Take a look at the photo above. What's wrong with this picture? Nothing, if you view it from a developer's perspective. Clearly, the house is too big for its lot, but that's a zoning issue, and one can't blame the designer for trying to maximize his return within the law. In addition, the house will sell for a fancy price, it's a "safe" style, and it appears better constructed than the average. But looking at it from the perspective of an architect, I see a lost opportunity. To show why, I developed an alternative design for the site (see Figure 1). No Cookie Cutter Solutions It's hard to make generalities about hillside lots. Even on a flat
