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If the quality of finish/materials are important to you, and you don't have the money to afford them in new construction, (imagine how expensive a real brick house, with a slate roof, and lots of hardwood woodwork would cost today!) you might be more willing to settle for a plan that isn't "perfect."
I would not buy a house with a crummy floorplan just because it had nicer finishes. Finishes can be changed. Floorplans are difficult to alter. That's just me. Nobody else has to like the same things but in my experience in buying homes there are certain things that can be altered and finishes and fixtures are easy to change.
I would not buy a house with a crummy floorplan just because it had nicer finishes. Finishes can be changed. Floorplans are difficult to alter. That's just me. Nobody else has to like the same things but in my experience in buying homes there are certain things that can be altered and finishes and fixtures are easy to change.
Well sure, to an extent. Conversely, I wouldn't buy a house with a terrific floor plan, if it was finished with 3/8" drywall, plastic trim, cheap vinyl windows, etc. It would cost more than the house is worth to upgrade the finishes.
Well sure, to an extent. Conversely, I wouldn't buy a house with a terrific floor plan, if it was finished with 3/8" drywall, plastic trim, cheap vinyl windows, etc. It would cost more than the house is worth to upgrade the finishes.
Of course it does depend on what finishes you are talking about. But things like countertops, flooring, paint, woodwork, etc...can all be added to homes with cheap builder stuff. I wouldn't buy a house just because it had crown molding or nice countertops.
I'm one of those people who prefer a new house over an older home. Most old houses feel creepy to me. I don't like anything that looks outdated, including light fixtures, appliances, moldings, windows, carpet, paint & wallpaper. I also don't like funky smells from the previous owners, like pet smells, smoke, musty basements, etc. I don't like overgrown mature landscaping. But I can appreciate that some people find older homes charming.
I love the smell of a new house and having everything shiny and new. I also like the fresh feel of a new home. My ideal is a new, well built, custom home in a nice neighborhood.
I'm definitely in the corner of different strokes for different folks but I don't think that many people would find my 85 y.o. living room particularly creepy- cluttered maybe
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Even though it is a modest sized house and room, the details in this house would be difficult and prohibitively expensive to replicate in new construction, (a friend of mine rued the day he decided to build a replica of our fireplace in his home- $35k later it's a beautiful fireplace, but...) and it is those details; wood floors, mahogany windows, plaster arches and chunky plaster crown in the ceilings, original hammered sconces.., that I think make for a very warm and architecturally interesting home.
and there is something definitely creepy to me to have a flat, small backyard with nothing more than a rectangle of turf and a redwood fence, maybe a couple of shrubs and a (builder's choice) sapling or two if you're lucky.
I'd rather be in the city but feel like I'm in the woods with mature landscaping and trees, glorious mature trees all around me to ponder at.
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But again, folks have different priorities, budgets and stages in their lives that dictate much of our housing decisions and those ultimately will override some of our dream desires in them. Just enjoy your life make your home a happy and comfortable place for your family wherever you are.
I'm one of those people who prefer a new house over an older home. Most old houses feel creepy to me. I don't like anything that looks outdated, including light fixtures, appliances, moldings, windows, carpet, paint & wallpaper. I also don't like funky smells from the previous owners, like pet smells, smoke, musty basements, etc. I don't like overgrown mature landscaping. But I can appreciate that some people find older homes charming.
I love the smell of a new house and having everything shiny and new. I also like the fresh feel of a new home. My ideal is a new, well built, custom home in a nice neighborhood.
You could be my neighbor!
I agree with everything you mentioned. My neighborhood has well built new homes that have are customized. The neighborhood has gentle rolling hills and very large yards. The landscaping is a variety of colorful trees and and neatly trimmed shrubs. Many homes (including mine) have very nice flower beds where perineals are becoming established.
I love the side-load garages and other features that older homes generally don't have.
But some of my relatives live in older homes with mature trees and the older style bushes that grow under the windows, and hedges along property lines. Those homes are nice too, just not my preference.
Isn't it nice that we all can choose the style of home we prefer?
One thing I find a lot. People think they are going to design the "perfect" new home. However they do not really know what makes "perfect" Sometimes they have neat seeming ideas that turn out impractical in real daily living. Sometimes they build for their needs toady, without thinking about tomorrow. A lot of times people buy a home that has feautres or floorplan that they think they do not like, but after living in it they learn they like it better (i.e. do'nt knock it until you try it). I was once a huge fan of the "open floor plan concept, until I lived in some older homes. Now I would not go with an "open floor plan" If I were to design a "perfect" home, however 15-20 years ago, I would have becasue I had not lived in an old style house.
I also do not understand the appeal of "new new new" in houses. One friend of mine told me "I am moving into my fourth new construction" i thought "how sad for you" At least he is not staying in them long enough to have them fall apart on him.
I do understand the appeal of newer homes to some people (just not for me), but a brand new home seems like a bad deal all around. You pay more, usually get lower quality and it does nto have all of the bugs worked out and problems resolved. If I were into newer houses, I woudl only buy one fiveto ten years old. That way if it is going to settle, crack, leak, break, it has either already done so and been repaired and corrected, or I will get a discount to do the repair/correction myself, plus at least a few of the rooms are going to be satisfactorily finished, while a new home will have white walls, cheap beige or white carepting, cheap bland fixtures. I would spend years giving it some life.
Like many new things they are made to be thrown away after a short period of use. Often with many older things, they may need repair more often, but they are made to be repaired, not thrown away. Unfortuantely, new homes are often made to be thrown away after a short period. That helps keep demand up.
I dislike newer homes mostely due to their commonality. You could take the kitchen out of almost any new house at any price range and except for size, they will all be essentially the same. A very few custom built homes are exceptions. I agree withthe prior posters who said new homes have no style and no architectural merit. Floorplans are boring. Finish matrerials are generally poor quality and, for some materials, the old quality is simply not available at any price range.
I also love the feeling of history, the "ghosts" of prior residents. I like to wlak down our stairs and think about the hundred plus different people who walked down those same stairs holding the same handrail. What were they thnking/wearing/doing? I like to think about prior homeowners trading sugar and flour with Indians for furs, pottery, and produce in the parlor. What must life have bene like then.
With a new home, everything is bland and sterile to me. Plus you end up having to buy curtains, carpeting, replace cabinets and cheap plumbing fixtures, repaint the white walls, repair or rpelace cheap vinyl windows. . . there is a lot of work to do with a new home to make it lived in and cozy. In many places you run the risk of trying to walk into th wrong house if you ar tired or drunk. They all look so similar.
By the way, some of the old materials and nethods that often get bashed in older homes were actually better. Aesbestos is actually superior to most rpelacement products. It does nto hurt anything (it was potnetially deadly to the people who worked in the factory where it was made, but once in your house - it is great stuff). Aesbestos siding lasts forever. Linoleum flooring was super durable until the eliminate Aesbestos and replaced it with chintszy vinyl.
Likewise baloon framing is superior in many ways. You just need highly fire resistant insulation and/or added fireblocks to give you a chance to get out in a fire.
Lead paint is also great stuff for durability and looks, but since it is toxic to children who eat it, I generally remove it or cover it up. Although I do nto have small stupid children in my house who eat pain chips or suck on walls, you never know what the future will bring, so it is not worth the risk.
In almost all applications wood is a surior product to plastic and old growth wood is far far superior to the foreced grown garbage that passes for lumber today.
Plumbing and foundation materials and draininge are far superior today however, so the need to upgrade has to be acconted for in finances for a house if it has not been done already. However I woudl prefer to have a few things that need replacing because it is old than have everything needing replacing because it is cheap.
Completely custom homes are a different story. It is possible to build a unique custom home that is quality. You cannot duplicate some of the feautres and materials of older homes, but you can still built an excellent home if you are willing to spend the money. However most people are not willing to sacrifice size and bells & whistles for quality. That is one of the reasons why mass produced homes are large and poor quality.
On the other hand, I am very lad that so many of you out there love only new homes. Keep it up. Kee your house new and up to date and buy a new new home every five years please. (It is good for my clients and therefore good for me.)
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