Why do Miami houses all look so different from houses in other states and even in other parts of Florida?

[perry335654]

Here is the McMansions in Tamiami, two-stories though



https://www.google.com/maps/@25.7811...2!8i6656?hl=en

[perry335654]

Like I stated, new sidewalks and new trees very few on this street has Hialeah gains some improvements. No one is parking on the grass at least on this street.



https://www.google.com/maps/@25.8193...2!8i6656?hl=en

[tallrick]

Originally Posted by valicky

To you - the Mackle homes are gorgeous compared to ... That's your taste. We're talking about looks, not what's stronger or better suited to an area. I love the look of the Country Walk homes. Not saying they they are well made, but I like the style. Everyone has different tastes and preferences. I like the siding, front porches, shutters, two story farmhouse look. You like minimalist, mid century. Siding doesn't have to be vinyl. Mine isn't. Those boxes along Bird Road are hideous to me. They were built to be affordable, not beautiful. My parents' old home in Westchester was a bit nicer than those boxes. It was raised off the ground, had a front porch and wood floors. That's my preference. My ideal home would be one of those old Key West pine homes. Wood everywhere. Like this one:

The Oldest Home in Miami (Coral Gables) is For Sale and Could be Yours for the New Year!

It pains me to think that the wood siding was replaced with stucco to adhere to Coral Gables codes. Seriously???

Also, the two links you posted are much nicer homes than the Mackle boxes.

Contrary to what many people think, I am supportive of preservation and restoration of buildings of all types, provided they were built in the era before drywall. There's a tiny home in my area built before 1930 which I am trying to get a friend to buy and restore. His wife, however hates it because it is only around 1000 square feet. Someone added on this this with flimsy illegal additions but being made mostly of cypress it is restoreable.The main reason I hate a development like Country Walk is that is is not real but a developer's marketing ploy to sell substandard construction. A friend still lives in a house he bought in the late 80's nearby the Country Walk area but built in the 40's. It survived Andrew with minor damage while people he knew nearby in those cardboard castles suffered.

[Pincho-toot]

Originally Posted by valicky

To you - the Mackle homes are gorgeous compared to ... That's your taste. We're talking about looks, not what's stronger or better suited to an area. I love the look of the Country Walk homes. Not saying they they are well made, but I like the style. Everyone has different tastes and preferences. I like the siding, front porches, shutters, two story farmhouse look. You like minimalist, mid century. Siding doesn't have to be vinyl. Mine isn't. Those boxes along Bird Road are hideous to me. They were built to be affordable, not beautiful. My parents' old home in Westchester was a bit nicer than those boxes. It was raised off the ground, had a front porch and wood floors. That's my preference. My ideal home would be one of those old Key West pine homes. Wood everywhere. Like this one:

The Oldest Home in Miami (Coral Gables) is For Sale and Could be Yours for the New Year!

It pains me to think that the wood siding was replaced with stucco to adhere to Coral Gables codes. Seriously???

Also, the two links you posted are much nicer homes than the Mackle boxes.

That's a cute little house. I love the porch.

[perry335654]

I have found looking at Google Maps quite a diversity in the type of architecture that Miami displays. Yes, it is predominantly Mediterranean -Style and Stucco but it has to do with climate and what is indigenous to the area. Miami obviously has a strong Hispanic influence so the reason for the architecture. I think the style is impressive to out-of -towners who visit Miami as it different as are the Royal and Coconut Palms etc., you don't find in almost all of the states.

I don't see any problems with architecture with Miami, yea maybe it has been cheapen with faux this and faux that, but at least Miami has the strongest building codes due to hurricanes. The one thing I pointed out before that was disturbing was people parking on the grass as it ruins the lawn and creates an eyesore with a plethora of cars parked everywhere.

To say Miami is plain as you go inland is pure ignorance.

[valicky]

I agree about substandard construction. I liked the look of Country Walk because it bucked the standard that was being built EVERYWHERE else and still is decades later. Glad I didn't live there though, during Hurricane Andrew.

[Pincho-toot]

Originally Posted by perry335654

I have found looking at Google Maps quite a diversity in the type of architecture that Miami displays. Yes, it is predominantly Mediterranean -Style and Stucco but it has to do with climate and what is indigenous to the area. Miami obviously has a strong Hispanic influence so the reason for the architecture. I think the style is impressive to out-of -towners who visit Miami as it different as are the Royal and Coconut Palms etc., you don't find in almost all of the states.

I don't see any problems with architecture with Miami, yea maybe it has been cheapen with faux this and faux that, but at least Miami has the strongest building codes due to hurricanes. The one thing I pointed out before that was disturbing was people parking on the grass as it ruins the lawn and creates an eyesore with a plethora of cars parked everywhere.

To say Miami is plain as you go inland is pure ignorance.

My childhood home was built in 1940, before the huge Hispanicisation of south Florida, and it is still a stucco house. This style has been used since before American involvement in WW2. It is not as new as you think. My boyfriend (at the time, we've broken up for now) was NOT impressed with the architecture of Miami's residential houses. He's going to study interior design and personally found the houses down there ugly. The impressive parts of Miami are the buildings downtown, that is what he found impressive and pretty to look at. I don't think anyone from out of state is impressed by a one storey house with orange stucco walls and a chain link fence around it Most of Miami's houses are definitely lacking in aesthetic appearance. Not just the ghetto areas, but even many of the middle class areas.

[doom1001]

Originally Posted by valicky

I agree about substandard construction. I liked the look of Country Walk because it bucked the standard that was being built EVERYWHERE else and still is decades later. Glad I didn't live there though, during Hurricane Andrew.

I did,half the roof was gone,a 2x4 piece of wood went right through a wall but considering we had 160mph sustained winds and 200 mph gusts our house was about average and could have been worse.There were 4-5 houses in Country Walk where nothing was left standing and dozens of 2 story houses that were left with no second floor.Overall still 1000x better than the trailer park that was across the street,there literally wasn't anything left there.Another lucky thing was that there were these 200ft tall concrete along 152st that all amazingly fell on 152st instead of on top of peoples houses if they would have come down in the opposite direction.I also remember seeing the Eckerd Drug sign from the store on 152st and 137ave ended up around 144st and about 150ave.

[perry335654]

Originally Posted by BadgerFilms

My childhood home was built in 1940, before the huge Hispanicisation of south Florida, and it is still a stucco house. This style has been used since before American involvement in WW2. It is not as new as you think. My boyfriend (at the time, we've broken up for now) was NOT impressed with the architecture of Miami's residential houses. He's going to study interior design and personally found the houses down there ugly. The impressive parts of Miami are the buildings downtown, that is what he found impressive and pretty to look at. I don't think anyone from out of state is impressed by a one storey house with orange stucco walls and a chain link fence around it Most of Miami's houses are definitely lacking in aesthetic appearance. Not just the ghetto areas, but even many of the middle class areas.

You're good for a laugh, Like Doris Day's song goes Que Sera Sera, Miami is boo-ti ful

[valicky]

Originally Posted by doom1001

I did,half the roof was gone,a 2x4 piece of wood went right through a wall but considering we had 160mph sustained winds and 200 mph gusts our house was about average and could have been worse.There were 4-5 houses in Country Walk where nothing was left standing and dozens of 2 story houses that were left with no second floor.Overall still 1000x better than the trailer park that was across the street,there literally wasn't anything left there.Another lucky thing was that there were these 200ft tall concrete along 152st that all amazingly fell on 152st instead of on top of peoples houses if they would have come down in the opposite direction.I also remember seeing the Eckerd Drug sign from the store on 152st and 137ave ended up around 144st and about 150ave.

We had three friends that lived across the street (152nd, south side) and two in Country Walk. It was really bad. We lived in the Hammocks and it was just bad. We lost part of our roof but walls were all intact. Of course, once your roof goes the house needs to be gutted because of the drywall and carpeting. We had wall-to wall carpeting back then. I'm not sure many roofs can withstand an Andrew besides TallRick's house and there aren't many of those around.