The 'burbs

In 1989, the Maxim house, at Universal, got a major renovation for the Tom Hanks feature film the ‘burbs.  The renovation was intended to alter the house just enough so that it would not be instantly recognized as the Munsters house.  Also, a long porch was required, for the character of Ricky (played by Corey Feldman), to watch over the goings-on in the neighborhood. 

Unfortunately, with the change came an unusual architectural anomaly at the tower.  In the original design there were tall windows midway up the tower, suggesting that it might have housed a stairway to the second floor (most of the interior of the house was not seen in the first feature, So Goes My Love).  But with the redesign, including a porch, the second floor windows are too low.  There is not enough head clearance between the first and third floor to accommodate a room.

For the television series “Desperate Housewives,” the house was completely rebuilt in a new design, on the old foundation, but the window problem remained.

For this rendering I have modified the Maxim house SketchUp model, and changed the color.  The house would be painted gray after The 'burbs feature and remain that way through the first season of “Desperate Housewives.”

Someday, I will make the latest modification into the “Desperate Housewives” version, although, there is no ornamentation from this version of the house that will be saved.  The new model would simply start over.