What's with all the new modern style homes in Nashville? (Charlotte: for sale, new home)

[Turnerbro]

Just curious, a quick Zillow search revels that nearly half the homes for sale are new urban modern homes. When did this happen? I never knew Nashville was known for modern architecture. Also are they tearing down some of the old cheap ranch houses and replacing them with these modern homes?

[Edgefield D]

Demand for housing in Nashville continues to outpace supply. Yes, builders buying small ranches and tearing them down to put up tall skinnys, or semi-detached houses has been a thing for a while now.

[BirdieBelle]

Yes :/

Infill appeal: New homes, established neighborhoods

[Kluch]

Haven't you heard!? The tall and skinny's are in these days! Who needs a yard when you can have someone live in the same lot as you, just in their own house in what might have been your backyard? 12 South area is a perfect example.

[BeeHoyal]

Originally Posted by Turnerbro

Just curious, a quick Zillow search revels that nearly half the homes for sale are new urban modern homes. When did this happen? I never knew Nashville was known for modern architecture. Also are they tearing down some of the old cheap ranch houses and replacing them with these modern homes?

Yes. All over west Nashville. Especially between Charlotte Pike and the river. If you include skinny.

[Turnerbro]

Originally Posted by Kluch

Haven't you heard!? The tall and skinny's are in these days! Who needs a yard when you can have someone live in the same lot as you, just in their own house in what might have been your backyard? 12 South area is a perfect example.

Some of the houses I'm looking at do have yards. Some don't.

[Hey_Hey]

There are a couple of forces at work. The "modern" style that people are referring to are typically built this way in order to maximize views and interior space. Nashville has a growing skyline that people are willing to pay $$$ to see from their rooftops, but to get those views means that traditional design won't work. Add to that the fact that Nashville's core neighborhoods are absolutely booming with demand which drives up land costs. When land costs go up, the density must increase. Tall skinnies are being built because it is the only way get the square footage that people demand at a price point that people are able to afford.

In terms of quality, the houses being built will likely hold up as well as any other new construction. People see hardboard and think it will fall apart because it's not brick. People tend to equate brick with quality but don't realize that there is not such thing as structural brick anymore. The days of brisk actually providing any substantial structural benefit to a house last happened 100 years ago. All of these new homes are being built with hardiboard which is superior to wood siding in terms of maintenance and cost. They are also being built with engineered wooden joists which are much stronger and more versatile than solid "natural" joists. The pluming is all PEX now which is incredibly resistant to freezing and mechanical stress than copper pipes.

[jmecklenborg]

The modern style can be significantly faster to build than traditional styles. If a builder can build 4 infill houses per crew in this style per year instead of 3 traditional homes, that's way more money in the bank.

[sucrose]

Also many in the demographics buying into these neighborhoods don't get all warm and fuzzy over contemporary 'traditional' which is essentially faux chateau these days.

[HaleyinNashville]

There are definitely a lot of modern style, but I think there's a good variety too. Even in 12South and East Nashville, where they are most popular, there are quite a few craftsman style, brick, and more of 'blending' styles going on. I really love that not everything is the same. In my opinion, it's better for the long-term value of the neighborhood if a 'blending' has been done well. I know this isn't everyone's opinion though.