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If you are relocating to the area here are a few things to look out for that a lot of local developments are still doing that is a left over from the 80's:
In the house:
1/2 overlay cabinets
Honey oak floors
Honey oak cabinets
Corian/plastic counter tops
Linoleum floors
Popcorn ceiling
Outside the house:
Garage in the front of the house
No front porch
Slab patio in the back
Development:
Big red brick sign for the entrance, stating something like "Oak Tree Hills"
Trees at 8' tall because they gutted the big ones
Narrow driveways up to that large garage door on the front of the house
It is not a community, it's a development
I work in home improvement and these builder are still building these dated type developments in the area. I try to talk to them about updating but they say people are buying these dated type homes in dated type developments. Maybe I see the new stuff and people are just not aware these are dated developments and they buy them.
Charlotte developers need to tune into HGTV before designing their developments and turn them into communities?
Many homes aren't on lots large enough to put a garage anywhere but in the front of the house. There are vast neighborhoods like this. If it's built on a slab, there's often no opportunity for a deck of any kind.
Much of the rest comes down to money. Old, new, or otherwise, houses in a given price range can't have all the amenities.
This isn't just in Charlotte, lol. It's everywhere across the country.
The higher $$$ "developments" or subdivisions offer more variety, as do gated communities and those built around country clubs.
Lot size has everything to do with the "snout" garages . . . and cheap contractors skimping on every dollar has everything to do with such things as narrow driveways and contractor standard/quality fixtures . . . that stuff is called "contractor/builder quality" for a reason! :-)
I am missing the point because all of these things can easily be avoided - you don't even need to look very hard because all builders are not doing this... it's just that people are "choosing" these things because that's what they can afford. You get what you pay for.
I am missing the point because all of these things can easily be avoided - you don't even need to look very hard because all builders are not doing this... it's just that people are "choosing" these things because that's what they can afford. You get what you pay for.
I don't think you are missing the point, Mikey. I am reading it the same way.
The OP doesn't seem to understand that price point is everything.
And, not everyone dislikes the things he mentioned. I know people who WANT a garage that they can easily drive into, straight from the street, and they like having it separated by extending forward instead of backward or with a side entry.
Not everyone can afford granite countertops. It adds price points. Many people still prefer golden oak, on floors and furniture, as well as cabinets (if they have hardwood floors).
If I read correctly, OP works in home improvement and he is having trouble selling the upscale items to contractors, I guess.
Most folks that I know would prefer to get the mortgage payment down as low as possible and then if they want to customize with higher grade fixtures (faucets, doorknobs, light fixtures, etc) . . .they do it themselves or save up some money and have someone come in and install these items after they have lived in the house a while.
Not everyone can afford granite countertops. It adds price points. Many people still prefer golden oak, on floors and furniture, as well as cabinets (if they have hardwood floors).
If I read correctly, OP works in home improvement and he is having trouble selling the upscale items to contractors,
Actually that is the funny part, granite is one of the best valued counter tops you can buy now on the lower groups. Let's say you have a laminate counter that costs $550 then you have labor on that about $500.
That's $1050. Granite would maybe be $1200 - $1300 includes install.
I have also remodeled many houses and if you price things and be creative you can build a house that looks like a million dollars that cost $150,000. It's all about design ability.
The contractors that build this ugly developments just don't care, it seems, to be creative. They don't really know about design, whats in and whats not anymore. They just have been doing these building type and can't change their habits to the new century.
I am missing the point because all of these things can easily be avoided - you don't even need to look very hard because all builders are not doing this... it's just that people are "choosing" these things because that's what they can afford. You get what you pay for.
Hopefully those that can afford to pay more will check in here before purchasing.
I bought a house in January and closed in late-September, and none of your bullet points fit my house. Well, we do have a 12x18 concrete patio in the backyard, but it's a covered patio with 2 ceiling fans. If you want granite countertops, side garage, front patio, hardwood floors, etc, there are plenty of builders willing to work with you.
I do think construction & design standards are slow to change in the southeast. I was surprised when I moved to Charlotte from Orange County CA, that my early 1950s tract house in CA had a more open feeling than the typical 1960s-70s ranch style here. (8 foot ceilings. Small colonial pane windows. Living rooms 12 feet deep.) That boxy ranch floorplan can be found all the way into the 1980s ... they simply vinyl clad them instead of brick.
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