
Having problems with shit filling your house
Somehow seems appropriate for the man making money from ChatGPT
Serial entrepreneur and OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman has made a bunch of lucrative moves in his time – but his $27 million mega-mansion certainly hasn't been one of them. His lawyers even called it a "lemon" in a recently filed lawsuit accusing the builder of negligence, fraud, and other failures. The 950 Lombard St property …
More likely he didn't bother to pay for a proper home inspection[0] prior to purchase, which puts the onus on him.
Caveat Emptor, as the Romans used to put it.
Such an inspection costs lots of money in SF ... I can understand why someone would want to ignore the option. Not recommended.
Aye. If I ever decide to buy another house, I'm going to see if Cy (https://www.youtube.com/@cyfyhomeinspections) has any recommendations for upstanding quality inspectors in my region. The "inspection" on my current 1950's abode was a joke. "You've turned off all the breakers, and the bathroom is still on...isn't that a problem?" "Nope, all good"
If you want something designed properly you don't let builders do it. They will literally just slap shit together any old way and hope it stays up - as Cy's inspections show - meaning you just end up with a bunch of boxes with some shitty decorations and no thought given to how things integrate (as some of Cy's other videos show)
Architect first, builder second
So 'bathroom' in this context means 'toilet'
Euphemisms for the facilities that handle human excreta are myriad at least in english. Each dialect, region, class, generation etc have their own which can lead, in cases of ambiguity. to acute embarrassment for the unsuspecting traveller.
I think we can safely imagine six bedrooms with ensuite (or better) plus a further two porcelain pedestals possibly on two floors for visitors (guests or more likely in this case tradesmen.)
I cannot but feel a quantum of Schadenfreude at the misfortunes of this peddler of generative AI Scheiße.
What dodgy design and workmen have done to his Schloss, his company and fellow travellers are doing to the internet and the world generally.
Quod inferius est sicut quod est superius.
Lavatory, loo, latrine, thunder closet, porcelain throne, bog, water closet, privy, khazi, facilities, crapper, powder room, commode...
I don't think the claim that the Brits can call a long-handled, flat-bladed digging tool a spade is very convincing in this instance.
It's actually simpler even than that ...
Shovels are for shoveling <whatever> from one place to another.
Spades are for digging.
Turning your garden? Spade. Edging your lawn? Spade. Planting spuds/bulbs? Spade. Moving snow? Shovel. Raking muck? Shovel.
That bucket and spade you took to the beach as a nipper? That there's a shovel, not a spade.
"Turning your garden? Spade. Edging your lawn? Spade. Planting spuds/bulbs? Spade. Moving snow? Shovel. Raking muck? Shovel."
Actually, I've found that edging my lawn is better with a shovel - the flat blade cuts very nicely on the concrete walk/driveway along the grass.
Long before the US existed, lavatory was the name for the un-plumbed[0] wash basin, and later a room for washing. Eventually, with the addition of plumbed hot water, the bath was moved from the kitchen or main room (where the fire was) to the washroom. Adding the toilet came much, much later (what kind of HEATHEN would want to pee and poop INDOORS‽‽‽). Architects still label the sink the lav on plans, and builders still call the washroom sink a lav (as opposed to the much larger kitchen or laundry sink). Real estate agents use the term "lavatory" in order to not upset the hand-wringers and namby-pambys[1] with the gauche "toilet". Almost nobody outside these groups use "lavatory" in the real world here in the US.
[0] Yes, I know the derivation of "plumber".
[1] Ever wonder why such people are full of shit? Apparently they never poop ...
And in the US, "toilet" means that specific piece of plumbing infrastructure, not everything else connected to it. The use of "bathroom" is not because people have a problem with the word "toilet", but that calling a room containing a toilet a "toilet" is kind of like calling the kitchen an "oven". After all, most, hopefully all, bathrooms also contain a sink, but if I started calling all those rooms the sink, I think you'd have some objections. As usual, different regions have different words to describe things, but with the long list of alternate names you have for the same concept, you can hardly blame the US alone for it. Fine, you can, and I'm guessing you will, but you can't do so accurately.
A standalone toilet is usually marked up as a Water Closet. Sinks in them are a relatively recent thing and still relatively rare in most parts of the world
I do like the Japanese-origin concept of making the top of the cistern a washbasin with fill pipe fed from the float valve so the water used to clean your hands goes into the next flush and you have a nice water feature which also tells you when the float is jammed
Six of those bathrooms are likely to be ensuites, one main bathroom (with tub and toilet) and one guest bathroom (ditto, on another floor)
There's also likely to be an extra WC somewhere near the garage
It's a fairly cookie cutter pattern for "upmarket" american housing
"$27m for one home in San Francisco seems a little steep..."
I've heard of empty lots going for more than that in SF ... San Francisco is very, very small as such "international" cities go. As a direct result (supply is limited, every idiot with money wants an SF address) square footage is very, very expensive.
On the gripping hand, you couldn't pay me enough to live in the shithole.
So tell us on what basis you have decided that SF is a "shit hole"? Or is it just Russian Hill you have a grudge against? Have you spent much time in SF? Or is it just stuff you saw on the interweb? Or were you at some trade show for a day or two in Moscone and as a typical tourist rube wandered around at random and either ended up in the Tenderloin or even worse, Fishermans Wharf.
Why do I suspect that you actually live in some shithole town in the arse end of nowhere that no sane person would actually want to visit. Whereas when I tell people that I live in San Francisco, no matter where I am in the world, their eyes light up and they either tell me what a great time they had when the visited the City. Or else that they would love to visit some day.
There is a very good reason for this. It is still one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Full of fantastic people. From all over the world. Live in the City long enough (a few decades) and you will discover it has a remarkably small town friendliness and neighborliness. Among the locals. Something totally missing from all UK cities. The Ten Years Tourists, the people just passing though, in SF are just as totally miserable sods as their equivalent in London. But they are easy to ignore as they mostly keep to their "progressive" ghetto neighborhoods. But they are mainly responsible for the totally dysfunctional city politics .
So all that bad stuff you see on the interweb? SF has always been like that. Since 1846. And you will find exactly the same stuff (but better hidden) in any large UK and European city.
As for Altmans fiasco on Lombard. Could not have happened to a more deserving person. Not the first time some idiot Dot Com huckster lost a bundle because they were so arrogant (and clueless) that they failed to do even the most basic due diligence for this type of building project. Even a quick read of the Idiots Guide to Home Remodeling would have prevented most of this. But I think Altman almost trebled the previous record . Which was around $8M, For a clusterf*ck of a rebuild in Pacific Heights. And I'm sure that Altmans houses would be just as utterly tasteless and nouveaux gauche as all the other Dot Com monstrosities in Pacific Heights, Presidio Heights, Cow Hollow, etc
So as they say here - Have a Nice Day. Which despite the myth Brits have that Americans dont do irony when said in a particular tone of voice actually means Go F*ck Yourself. Which is very much the intonation I am using.
Savage, savage butthurt and self delusion duly noted
SanFran is a complete shithole. The only worse place I ever lived was LA which I lasted 4 months because frankly it was intolerable and made London look like a fairy tale
The only person that seems to think otherwise is you
"So tell us on what basis you have decided that SF is a "shit hole"?"
Having lived there for 3+ years (roughly during the Agnos administration), and still having quite a few friends who (think they) are stuck there, I think I'm qualified. That, and living about an hour's drive north, every time I turn on the news I see and hear all the shit that continues to happen in the hellhole to make it even worse.
"Why do I suspect that you actually live in some shithole town in the arse end of nowhere"
Sonoma Valley is hardly either, but whatever. Where I live has no bearing on the shithole that is San Francisco.
"But they are mainly responsible for the totally dysfunctional city politics ."
SF politics is decided by the entire electorate ... it is not your fault if most don't bother to vote, but the end result is the fault of all eligible voters. It would seem that San Francisco quite enjoys its dysfunctional politics, why else would they continue to vote in the status quo?
Brit here. I had a week's holiday in SF and really liked it - mainly because of the contrast between it and the mid-west, where I've spent many months working. It was the most normal place I went to in my time in the US and the people I met were OK too. The main thing I liked was that meals were a normal size and didn't leave me feeling guilty about leaving enough food to feed a family of four at every sitting.
Comparing the Midwestern United States to San Francisco is like comparing Western Europe to London. There's a vast difference in politics and culture from state to state and city to city.
Living in Madison, WI is a very different experience from living in Columbus, OH for example.
I spent a week living in SF on a work visit, and it was kind of a 'meh' experience. Golden Gate Park and museums were good, but lots of cities have good museums and parks. There are unique sights like Alcatraz, but once you've seen them once there's little point in going back.
What boggled my mind was how bad the traffic was in San Francisco. I went in expecting to be able to use my feet and transit and an e-bike to get around, and was bitterly disappointed.
SF has some nice bits; but in general, large parts of the city are a shithole. Sorry if that doesn't tickle your pickle, but it's an objective fact. Tenderloin, Bayview, top end of Market Street... even Union Square isn't great. Primarily driven by inadequate sanitation services, a police force that's desperate to avoid targeting those responsible for crime due to "ethnic sensitivities" and a cost of living that is so out of proportion to a normal capacity to earn that means the city is overrun by vagrants and the homeless. You can believe and accept this, or you can be wrong. It's that simple.
Source: I spent one week out of every month there between 2015 and 2020.
I think SF was the city I heard an article about, where a teacher was having trouble convincing her students that homelessness there was a huge problem due to the crazy cost of living - until she pointed out she lived in her van, as her salary wasn't enough to afford an apartment.
If you were allergic to high velocity lead poisoning (ie not a US citizen) and would like a choice of congenial climates both the western and eastern coasts of Australia offer a bewildering array of choices sans gun toting crazies (mostly.)
The climate(s) of the west coast with a cold current flowing towards the equator I suspect would be closest to that of California etc.
For more cosmopolitan tastes Sydney and Melbourne have rather pleasant summer weather and the food and entertainment isn't too shabby either.
Brisbane, as Tegan Jovanka once opined*, was only fit for a regenerating Gallifreyan at least in regards to entertainment - although the climate isn't too bad if a bit bland.
* Nyssa - I suppose it’s some sort of neutral environment, an isolated space, cut off from the rest of the universe.
Tegan - He should’ve told me that’s what he wanted, I could’ve shown him Brisbane. Castrovalva ca. 1982
I was working for a few weeks in Brisbane about fifteen years ago . They had an unseasonable cold spell and the locals were complaining* cos most of them didn't have heating. I liked Brissie/Brissy/Brizzie/Brizzy/? but it's a long way north and it's dark by 7pm.
*as a "whingeing Pom" I was surprised at just how negative and whingey the locals were about almost everything. Maybe it's a Brisbane thing?
I was in London in the summer of 2003. They were experiencing a heat wave, and the lack of air conditioning had a lot of folks complaining. Being from the southeast US, the 85 F temperature didn't really bother me that much. (But the lack of proper iced tea did. It's a great way to cool off on a warm day.)
It's the lack of AC and oppressive humidity that does it in Britain
Surprisingly, although a dehumidifier will warm things up a fraction the resulting air is far more tolerable (and it's way cheaper to run than a full on heat pump)
My father was an architect and, although architects make mistakes, in the UK (and I'm fairly certain in the US, too) they have to have professional indemnity insurance: this tends to make them rather more careful about both design and construction. Construction is mostly done by least-cost subcontractors who have no real incentive to do the job correctly and disappear along with their last payment. My dad had horror stories about inspecting building works and finding crucial roof components under the foreman's desk (never seen them before so left them out) or brick pillars intended to support part of a shopping centre, for which detailed plans had been supplied, being built using a simpler bond that would have collapsed under the expected load. These things happen all the time and you really need someone checking up on site who is representing the client's interests.
If you're thinking of spending that amount of money on a building, it's usually better to do a little research up front so you don't end up with even a "hard to access area" never mind the serious other issues reported.
... Look at the bottom of the article. I quote:
The case is not the first time the builder had come under scrutiny. In 2018, Troon Pacific agreed to pay a $400,000 settlement to the city, without admitting to having done anything illegal, for violating a building permit by removing exterior walls and windows of a historic landmarked Willis Polk-designed home at 841 Chestnut St.Guess what that address is... why, it's Mr Altman's residence of 950 Lombard St!
So, the developers did naughty things in the existing building (941 Chestnut), whilst gutting it to build the monstrosity they've now saddled the block with. Chestnut runs parallel to Lombard, and 948 and 952 Lombard were combined with 841 Chestnut to make the mega parcel of land that 950 Lombard now occupies. The driveway for 841 Chestnut still exists... as does the driveway for 855 Chestnut, which is now known as 954 Lombard (a similar merge of properties).
And yeah, that's a decent neighbourhood (I've been to the Lombard St zig zag drive for shits and giggles). 27 million smackers for something they cocked up horribly is... a shame. I hope the developer gets dinged for that!
I'm sort of hoping the OP was intending to say that he doesn't want gypsum walls / ceilings in a $27 MILLION house - because for that amount of wonga, I, personally would want solid marble at least :o) some fancy opals, maybe even my own personal gold bearing rock strata, but definitely not gypsum
Spot on ... for $27 Million, I would not want 'common' plasterboard anywhere !!!
Something more durable and aesthetic would be appropriate, after all it is only money !!!
As it all comes from AI, it will only take a week or two to recoup the $27 Million anyway ... lot of 'mugs/muppets' out there apparently !!!
:)
I had a friend, now sadly passed away, who was an architect. He drew houses for a living. Not just any houses, but houses that were, and are, a joy to live in. I realize this is peculiar, but he had an excuse.
You see, he grew up in an original Frank Lloyd Wright designed and built abomination. He wanted to make sure nobody else had to grow up in such a cold, uncomfortable, useless excuse for a shelter ever again. His words, not mine.
I'm happy to report that I can see his work every time I stroll through this rebuilt Californian Victorian farmhouse ... RIP, Jim. Cheers, and thank you.
It replied :
"While it's always a good idea to conduct due diligence before making a big purchase like a mega-mansion, whether or not Sam Altman should have had a survey done depends on his specific preferences and priorities. Surveys can reveal important information about the property's boundaries, easements, and potential issues like environmental concerns or structural problems. Conducting a survey could have provided Altman with a comprehensive understanding of the property's characteristics and potential challenges, helping him make a more informed decision."
If only he'd consulted his own AI tool!
Contractor bags were also found jammed into a sewer line, "apparently by a disgruntled, unpaid subcontractor,"
In my new apartment someone shoved a piece of metal down there. Came home to the toilet flooding sh*t all over the bathroom into the bedroom.
Apparently, according to the person doing the repairs, this is a common “prank”.
Go full lemon and full refund.
I live in Silicon Valley, land of 1940s homes with decades of bad remodeling by house flippers. Just one shoddy repair has a broad impact on the rest of the house. A cut beam can damage the roof, walls, and floor. Bad plumbing can attract insects, cause clogs, cause hidden rot, and damage the foundation. Bad electrical will destroy appliances and start fires. An entire house of these problems will never come to a time when the repairs are finished.
Yes, but the site value is so much in excess of the building value in that case that unless the building is listed or otherwise of architectural value its more cost effective to tear it down and build new.
(Here you have two types of options. One is that if you leave the slab in place with one internal wall then its a 'remodel' and the permitting process is a lot simpler. The other is that far too many pseudo-rich are knocking down small bungalows from that ear and building monstrous McMansions on the site, to the consternation of the neighbors.)
When the guy moved out of the house next door, it was discovered that he had 'knocked through' by removing an internal wall... the main supporting wall... on the first floor... of a rented flat!
The three storey (Victorian) house survived, but the outer wall bulged at least a brick's width after remedial work
When you build something in California (like most other places) you have to get a pile of permits and these will specify what you need to do to satisfy the building codes. The work will then be inspected at various stages, starting with site preparation/grading then going through foundations/slab, framing, utilities and so on. Somewhere on the jobsite you'll find the inspection papers which are required to be signed off at each stage. Lemons do slide through but overall the chances of anyone letting $27 million slide through to 'almost complete but jerrybuilt', especially in an architecturally sensitive and earthquake prone area, should be nil.
Looking at the website I do think he could find a much better deal for that kind of money**. Especially as the property taxes on that building will start at the "$2mil or so per year" point.
(**Downtown SF isn't a "rooftop infinity pool" sort of a place -- the weather tends to be cool and cloudy a lot of the time!)
For fifteen years I lived in a rowhouse that provided a painful introduction to American building. The fellow who did the inspection when we purchased later told me that the builders had made it onto TV in a nearby market when a house they had built--I hope it was not yet occupied--simply fell over: one of the subcontractors had cut through joists to make it easier to install something, probably air-conditioning ducts. I could go on, and would, only it all has even less to do with IT than Sam Altman's infinity pool does. But a bit of time searching the internet might tell you why most of the rowhouses built in the eastern US between the 1970s and the early 1990s needed all or much of the roofs replaced. My usual schadenfreude is diminished by sympathy.
"[A] conspiracy to pass off poor workmanship and cheap construction as high-quality, luxury work" describes a great deal of American residential construction. I suppose Mr. Altman knows better now, but really with his kind of money he could have hired the best building inspector in California to be on-site every day the building was going up.
It's not just the US. Idiot builders at Darwin Green in Cambridge (UK) decided that proper foundations were a costly affectation so they built 80+ houses with incorrectly specified foundations and have now had to demolish them as massive cracks were appearing in the walls before they could even palm them off on house buyers (or mugs as housee builders tend to think of them).
See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cv2548v1dpyo for the story with the unintentionally hilarious quote from the builders that they're "working hard". Really. Working hard would have meant putting the correct foundations in place BEFORE building the house on top of them.
Yes, we can't really point and laugh at US building standards when we have the likes of Taylor Wimpey et al churning out houses conveyor-belt style that then need months of remedial work and snagging, or lead to lawsuits that then require the demolition of estates over badly mixed concrete...
I have promised myself that I will categorically never purchase or rent a house built any time after the year 2000, and even anything after 1970 is to a degree dodgy (I live in a 1970s build and boy did they cut corners here already). As much as Victorian/Edwardian terraces look a bit tired or have stuff like no major slab foundations and only wood flooring between the dirt and your living space, the brick work was solid and continues to last. It's a damn sight better than some modern builds.
there's just one mention of "Malin"
He is one of the defendants - it's in the PDF of the lawsuit linked in the article.
Eight Forty One LLC ("EIGHT FORTY ONE) was a limited liability company organized under the laws of the State of California and doing business in the County of San Francisco. OWNER is informed and believes that the Manager and/or Member of EIGHT FORTY ONE is Defendant of Troon Pacific, Inc., and the Chief Executive Officer of EIGHT FORTY ONE is Defendant Gregory R. Malin
I really appreciated the greek although it always evoked an image of a chap staggering under the influence of an excess of the surplus alcohol collected by the waiters after a function and placed willy-nilly in empty flagons whose contents possessing an embarrasslng name that approximately rhymed with legomen.
I love the irony of Altman getting screwed over by the consequences of deregulation and weak government. If the city and state departments responsible for regulation and oversight of projects like that were well run and well funded and given some real teeth to punish miscreants Altman would have been a lot less likely to have landed in that position.
We had a house built in 2007, using a 1950s era house plan. The house building company was one of the original suburb builders in the US, started by a Navy SeaBee after WWII. I was out there every day after work, had my own copy of the blue prints, going over each day's progress.
I caught so many things going in wrong (framing for a washroom with the door opening on the outside wall instead of interior hall was the worst) and still there were a couple of issues with Kitchen cabinets and stub walls. It helped that I had been a draftsman (paper pencil era), worked basic construction 1 summer in college (carpenter's helper) and did a few habitat for humanity builds.