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In Memphis, vinyl siding is for low-income neighborhoods. It wasn't until I traveled to other cities that I realized that vinyl was also used in upper-middle class areas. That doesn't make sense to me. Here, the houses in even the blandest, very solidly middle class suburbs are almost completely brick. There might be a little vinyl, but they never cover entire sides of the house like on the McMansions of other cities.
Cost is one consideration. Brick is very expensive to have installed as an exterior surface in many parts of the country. Hence, a lot of older homes here in the Midwest are "frame" homes, meaning that they were constructed with wood clapboard siding. Painted surfaces, however, get the crap beat out of them by the weather up here, so there a lot of maintenance costs involved in painting and replacing rotted wood. Vinyl, therefore, is a practical and cost-effective alternative.
Cost is one consideration. Brick is very expensive to have installed as an exterior surface in many parts of the country. Hence, a lot of older homes here in the Midwest are "frame" homes, meaning that they were constructed with wood clapboard siding. Painted surfaces, however, get the crap beat out of them by the weather up here, so there a lot of maintenance costs involved in painting and replacing rotted wood. Vinyl, therefore, is a practical and cost-effective alternative.
That's something I notice when I go to other Midwestern towns. There is a crapload of frame houses! It's very strange coming from a city that is almost completely brick. The only other Midwestern cities where I've seen a large amount of brick is Chicago and Cincy. Although they both have a lot of frame housing too.
That's something I notice when I go to other Midwestern towns. There is a crapload of frame houses! It's very strange coming from a city that is almost completely brick. The only other Midwestern cities where I've seen a large amount of brick is Chicago and Cincy. Although they both have a lot of frame housing too.
Brick is more predominant in the older housing stock in both Chicago and Cincy. But even in your backyard there in St. Louis, there's a lot of frame/vinyl siding to be found in outer burbs like Chesterfield, St. Charles and Fenton.
Theoretical question:
I have read many discussions at city-data regarding the ages of housing. The discussion mostly centers around homes built 1930 or before or 1980 or after. But what about mid-20th century; that is, 1931 to 1979?
I've said it before and I'll say it again--the house I grew up in, and where my mother still lives, is a brick split level built in 1967. It's in excellent condition and Mom goes out of her way to keep it nice. I suppose that a house whose residents were, for the most part, four quiet females (Mom and my sisters and me in the 1970s) probably helped with maintaining it.
According to some of you, this house should be crumbling by now....
Brick is more predominant in the older housing stock in both Chicago and Cincy. But even in your backyard there in St. Louis, there's a lot of frame/vinyl siding to be found in outer burbs like Chesterfield, St. Charles and Fenton.
That's what I don't understand. The city is very brick, but the suburbs have a lot of vinyl. I don't get how Memphis suburbs have more brick than St. Louis suburbs. Some suburbs in St. Charles County have houses that are completely vinyl-sided. That wouldn't fly in a Memphis suburb. Nobody would buy it because it looks low-income. Thankfully, the most desireable STL suburbs like Ladue, Frontenac, Clayton, Creve Coeur and Town & Country hardly use any vinyl.
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