Modernist homes/build quality in Chapel Hill/Carrboro (Charlotte, Raleigh: sale, condos)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm interested in buying a house in Chapel Hill, and am intrigued by the modernist houses, but am concerned about cost of heating/air conditioning, and, due to their age, overall build quality. Does anyone have experiences, positive or negative, with modernist homes?
Also—are there particular neighborhoods where the build quality is especially high? While I'd like to buy a house in, say, Southern Village, or one of the neighborhoods in Carrboro built in the 1980s, I worry about getting a house that has major problems due to issues with construction.
Southern Village doesn't have any modernist houses that I'm aware of. It's more contemporary neo-traditional.
There are a lot of truly modernist houses in the Triangle if that's what you're looking for and new ones being built by owners, too. This is a good resource on modernist architecture in the Triangle: North Carolina Modernist Houses
Sorry for the confusion; I'm interested in modernist houses in older neighborhoods (like those in Estes Hills) as well as newer construction in planned communities, like Meadowmont and Southern Village. I've read reports that SV homes weren't built very well, which will be a problem given most of the housing stock is now twenty years old.
North Carolina Modernist Homes is a bit boosterish--well, more than a bit. I'm interested in hearing from someone who currently lives in one of these houses, and could give a report.
There are modernist houses of every era since the 50s in Chapel Hill and Carrboro and I'm not sure you can generalize about how they were all built. I think it would depend more on the particular house you are interested in, when it was built, if updates have been made, etc.
I have been admiring a brand new one going up on Pine Street in Carrboro lately. There's also a really nice tear down to the walls of a traditional 50/60s ranch on Cheek Street that is being rebuilt in a more modernist style. I'm sure these aren't spec, but you might look into doing something like that too if you have the budget.
Michgc, one of our City-Data denizens, lives in So Vill and I'm sure she can give you the lowdown there. I haven't heard any complaints of the kind you're talking about and I've known a couple of people who live out there.
Sounds like you might be interested in a more modern constructed home, maybe even LEED-certified. I'm sure you could find that in the area if you have the budget.
I'm interested in buying a house in Chapel Hill, and am intrigued by the modernist houses, but am concerned about cost of heating/air conditioning, and, due to their age, overall build quality. Does anyone have experiences, positive or negative, with modernist homes?
Also—are there particular neighborhoods where the build quality is especially high? While I'd like to buy a house in, say, Southern Village, or one of the neighborhoods in Carrboro built in the 1980s, I worry about getting a house that has major problems due to issues with construction.
I'd contact Virginia Faust with the modernist society. She's in Chapel Hill and probably can answer some of your questions, and put you in contact with some owners. She's also pretty wired into when stuff is coming on market.
There are some spectacular modernist homes in the Lake Forest neighborhood. We looked at 601 Brookview when it was under contract, fortunately the sale went through because we would have destroyed our housing budget to get it :-)
They are in Raleigh, too. Check that link I gave upthread.
I will say that some of the ones listed as "modernist" to my untrained eye look to have more modernist mid-century touches than being full on modernist, but I'm not deep into the trenches with that stuff.
Here's a listing of modernist house in Raleigh: http://www.ncmodernist.org/raleigh.htm I think part of the aesthetic of modernist design is that it is integrated into the surrounding landscape so often the houses are in wooded areas and harder to see just driving down the road. It's not very modernist to have a big green lawn I don't think, but again I'm not keyed into that stuff. I've just come across info over the years and have had friends who were into it. I like them, but just not super knowledgable and I'm sure there are many others in the area and on City Data who know more than I do.
Chapel Hill has nice modernist homes , lot of them were built by J P Goforth in the 70s and early 80s (Stoneridge, Village West, Ironwoods, Falconbridge, Northwood, Oaks II, Sedgefield and Coker Hills). I have been in some and they are beautiful.
Village West is all condos, not homes. I don't think of it as modernist, but maybe it meets the criteria?
Ironwoods is mostly pretty traditional, too. I was just over there last night dropping off a friend of my kid, but it was dark so I didn't get a great look at all the houses.
You'll find more classic modernist homes in Coker Hills. There are some really nice ones there, a lot designed by Goforth, but some by other architects and builders, too.
I don't remember seeing many modernist homes in Falconbridge. Had friends who used to live out there. I thought of it as more contemporary, but I guess those styles blend? I don't really know. They moved to a John Hartley designed home in a different area.
There are also a few of the variety with modernist touches in Carrboro in the neighborhood near the post office. Can't remember the name of the top of my head, but James St, Simpson St, Lorraine St — that area.
Lots of folks are refurbing homes near the mill house neighborhood in Carrboro. I've seen homes on Pine Street, Oak Street (not Oak Ave), Cheek Street all being redone as modernist.
Wonder what it takes to get on that list from NCMH because I see a house in my neighborhood on there that I wouldn't have put on there, but several missing from my neighborhood that I would think should be on there. We've got one real Brady Bunch style place that sold a couple of years ago.
Funny, I saw the names of a couple of other folks (not neighbors) I know on that NCMH list. Sometimes you see something so much it just doesn't strike you as a particular style.
I know the neighborhoods you are thinking of around Estes Hill Elementary. I think the homes are well built and well maintained. Of course, maintenance is dependent on the owner.
As for 1960's-era construction, there will not be enough insulation or electric plugs. Check the breaker box to see if it meets more current construction codes. A lot of the homes have been updated so you hope for better windows and insulation and electric plugs.
Another thing to think about with a 60-year-old wooded neighborhood is the life expectancy of the trees. Though we all would love for them to live forever, there is a life cycle.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
