loves, building and writing. Contractor, author, and nationally syndicated columnist, Paul provides his readers with practical home improvement advice that’s written in a clear and easy to understand style.”

Paul summarizes what every painter needs to know in this article.

I wish every painter would read this! and, apply the skills!

There are a few slack painters around Atlanta, based on what I’ve seen. In this super-competitive real estate market, a good paint job could be the determining factor in why someone chooses one house over another.

Here’s just one tidbit…”Proper cut-in: Do your cut-in work with a brush before grabbing the roller. For best results, you want to overlap your painting while it’s still wet, so work in one area at a time, and then roll on the paint before the cut-in has dried. This “wet-lapping” helps blend the paint better.”

I know some good painters - contact The Rootdown Group if you need a recommendation

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I really like what the folks at Inhabitat are doing. Their belief that “green design is good design, good design is green design” is my belief too.

Check out this post here about the extra cool Rocio Romero - he’s the king of modern, affordable pre-fab housing!

The folks at Mental Floss are always finding ways to make all of us “feel smart again.”

Truly, Mr. Rogers Was The Best Neighbor Ever.

Thanks for the detailed reminder Mangesh!