What is this strange "French balcony" on a newly built house in California, USA?

Question

While randomly browsing around in Google Street View, amazed by how surprisingly cozy they managed to make this neighborhood, I found something very strange. What looks almost like a "French balcony", but with no actual door that opens. It's just a normal window. So there is no need for it to exist. It looks very strange to me.

The idea (with a "French balcony") is that you're able to open a full door out to the open, yet not risk falling down. But here, there is no such ability. It's just a window with this pointless "protection" added.

Does this have some purpose which I'm not understanding? Or is this "nonsensical ornamental design"? Frankly, it doesn't even look good IMO.

(couldn't help the comment) Indeed it looks pointless and downright ugly. — NMech, Dec 10 '21 at 12:39
Just another example of how ugly McMansion designs are. https://mcmansionhell.com/ — Carl Witthoft, Dec 10 '21 at 14:21
It's a poorly disguised phased-array antenna which communicates directly with the NSA — Carl Witthoft, Dec 10 '21 at 14:22
hmm. if you lose your keys it would make it easier to climb up into that window? — Pete W, Dec 10 '21 at 14:28
In theory it adds contrast to an otherwise plain wall, making it seem larger. In reality it is just cheesy. — jko, Dec 10 '21 at 15:51
The front side of the house, with the garage has fake shutters on the upper window. The fake "French balcony" is just a decorative feature, just like the fake window shutters. — Fred, Dec 10 '21 at 15:54
Odd that this window is the only one without an outside sill. — Phil Sweet, Dec 10 '21 at 16:05
That bedroom is rather short and the bed is built through the wall. That's the bedstead head. — Transistor, Dec 10 '21 at 18:29
@PeteW It'll also make it easier to climb _out of_ the window in the event of fire. Or maybe train the shrubbery in front not to grow too close to the upstairs window. — Daniel Hatton, Dec 12 '21 at 12:52
If you explore that neighborhood in Google Earth, French balconys with doors are common. Lots of windows with this feature too. Purely decorative to emulate a French balconys with doors. — StainlessSteelRat, Dec 13 '21 at 17:15

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Dec 10 '21 at 18:17

Some neighborhoods like many in California have architectural guidelines to maintain harmony and represent the conceptual ideas of the neighborhoods.

In California around the heydays of acreage development, thousands of houses cropped out on the suburbs all the same, like cookie-cutter all identical. So the trend moved to build each development with a unique pattern and architectural look.

In some, they require certain use of materials and themes to give the development a certain identity.

This could be one of those cases.

What is this strange "French balcony" on a newly built house in California, USA?

1 Answers1