Raise Their Taxes

YankeeFan · Dec 15, 2014

No one "needs" a $50,000 play house for their kid. We need to raise their damn taxes now!

APART from the open bar by the swimming pool, the main attraction at parties held at the Houston home of John Schiller, an oil company executive, and his wife, Kristi, a Playboy model turned blogger, is the $50,000 playhouse the couple had custom-built two years ago for their daughter, Sinclair, now 4.

Cocktails in hand, guests duck to enter through the 4 ½-foot door. Once inside, they could be forgiven for feeling as if they’ve fallen down the rabbit hole.

Built in the same Cape Cod style as the Schillers’ expansive main house, the two-story 170-square-foot playhouse has vaulted ceilings that rise from five to eight feet tall, furnishings scaled down to two-thirds of normal size, hardwood floors and a faux fireplace with a fanciful mosaic mantel.

The little stainless-steel sink in the kitchen has running water, and the matching stainless-steel mini fridge and freezer are stocked with juice boxes and Popsicles. Upstairs is a sitting area with a child-size sofa and chairs for watching DVDs on the 32-inch flat-screen TV. The windows, which all open, have screens to keep out mosquitoes, and there are begonias in the window boxes. And, of course, the playhouse is air-conditioned. This is Texas, after all.

“I think of it as bling for the yard,” said Ms. Schiller, 40.

Some people might consider it “obnoxious” for a child to have a playhouse that costs more and has more amenities than some real houses, she conceded. But she sees it as an extension of the family home. “My daughter loves it,” she said. “And it’s certainly a conversation piece.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/21/garden/playhouses-childs-play-grown-up-cash.html?hp=&pagewanted=all
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http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2011/07/20/garden/20110721-PLAYHOUSE-5.html

YankeeFan · Jul 21, 2011

"Playboy model turned blogger." LOL.

Here's her blog: http://occasionallyfunny.blogspot.com/

dixiehack · Jul 21, 2011

Think of all the playhouse servants that will be fired thanks to higher taxes.

YankeeFan · Jul 21, 2011

That little girl is a job creator!

Stitch · Jul 21, 2011

On the flip side, if you raise taxes, how does the curb economic growth. Will the ridiculously expensive playhouse industry go under if people like this have to pay more, or would they just cut their illegal maid and nanny's wages?

YankeeFan · Dec 15, 2014

I like this one:

Dan Burnham, who retired as chairman and chief executive officer of Raytheon, the defense systems manufacturer, in 2003, wanted something elaborate for the 187-acre retreat he and his wife, Meg, have in the Santa Ynez Mountains outside Santa Barbara, Calif. So he hired Ms. Butler in San Francisco to create a site-specific structure.

“I wanted another reason for the grandkids to come over,” said Mr. Burnham, 64. “Also, I wanted to be able to go up there on Sunday morning and read The New York Times Magazine.”

The multilevel house Ms. Butler built for him in 2007 incorporates three trees into its complex design, which includes a trap door, a swinging extension bridge and winding stairs. It also has a gabled roof made of corrugated tin, an interior with hand-carved rafters and beams, and windows made of shatter-resistant laminated glass. Connected to the treehouse with a zip line is a second, fortlike structure with carved finials and flagpoles, as well as a rock wall, a firefighters’ pole and a slide.

“We’ve got chairs arrayed all around it, so we can watch the kids run, climb and scream,” he said. “It’s adorable and worth every penny.” (Nearly $248,000 for the two structures.)
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Football_Bat · Jul 21, 2011

Time to bring back Tiny House Girl!

YankeeFan · Jul 21, 2011

But adding a decorative piece to one’s home may require a building permit or adherence to building codes, depending on just how big and decorative it is, and where it is being constructed.

Alan Mowrer, the owner of La Petite Maison, in Denver, built the Schillers’ playhouse in Houston, along with another extravagant playhouse at the couple’s ranch in Millican, Tex. He builds about 12 playhouses a year for clients around the country, he said, and charges from $9,000 to $75,000 (not including travel expenses).

“In Los Angeles, anything over 8-by-8 needs a foundation,” Mr. Mowrer said. “But if you build somewhere like the middle of Missouri, you can do almost anything you want.”
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Damn government regulations, stifling the high end playhouse business.

Michael_ Gee · Jul 21, 2011

Playboy model turned blogger! There's a resume worth reading.

Azrael · Jul 21, 2011

Ex-chairman of Raytheon?

He originally bid the treehouse contracts at $5000 plus cost.

$248K is where they came in after the overruns.

YankeeFan · Dec 15, 2014

Paris Hilton likes tiny little toy size dogs.

But those toy size dogs live in Paris Hilton's dog house - that is nothing like a toy.

Paris shared some photos on her custom design dog house via Twitter.

Paris Hilton's dog house has two floors and is thoroughly pink. Downstairs is the lounging and relaxing area from the stress of being Paris Hilton's dogs. Upstairs is the sleeping area and a closet for her pups many different outfits.

Tinkerbell, Marilyn Monroe, Prince Baby Bear, Harajuku, Dolce and Prada, have to love the dog mansion. It was finished by famed interior decorator Faye Resnick. The dog house has Philippe Starck furniture, heat, a/c and a crystal chandelier.

The dog house resembles Paris Hilton's mansion, because, altogether now... that's hot. Her dogs enjoy Pawda, Furcedes, Jimmy Chew, etc.

Paris Hilton's dog house is estimated to have cost around $325,000.

http://www.examiner.com/trendy-living-in-national/paris-hilton-s-dog-house-is-better-than-a-lot-of-people-s-houses-gallery#ixzz1SkcNpAP3
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deskslave · Jul 21, 2011

Michael_ Gee said:

Playboy model turned blogger! There's a resume worth reading.
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TBIUWP.

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