Conch Cottages

A request to photograph my favorite Conch Cottages would lead me to photograph places I have already snapped, like this old decaying structure around the corner from Solares Hill, the highest point in Key west, variously estimated at 14 to 18 feet so I split the difference and call it 16 (5 meters).The home is modest in size, raised off the ground slightly, has a porch and a metal roof. It is of course made out of wood and is close to the street though fenced off by an ugly but inexpensive hurricane fence. It would probably cost $300,000 to buy if it were for sale. Twice that if it were in good condition. A home at high elevation, in the most flood-proof part of Old Town commands a premium. I also happen to think it's cute. This next one is restored and doubtless valuable because of that though it doesn't get my vote:It is pretty enough, painted fashionable pale yellow and surrounded by a more expensive though cuter picket fence. This home has decorative shutters, not the folding out Bahamian style shutters and it has a huge extension in the rear with an elevated portion to peer over the back fence to look at God knows what. The home occupies all the square footage of the yard that it possibly can and as far as I recall there was no OSP. Without off street parking what is the point of a restoration sez I? Here are two more examples, the one nearest has a skylight, an escape hatch for heat rather than an entry point for light. Conventional skylights don't do well in Key West where strong sunlight weakens them and hurricane strength winds use them as a weak point to get unde otherwise solid roofs.The more distant cottage is an eyebrow style which was designed to allow upstairs window to open in sun or rain and remain in shadow and out of the down pour. Instead they discovered eyebrows, the roof that projects over the upstairs windows retain heat and keep the upstairs airless. Pretty but not useful. Good for restoration sez I because they are rare and pretty and air conditioning does the job of cooling these energy intensive days.
This home on Fleming, across the street from the Library and around the corner from the last two on Elizabeth, reminds me of New Orleans style shotgun houses, which look attractive but I find not practical to live in for my taste. This home is elevated, has a porch overbooking the street and has a tin roof. No OSP but I like the looks of it. This next one I like a lot, on Grinnell Street wedged between Five Brothers Cuban Deli and the cemetery, Dead people make excellent neighbors I find. As long as they are completely buried. This cottage has mature greenery, OSP and has had a modest make over in the original style, at least as viewed from the street. And the back unit is for sale with a pool and a couple of bedrooms for three quarters of a million (the equivalent these days to half of Detroit). Weird huh? The economy goes glug glug and still people expect to get gold plated offers on key West homes. Sticking with my theme of liking the cemetery for a neighbor this home on Frances Street is taller than you might expect a cottage to be in Key West and has a hedge out front, which if you are a recluse like me, works very nicely. I like the giant spreading trees as well on this block.
This home also displays the traditional fish scale type metal tiles of Key West homes.
Now we are getting into my favorite neighborhood, outside of Old Town proper, the Meadows used to be a field before it got developed. Here we see a home made of Dade pine, which is resinous and maintenance free but has been essentially wiped out in Dade County and nowadays comes from the Panhandle in much smaller quantities.

This home shows off those essential Conch aspects: no offset, raised on small piles and featuring Bahama style shutters which I think look very cool. A friend of mine lived with them and said they are a nuisance, rattling in the least amount of wind and not great protection in storms. They still look good though. The pilings on this house are well worn by the passage of time:

I remember years ago a friend of mine lost his girlfriend's small dog in this area and we spent hours hunting through the Meadows with flashlights looking under all these houses calling for the wretched dog. We found it later safe and sound after it took off in the opposite direction and was picked upon the Navy base. I still think about that ghastly, frantic weekend when I ride through this neighborhood 18 years later. The girlfriend and the dog are both dead by now, but their memory lives on. Boy was she pissed off when she found out we had mislaid her dog for two long days...Anyway back to Dade pine- this house has greenery and a porch though no OSP:Perhaps my obsession with Off Street parking stems from my work at the police department because we get lots of calls, especially in winter when parking is at a premium. Issues over where to park one's car drive people crazy.Some people mark "their"spots illegally with trash cans, others only move their vehicles in the direst of emergencies. Snowbirds amaze me, leaving their cars on the street all summer long. Thats why there are storage areas to park your unneeded vehicles:In the suburbs where I live I park underneath my stilt house and parking issues are non existent on my narrow street. Living at Mile marker 27 I have to commute and my home is relatively modern compared to something Old Florida like this with jalousie shutters made of wood:these are more usual made of glass to allow light as well as air into the home. I like my a/c for the hottest days of summer.

This is one of my favorite Conch homes in my preferred neighborhood. The right style, OSP, mature trees and......tasteful additions added to the rear of the original cottage in the proper style. Each section of roof has it's own style of metal work to reflect the era of the additions to the original cottage.
a nice wide porch which wraps around half way and gives a view of the street makes it perfect:
But to live here means you are living in the city, carbon friendly I'm sure but what a pain with all this tight living, noise and cement of urban life.