SOURCE: theclose.com
Thank you for coming back to read this week’s real estate fun facts!
1. A Zero-energy, Self-sustaining Floating City Is Coming to Dubai
This is the coolest idea for reaching climate goals since Elon Musk announced his Tesla Solar Roofs. An Italian architecture firm proposed building a vertical city on the water in 2019 at Knowledge Summit in Dubai with a projected completion date of 2030.
The city will have a zero-waste policy and use renewable resources such as solar panels, wind turbines, and wind power. It will house 25,000 residents in its open structure with green areas on every level, allowing natural light and ventilation.
2. There’s a Surprising Number of Laws About Bathtubs
Legislators seem to really want to restrict what homeowners can do with their bathrooms. Of course, every state has strange, inexplicable laws still on the books, but did you know it’s illegal to have a donkey in your bathtub in Brooklyn or to keep a ‘gator in your tub in Arkansas? And forget about keeping your horse in a clawfoot in South Carolina.
You may also be surprised to learn you can’t bathe after 10 p.m. in Piqua, Ohio, and you must be fully clothed to take a bath in Portland, Oregon. At least in most places, you can have a bathtub in your house. It’s technically still illegal in Virginia.
3. The Thinnest House in the World Is in Warsaw, Poland
Central Warsaw is running out of space and opening creative opportunities for architects. That’s why the Keret House is the skinniest house in the world at just four feet wide. It utilizes 30 feet of height, but is just 28 inches wide at its narrowest point and just over four feet wide at its widest. Despite its limitations, the Keret House somehow manages to fit a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and a small two-beverage refrigerator, in the span of three floors.
4. Tiny Homes Are Nothing New in England
Located in Conwy, Wales, the smallest house in Great Britain is known as “Y Tŷ Lleiaf ym Mhrydain Fawr,” or the Quay House. It measures 72 inches across, 122 inches high, and 120 inches deep. It was built in the 16th century and, despite its size, has been home to numerous families throughout the generations.
5. One Lucky Winner Rejected a Life-sized Replica of the House From ‘The Simpsons’
In 1997, Pepsi and FOX ran a contest that offered a grand prize of a full-sized, habitable, accurate-down-to-the-furniture version of the Simpson’s house. The winner of the contest could take the home or $75,000 cash, and tragically, they opted for cash instead.
But, the house existed. Architects, interior designers, furniture makers, and about a dozen other professionals were said to have gathered in a Las Vegas ballroom for weeks (the home was built in nearby Henderson, Nevada) and watched more than 100 episodes of the Simpsons together to get the details just right.
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