Jacob
Jay
Jacob Jay

Peripatetic British full-stack developer, designer and entrepreneur.
Specialising in web applications and usability.

5 Real Estate projects

Scouting and planning for Hub House

Identify and evaluate properties for operation with a cooperative coliving model.
Function
Living Space
Tool

Innovations

  • Novel multistakeholder model combining both investment returns as a hospitality business, and flexible fractional ownership, supported by a strong community-interest operation reducing overheads.
  • Space planning for several properties permitted the use of split-level mezzanine designs optimising the number of private units.
  • Crowdfunded ownership, with pledges obtained through direct outreach and marketing to potential members. (A propotion allocated for investors has not yet been raised, however some leads were generated simultaneously.

Features

  • database and public portal listing and enabling discussion amongst candidates
  • bespoke CMS to catalogue candidate properties and score them for easier classification, using multiple criteria, colour coded for ease of reference
  • most of the properties involve the replacement of extremely large numbers of windows, thus sourcing was researched from China, to reduce the otherwise significant fitout costs (despite tariffs)
  • some properties include adequate capacity for multi-use event spaces, further diversifiying potential revenue and uses, especially for remote team offsites

Links

2019 — Space Planning, Community, Living SpaceSummary ↙︎
Details, 12 images

Carcassone apartment for yours-truly

Locate and renovate a property.
Function
Living Space
Tool

Features

  • from low-spec 3-bed (one being shotgun) to high-spec two bed ensuite
  • high quality electric fittings with reproduction bakerlite switches and sockets
  • homemade oak kitchen and solid oak flooring, with the new parquet laid at 45°
  • reused non-original panelling along hallway
  • recreated archway to have matching at both sides of kitchen
  • half of the roofing tiles cleaned and relaid; refinished facade with traditional lime
  • new oak street doors; window shutters repaired; collaboratively redecorated staircase

Links

2017 — Interior Design, Real Estate, Living SpaceSummary ↙︎
Details, 13 images

Lajpat Nagar for Moonlighting

Fitout of a new coworking space.
Tool

Innovations

  • Partnered with an emerging streetartist to create a Steve Wozniak mural, providing him with exposure, and an atypical but recognisable portrait that prominanetly features in the social media posts of visitors, becoming strongly associated with the space.

Features

  • 6 private offices in an ancillary block at the rear of the space, ensuring the core community space is not overly influenced by predeominantly static users.
  • Two dedicated hotdesk rooms, plus flexible use of common space for events, and also featuring standing deskspace.

Links

2015 — Space Planning, Community, HospitalitySummary ↙︎
Details, 12 images

Estate agency SaaS for duHome

Provide a customisable website for estate agencies.

Innovations

  • Fuzzy-logic search, gradually widening search criteria scope when not enough matching results are found, i.e. for every non-matching input criteria a corresponding potentially acceptable criteria would be used instead such as 1 bathroom instead of 2, with these criteria being colour-coded (match versus near-match) for easier identification by the user.
  • Comprehensive type-ahead search using multiple sources of data (names, telephones, locations, emails, prices), removing need for time consuming paging of adminstrative list views to find relevent records.
  • Use of geohash indexes for high-performance geospatial property search.
  • Use of deferred slideshow loading to improve performance and usability (almost unheard of at the time, most solutions simply advancing to to half-downloaded images on a timer, or attempting to download all upon page load despite potentially not subsequently showing them).

Features

  • Customer-facing functionality including geographic search and display of properties with mapping and slideshow
  • Agent functionalities including search, management of properties
  • Agency-owner functionality including customisation and configuration of website, and management of agents
  • Support for multiple agency locations per site, and agents per-agency
  • Activitiy streams with messaging and notifications for each agency, agent and property
  • Signup for new agencies (clients) with a default name-derived subdomain
  • Automatic geo-location and address completion when adding properties
  • Image upload and optimisation for slideshows
  • Email notifications when agents are not active on site
  • Property owner CRM with agent association
  • Editable print view with QR code for window display
  • Utilisation of Moonstalk's internationsalistion, geospatial data, type-ahead search, and notification features
2011 — Conception, Web, Content ManagementSummary ↙︎
Details, 8 images

Delhi for Moonlighting

Establish a house in Delhi with facilities for both coworking and accommodation.
Tool

Innovations

  • First coworking space in Delhi, and one of first few in India.
  • First open-access space offering both coworking and accommodation for those visiting from further afield.
  • Bespoke furniture constructions including large-span communal tables using wood with internal (hidden) iron dowels

Features

  • Regular community events and meals
  • 8 en-suite bedrooms amd 1 bunkroom (convertible between 4 bunks, or 1 double)
  • Live-in cook and 2 kitchens
  • Cleaning, housekeeping and security staff
  • Mixed-use lobby, lounge and dining space with A/V system
  • Coworking desks (and monitors)
  • Colourful paint and fabrics to enliven the otherwise drab interior

Links

2010 — Space Planning, Community, HospitalitySummary ↙︎
Details, 19 images