[Jewels36]

I have a question:

Is it a Florida thing to have tile in the living and dining rooms. It seems that so many homes I look at online have tile throughout the living areas (bedrooms being the exception, in most cases). Why is this?

The brand new homes do not but many of the homes that are just 1-3 years old do; and most of the homes that are 6 years or older do. I have come across several homes that might interest me and then I notice they have tile throughout. I like tile in the kitchen and bathrooms but not in the remainder of the living areas.

Is there a reason for this?

[kimwick]

It keeps it cooler. It also never wears and always looks clean. We live on acreage so we put wood and tile throughout because of the sand. I love it so much better than carpet. We do have throw rugs throughout. Which I also like so if I want to change colors in my home all I have to do is change the throw or area rugs.

[lulu]

I guess one can say it is a Florida thing....A contractor told me once that wood doesn't doesn't fare well in hot/humid weather - then the issue of the termites, floods, etc. Most of the homes now built in S. FL for example are made of CBS & our bathtubs are set on concrete slabs, unlike other parts. Then there's the added issue of maintenance. Tiles tend to last forever...whereas the natural wood floors need stripping, polishing, sealing, etc. And it doesn't stain like if a dog does #1 or one drops a glass of red wine, etc. With tiles, its' a one time thing that lasts & lasts in FL weather or tropical zones... and it's cool, too. However, I have noticed that wood floor imitations like those laminate floors now have become quite popular as most people do love that natural wood look, but with the added convenience that it's not real wood.
Though, it wasn't always this way. Looking back in time, my mom used to have a 1926 elevated home that had wood floors w/a chimney & all (never used) & the floor rotted while she lived there. I remember once she had to call some construction workers to jack up the bathtub cause it fell down from wood rot & termites - they set it up on concrete blocks as a safety measure - they had to bathe for 2 days outside w/ a water hose in bathing suits while the tub was laying on the dirt like 10 ft below - what a nightmare. Anyway, after that scare she got rid of the floor, rugs in the bedrooms and set up tile everywhere including the closets. As a kid I remember seeing wood homes in Key West, Coconut Grove, etc. but as time went on they started to disappear more & more - they don't last & if they do, they need lots of maintenance. The new set of building codes have changed too since hurricane Andrew destroyed tons of brand new homes that sadly ended like wooden matchsticks that left thousand's homeless.
As most people here know, I'm searching for another county to live in but I've noticed that some out of state builders are building wood homes like they do in other parts of the nation. They might be a few dollars cheaper than a CBS home but it's best to pay a bit more for somethng that withstands our Florida climate. Amazingly, I've also noticed that some even charge the same. From my experience, I truly recommend anybody moving here to buy a CBS home, w/ tiles or laminate flooring that can withstand the natural elements & the test of time.

[kimwick]

I would not by wood home down here in FLA. Termite city.

[Jewels36]

By wood, do you mean wood being used in the structure, or wood exterior?

[bamboosmom]

Jewels,
alot of the homes here have the tiles. It's much easier to take care of than wood especially with a pool! I love my tile floors. The only room that has carpet is my master, but the rest of the rooms have tile. The kids rooms have tile too. You know how kids can get LOL

[Jewels36]

I guess this is just something I will have to get used to. We like to lay on the floor and watch movies as a family and it just doesn't seem like laying on tile would be comfortable.

Tile also seems like a lot of work with sweeping and mopping every day. Especially for someone like me who is obsessively clean. As it stands now, I vacuum almost every day and sweep and mop the kitchen almost every day too. I can not stand to feel any type of crumbs or grit on the floor when I walk across it.

[lulu]

Wood exteriors and wood bases don't fare well. Wood framing is still used inside the structure. For example, my home is all CBS block on the outside including the upper floor - even with most homes pre-Andrew the second floors were made out of wood which is a no-no for hurricane force winds. Though, with all the homes wood is still the norm in wood framing (wish there were laminate framing, but there isn't). Anyhow, that wood framing must be treated wood, if untreated wood is used well, kiss it goodbye to termites or one must be prepared to tent every other year.

And for the living room & Florida room, I have area rugs to have that soft feel.

[Jewels36]

Okay, I got it. How do you know who is building with CBS?

Sidebar:

When I was a little girl, we lived in Miami (pre-Andrew). Miami had not had any major hurricanes in awhile but all the homes at that time were built to handle hurricanes. Most homes had thick jealosy windows and the roofs were flat. They were not the most appealing architecturially. It wasn't until I was in high school that Miami started going through another growth spurt and new home subdivisions with lots of fancy architecture started appearing (we had actually already moved out of state but returned several times a year for visits). My dad said at that time that it was foolish to build those homes like that. It seemed that it had been so long since there had been a major hurricane that builders had forgotten why they built homes the way they did in the first place. Well, wouldn't you know - Hurricane Andrew came along and took down all of these neighborhoods. Many were shocked but they shouldn't have been.

[lulu]

Well...we ask and we go look at the development if it's new construction. Most developers might have on their websites how they construct homes. Also, my husband is in the architectural field which helps- he starts knocking on walls, and pouncing on floors, ask for building plans....

Ohh...I remember those slat windows and my mom's roof had a concrete slab with tiles on it - believe it or not the same origninal roof is still there from 1926. Back then these older homes were designed much better to withstand hurricane force winds, tropical storms &, floods. They sure did keep the hurricane issue as a priority in their building (in the 20's there was a catastophic one). Though, unfortunately most had a wood base and the older cottages were made of wood that became victims of wood rot & termites. As time went on...the newer constructions were really reallly crummy. People simply forgot that this was still a hurricane belt or took it for granted that no hurricane would ever pass by again..so the building codes became really relaxed.