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.
It also has to do with costs...the more different shapes or styles of homes will increase the price and overall people like a nice home but don't want to pay too much...
nemmert: General People here have not been offered OPTIONS! They buy these because there is NOTHING else to choose from, it goes from these ugly boxes to million dollar custom homes.....there are no middle choices and people have not been educated in what architectural styles are and there are PLENTY to choose from.
bentlebee: No, I am from Romania originally and there are no two homes the same there, the only thing that is the same and is due to our famous communist era are the apartment buildings, which are horrible.....I (luckily) did not have to live in one of those, where I lived all homes were completely different from each other and no, there were no orange homes or crazy purple homes around.........those ARE exceptions indeed.......but the architecture and colors chosen were not all coming from the same color swatch!
My disappointment in architecture here comes from the fact that HERE you have soooooooooooo many options available and yet none are used...that is SAD.
Again, I believe you are underestimating the supply and demand economics of US capitalism. If the demand was there for what you are requesting, a home builder would be offering it. Why? Because he could demand a premium for it over all of the "cookie cutter" builders.
In the money greedy ultra-capitalistic society that is the US there is 1 generality that is more of a certainty. If there is no supply of something, most typically there is too little demand to get it. If there were more demand, quite assuredly someone would be looking to fill that demand and make a buck.
nemmert.......but how do these young people who have never had an opportunity to travel anywhere or are not familiar with architectural styles, or have never heard of Art Deco... to being with, they will never know there are other styles! that's not fair! This is not something taught in middle or high school, so unless the parent KNOWs and shows them........they'll never know that there may be something else out there much nicer looking!
I understand how supply and demand works, but if I were a builder and that was my job, PART of my job was also to educate people and allow them to see what else is out there....not to mention it would make for a much nicer portfolio for me.
nemmert.......but how do these young people who have never had an opportunity to travel anywhere or are not familiar with architectural styles, or have never heard of Art Deco... to being with, they will never know there are other styles! that's not fair! This is not something taught in middle or high school, so unless the parent KNOWs and shows them........they'll never know that there may be something else out there much nicer looking!
I understand how supply and demand works, but if I were a builder and that was my job, PART of my job was also to educate people and allow them to see what else is out there....not to mention it would make for a much nicer portfolio for me.
Part of your job would be educating people ONLY if that makes you more money than leaving them uneducated.
What you are suggesting is people should educate people to try to create a market. You are suggesting a build it and they will come strategy. This is similar to high tech companies creating a new whiz bang gadget that there is no demand (pull from the market) for and then going out and trying to convince everyone they really do need this new cool thing that they have managed to survive all their lives without but now must part with hard earned cash to exist into the future with.
Frankly, that model fails time and time again. Lucent was successful for a number of years and we could debate whether that was luck or skill, but in the end probability won over either of them (even the best can't beat the market forever).
As to your statement regarding the ignorance of our youth, frankly, it's a bit offensive. Especially in the age of the computers, I don't believe anyone is quite as naive as you imply when it comes to the possibilities of design and color. This isn't the 60 and 70s where we were stuck with polaroids of a long since taken family vacation or some 30 year old text book to show us the world. We can now see, communicate, and befriend people all around the globe and our youth ESPECIALLY has embraced that.
You're an idealist and that's fine. All I'm trying to point out is that in this case you may well be in the minority and that to attempt to impose your will on the unwilling (i.e. painting your home buccaneer orange in a community that likes vanilla) goes against my values.
"Part of your job would be educating people ONLY if that makes you more money than leaving them uneducated." isn't that the definition of GREED?
No, what I am suggesting is getting out of this uniform habit! "not build and they'll come", this is no different than all the apartment buildings that were build during communism in Romania.......literally! after our revolution there in 89' architects finally started having some free hand! and the ability to build new and more visually appealing buildings used for business and residential.
Usually when new sub divisions are planned here, there is a sales office and the builder builds a few models, then people have to choose 3,4 different styles for the outside and inside upgrades....but the models are nothing more than the same version with shutters or without! or with fake rocks or without.....been there, seen it too many times................
I think you are really underestimating today's youth ignorance levels! I really invite you to go ask a high school student what "Art Deco" is......I am pretty sure they'll think it's a new low waist jean! try it....What IS offensive indeed regarding youth is that Florida's graduation rate is 45 our of 50 states!!!! THAT my dear is more offensive than anything else regarding youth today and IT IS offensive exactly because they do have computers and sooooooooo many tools and they're using them for social networks! if they were using them for learning, graduation rates would have not been this bad! Back in Romania it is mandatory to graduate high school and usually there are from 5 to 300 students on ONE spot for the economics academy! and oddly enough they all speak English as English and French are also mandatory starting in 5th grade.
Never did I suggest "orange" for the outside color nor trim, however coral is another story. Google it.
Again, if I was a builder, when I'd build my models, I would have at least 4 completely different styles to choose from, and a CATALOG with the rest available and show people ALL options!!! not whatever I decide is good for them as I won't be the one living there!
"Part of your job would be educating people ONLY if that makes you more money than leaving them uneducated." isn't that the definition of GREED?
No, what I am suggesting is getting out of this uniform habit! "not build and they'll come", this is no different than all the apartment buildings that were build during communism in Romania.......literally! after our revolution there in 89' architects finally started having some free hand! and the ability to build new and more visually appealing buildings used for business and residential.
Usually when new sub divisions are planned here, there is a sales office and the builder builds a few models, then people have to choose 3,4 different styles for the outside and inside upgrades....but the models are nothing more than the same version with shutters or without! or with fake rocks or without.....been there, seen it too many times................
I think you are really underestimating today's youth ignorance levels! I really invite you to go ask a high school student what "Art Deco" is......I am pretty sure they'll think it's a new low waist jean! try it....What IS offensive indeed regarding youth is that Florida's graduation rate is 45 our of 50 states!!!! THAT my dear is more offensive than anything else regarding youth today and IT IS offensive exactly because they do have computers and sooooooooo many tools and they're using them for social networks! if they were using them for learning, graduation rates would have not been this bad! Back in Romania it is mandatory to graduate high school and usually there are from 5 to 300 students on ONE spot for the economics academy! and oddly enough they all speak English as English and French are also mandatory starting in 5th grade.
Never did I suggest "orange" for the outside color nor trim, however coral is another story. Google it.
Again, if I was a builder, when I'd build my models, I would have at least 4 completely different styles to choose from, and a CATALOG with the rest available and show people ALL options!!! not whatever I decide is good for them as I won't be the one living there!
Wow, you must come from a part of Romenia that is very special...I have met young people from Romenia who aside from being very nice...hardly couldn't speak one word of English.
You mentioned your kids are young so maybe you have no clue about scholing in the USA, but many have a course called "art" in which "Art Deco" is taught.
The other thing is that many parents haven had the chance to travel as much as we from Europe have since where I lived it was by car 1 hour from Belgium, 1 hour from germany and 4 hours from Paris...but that doesn't mean that traveling in the USA can be very exciting and a lot to see...
If parents have no interest so won't their children (in most cases)...but even watching tv you can see a lot of different cultures and interesting things.
I agree with nemmert that if there is no demand it won't be build or some one with a load of money wants to waste some, which most likely isn't the case, but maybe you have an entrepeneur in you and will be able to change it
"Romenia" < That's not how you spell Romania............LOL There are people who were born in the US who don't Speak English either! not sure which one is worst.....as for us in Romania English is a 2nd language...and French a 3rd.
Do all schools here have ART programs? because my kids started school this year and all I hear is how ART programs are being CUT due to insufficient funds? but I am referring to public schools, not private. Generally the art programs in schools here refer to music, dance, painting and graphics in general, not architecture....
The TV thing.......well, it would be nice if kids were watching the Travel channel, however I think for a 10 year old or any kids between 10 and 18 going on 35 watching the travel channel can be considered highly boring! I for one LOVE the travel channel since these days it is the ONLY way I can travel anywhere............
Yes, that you're right, MOST people here don't have the opportunity to travel the way we are able in Europe because of 1. It is too expensive and 2. the distances are HUGE here by comparison....STILL, that is not a good excuse for the builders to have people here stuck on one style and one style only.
Builders work with architects, architects go to school for 4+ years and have the opportunity to study all kinds of styles and also develop THEIR OWN styles....why not give the US average citizen an opportunity to explore different styles? why keep it to yourself or JUST for the millionaires! believe me to have a different facade to a house is not going to be more expensive if done right than what you offer now: shutters/no shutters or fake rocks/no fake rocks! (not even real rocks or bricks like earlier in the past century)
Algia, my own husband is an architect - most of these developers are very CHEAP and do not want to actually pay an architect to design nice, interesting individual homes. For maximum bucks they just come up with a few boring models that they "designed" themselves. This one reason why I would never live in one of the gate communities, I think the vast majority are way too plain vanilla for me, besides all the HOA rules.
My husband (who is American but grew up in Belgium) and I are artistic creative people, so we prefer to live in older neighborhoods such as where we are now, homes from every decade from the 1920's to the present, big mansions to small ranch homes, in every style from Mediterranean to modern to Cape Cod, and on and on. And they are painted in many different colors, and all have lush and unique landscaping. Many have art sculptures in their yards. This is the way we like to live. There are many though who prefer cookie-cutter, vanilla styles and lots of restrictions. Not putting that down at all, it is their right to live that way. As someone mentioned, the demand is there for that, so those type communities get built.
These days most lots in cities are built out, so to have a newer home you have to live in one of these beige and restricted communities. Bottom line, you want colors and no restrictions you pretty much live with an older house or buy one for the lot and knock it down and re-build (a practice I mostly abhor, by the way).
gypsychic: You are absolutely right........and honestly, this is very very sad, it is almost insulting to people's intelligence! because the assumption is that "people don't know or have to know any better" so like someone else said, they'll buy whatever is available and be satisfied thinking that they hit some jackpot called "the American Dream"!!!!!!!!
I would hate it to be an architect and not be able to offer people the opportunity for divers homes! .... if we were not tied up with the schools up here, we wouldn't be living in one of these policed HOA "wonders" either, we would move to South Tampa/Westshore in 2 minutes, I would beat every moving record out there! LOL
Folks.. let's get this back on topic of HOA restrictions. If you wish to discuss housing styles please start a new thread, I can move your post to that thread.
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.
