To developers and builders in the area.. (Charleston: hardwood floors, real estate market)

[Maryjane55us]

Consumers have to demand a quality product if they want builders/developers to change what they do.

In a hot real estate market builders/developers will build anything anywhere -- why??? Because people will buy it.

One good thing with this real estate crash is that builders and developers will need to be more creative with their products in order to sell them.

Moneill, I agree with you and hope they hear ya. I think.. I hope.. that one good thing coming from this 'crash' is that they will have to re-think their old antiquated ideas.

I've found the first crux of the problem to be the house plans that the architects offer. I've searched houseplans for many decades and find dull, repetitive drawings of the same version over and over.

Remember the house in the movie Something's Gotta Give? People all over the nation wrote in wanting that house or a version of it. It was "homey" and comfortable and "different". I've found only two plans that might incorporate something similar (if totally re-drawn). Then there was the house in the movie "Bewitched", a small cottage style home with character. Nothing remotely found like that in plan searches.

The second problem is that builders WANT plans that they can *repeat* over and over. It saves them money and increases their profit.

But the worst problem, to me, is that developers/builders search for cleared, cheap land.. real trees get in their way and add to the grading costs. Their money is in made in building bumper to bumper housing in farmland areas and maximizing the number of lots they can get out of an area.

It's a national phenomenom unfortunately, and I hope, like you, that the real estate crash will bring it to their attention.

[84 Camaro]

MaryJane couldn't agree with you more! I tend to like home plans that are not the everday run-of-the mill versions. I guess "open floorplans" are a trendy choice right now? However, I have always loved the idea of open floorplans where a "family room" or "great room" are close to a kitchen.

The idea of a formal dining room is somewhat wasted on me. When I "entertain" I tend to have friends over in a more relaxed enviornment and I love to cook. So a big open "country type kitchen" that is close to a family room is an idea that love.

When we have parties in our existing home, people tend to migrate to our large kitchen that has a big screen tv in it, a large table that can seat 10 and plenty of counter space and an island for preparing and serving food. The remainder of people tend to spill into our living room which borders out kitchen. We also have french doors off the kitchen that open onto a large deck. It's a nice setup.

And I agree with you that builders could vary floorplans and home design within a "cookie cutter" community and still make plenty of profit. Greed and reluctance to do more work is what in my opionion has allowed builders in the past to erect the same home over and over again within the same community.

[Maryjane55us]

The idea of a formal dining room is somewhat wasted on me. When I "entertain" I tend to have friends over in a more relaxed enviornment and I love to cook. So a big open "country type kitchen" that is close to a family room is an idea that love.

I agree with you, dining rooms are a waste of space.. pretty much non-used rooms. Few people are that formal nowadays. We use ours for a study.. aka "computer" room.. with a couple of wingback chairs and ottomans to escape to read in privately and utilize the large front windows.

Like you, I'd rather have the space dedicated to a very large open kitchen area with an island prep area, lots of "flow" going in and out, and an "eating bar area" with a family room and f/p in the open area. Because that's where people always tend to congregate during get-togethers. It feels more *friendly, fun and relaxed* than the stuffy big formal table.

Oh.. and a 3 season sunroom/porches/decks that flow from it and connect us to the outdoors. But it's useless if you're staring into your neighbors backyard.

[mrpeatie]

I like the dining room open to the living room but not the kitchen. I still hate when people assume I want them in the kitchen and am lucky that mine only opens to the dining room and I can stop traffic there if food/drinks are set up. I guess I spent too much time with my italian grnadparents and an old Southern Aunt when I was little.

I think the biggest problem is that a lot of people cannot prioritize so instead of wanting space X as opposed to Y or wanting certain set-ups and adjacencies they simply build a large house with all of the above. A lot of people also do not have a mind for layout and even flow but are attracted to finishes- hence poorly designed houses with granite, the wood floor species of the moment and a mile of trim gets their attention. Builders/developers simply try to build the cheapest house that will sell for the most money to the most people- its good business sense even if it leaves man of us cold.

[moneill]

I guess I'm in the minority. I love my house here in Atlanta. Hate to leave it. I know I'll find something I like in Charleston. I've seen a few interesting layouts.

Eeveryone has their own tastes. Each of us thinks our taste is the most tasteful but reality -- it's our opinion, it's totally subjective.

What is someone's poor layout is another man's ideal layout.

[RiWrites]

There used to a fad where everyone had to have a something called a Great Room. A total waste of space.

People also don't do their research about their contractors etc. They just accept what the builders say. There is a development here in Florida where homes were developing cracks in the walls etc because the builders used cheap material. Unfortunately the builders went out of business so the homeowners are stuck.

If I ever could afford to buy a home, I wouldn't buy one in a development. I would want an older home when builders knew what they were doing.

[moneill]

Older home -- wear and tear. No matter how well built it was -- windows, roofs, shifting....all get worn and need to be fixed. No guarantee you will be any better off.

[StarryEyedSurprise]

Originally Posted by moneill

Older home -- wear and tear. No matter how well built it was -- windows, roofs, shifting....all get worn and need to be fixed. No guarantee you will be any better off.

No guarantee, but pretty much every new home I've looked at was pretty cheaply made.

House built in the early 80s that we are buying (hopefully): Needs a few new shingles (not surprising), windows need weather stripping, master bath is very old-fashioned, but quite functional. New doors onto the screened in porch. A good powerwashing will clean up the exterior. If there are any cracks due to settling, they are not apparent in the foundation, or on any walls. My father-in-law swears that the builder used real bricks, not veneer.

Various new or (newer, like mid 90s) homes I've seen - polybutylene piping (no thanks), holes in the screen of a brand new porch, brick-veneer front (I'd rather have a full siding house than that), brand new windows that are already drafty, exposed metal on roofs that the builder was too lazy to cover with shingles, "premium upgrade hardwood floors" that are so thin you might be able to refinish them once total, and low-end cabinets/appliances - it seems most people opted for lower end due to cost, then never upgraded. None seemed to have real wood cabinets. Oh, and practically no mature landscaping, and very small yards (especially due to the size of the home).

I tend to love the ceiling height of newer homes, but considering the cost of them and what I have seen of their "quality construction" I'd rather patch up an older home rather than worrying about my new roof that I paid a premium for needing replacement within a few years.

[moneill]

We would never buy a vinyl siding house. That's the problem with many in Charleston. It would have to be a deal to convert to cement plank.

[Maryjane55us]

We would never buy a vinyl siding house. That's the problem with many in Charleston. It would have to be a deal to convert to cement plank.

What are the advantages of cement plank vs vinyl? Don't the cement planks have to be repainted eventually? And can you you pressure wash the mold and mildew off them without marring the paint finish?

Just curious as to why vinyl is so looked down on..