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my thoughts are that you let other people do what they want to their homes and you do what you want. why do you feel that your preferences are any better than theirs?
No one is suggesting that they aren't allowed to do what they want to their property. I believe the OP is just asking why?
We can always build new houses with granite countertops, and open floor plans. But we aren't building old houses anymore. The more old houses that are remuddled beyond repair, the fewer old houses there will be.
No one is suggesting that they aren't allowed to do what they want to their property. I believe the OP is just asking why?
We can always build new houses with granite countertops, and open floor plans. But we aren't building old houses anymore. The more old houses that are remuddled beyond repair, the fewer old houses there will be.
i dont think its rocket science to figure out why people do it. they do it because that is their personal preference. they dont care about the notion that people arent building old houses, they care about having a home that meets their personal preferences.
Last edited by CaptainNJ; 03-14-2013 at 09:02 AM..
No one is suggesting that they aren't allowed to do what they want to their property. I believe the OP is just asking why?
We can always build new houses with granite countertops, and open floor plans. But we aren't building old houses anymore. The more old houses that are remuddled beyond repair, the fewer old houses there will be.
Just because it's old doesn't mean it's good. There were a lot of shabbily built and/or generic old houses, too.
My own house was built in '31. Its structure is solid dimension lumber, so it'll last. BUT, it's a generic cottage style, it's not built square, it was built with cheap mass produced details (as mass production of those things was in full swing by then) and it has some limitations in it's generic layout. Add to that, some "interesting" upgrade choices throughout its past and there was no reason to "save" it in its as-bought state. But since the basic structure was solid, there was no reason to tear it down, either. It's now the basis for something comfortable and useable for me and my family.
In the case of California, it was flipping and money which caused a lot of investors to swoop in and gut any semblance of character from these older houses. Not only adding granite and stainless steel to things like kitchens, but using cheap materials to add the illusion of luxury; this was the greatest travesty. I saw a lot of houses like these that were gutted before they were finished and that was sad as well.
However a lot of the older cottages, craftsman and mission style homes, do have awkward layouts, small kitchens and most times only one bathroom; and that just doesn't appeal to most buyers.
I personally would modernize, add a bathroom or two, knock out a few walls, but try to keep the general 'theme' of the house; keeping the subway tile and clawfoot tub in the bathroom for instance, or try to restore the original hardwood, if I can.
As someone else mentioned, I think a lot of it is a lack of education and understanding.
The window example is one of the best. People are led to believe by clever window salesmen that ugly vinyl windows are better and more efficient than historic wood windows. They aren't. Those wood windows can be repaired and if in good condition, do not leak one whit. With storm windows they are every bit as efficient as modern double paned windows and much nicer looking in most cases. Last longer too. However few people know this and window salesmen work very hard to make sure it remains that way.
Sometimes people are led to believe forced air heat is better than radiated heat (it isn't for those who do not know this already, it is used because it is cheaper, but it is less efficient, less comfortable ad less healthy). Then people rip out their walls and floors to instal forced air.
People are often misled to believe that any older electrical must be removed and replaced or they will die in a fire. The same is said about older light fixtures (which are usually far better made and looking than new ones and can be safely re-wired for about $5 DIY or about $40 at a lighting shop). This is usually bunk. However they do not know better and the electrical contractor wants work so he will push this. Realtors know nothing about it but have heard this before (from electrical contractors who want work). Pretty soon it becoems and accepted "given"
Kitchen and bathroom "updates" are probably the second most common re-muddling job after windows. Again, people see the shiny new plastic components and are told they are better and will increase the value of the house. No one is around to tell them those components are cheap, will not hold up, and will be outdated in a few year and then be neither "charming, nor modern. They will just be dated.
I have never had any problem keeping butcher block counters clean. I have a towel and a bottle of fantastic. If they get stained, or gouged, just sand them down. For that matter I have not had any problem keeping painted counters clean. They are easily repainted if they get stained. Stained granite or marble usually must be replaced. Marble is an especially terrible counter surface, it is soft and stains easily. However it is not so much the materials that take away the kitchen charm, it is the style. A cast iron sink with porcelain or ceramic over it is more durable and just as easy to keep clean as stainless. A farmhouse style sink works just as well as any modern style. Our 1927 Magic Chef 1000 is as good or better than modern stoves, except possibly ones that cost $20,000. Sure, you might want to add autoignition for convenience and safety, but there is not advantage to a modern stove.
However people are told old appliances are dangerous (mostly not true) inefficient (not significantly), or simply bad. and must be replaced and updated. Kitchens must be ripped out and enlarged to be functional. This is flung at them by real estate agents, HGTV, contractors and salespersons. It is simply lack of education and or a lack of trying things out that causes people to fail to realize they do not need to butcher historic homes, or even that they are devaluing a home when they destroy its historic integrity.
Very few people even know there are alternatives to the easiest quickest and cheapest to install choices and products, because that is what contractors want to install and what realtors are accustomed to seeing.
It is funny when you restore a house and preserve its historic integrity, people walk in and are amazed. The ask "how did you do this? I did not know this could even be done" They do not turn up their nose and say "eeeeww that looks dated" They gush over the charm. However people simply do not know that it can be done and it can be inexpensive (but it takes time).
i find the post above interesting. it seems the poster wants to insult the intelligence of the people so they create a fictional reasoning for what the person does and then discredits it. the fictitious reasoning is that gullible person has been fooled by clever salespeople to believe the new appliances and windows are more efficient and "better." i dont have granite countertops because i think its "better" from a functional perspective. i dont have stainless steel appliances because i believe they are more efficient. i have them because my wife thinks they look better. the whole logic from the above post is totally off.
my thoughts are that you let other people do what they want to their homes and you do what you want. why do you feel that your preferences are any better than theirs?
I agree. Most of these folks seem to be remodeling their own homes, not somebody else's homes!
I was browsing city data & I found this thread & agree with much of the OP. I stopped watching HGTV because every
remodel was the same old formula. People are like sheep when it comes to this "formula" of that open concept, granite,
stainless steel, blah, blah. There were times I would be shocked what some of these designers did to some beautiful
and original features of homes. I seriously think they would destroy the interior of a Frank Lloyd Wright home by
knocking down walls, painting the hardwood trims, knocking down walls to make that huge walk in closet for her, put the
overdone typical granite stainless steel everything kitchen etc... It has become so boring to look at and there is little
creativity at all. It all looks so sterile.
I would agree that maybe replacing single pane windows, updating plumbing & electrical is a good idea.
Wait a bit longer and you will see people and buyers saying "oh no, not this same old stupid fad again" when they are
going to buy a home.
p.s. and if you want art - go to an art show or even check out work by students in college and yes even high school
to put on your walls. You'd be supporting the arts and helping students. Can't stand that black iron junk on the walls
with the candles either. "Good Art Doesn't Have To Match Your Sofa."
I really think some posters on this thread need to get perspective. I watch a lot of the remodeling shows on not just HGTV but also DIY and PBS. The vast majority of homes that they renovate are so far from "Architectiurqll Significant" it woe be as silly as saying a Cbevy Impala from the 1990s that was used for a police car or taxi cab should be "professionally restored" instead of junked...
There are vanishingly few low priced homes that merit the kind of labor needed to custom build lost storm windows, have knives custom made to reproduce molding from an earlier era or kind "period correct" wall coverings and paint.
When hosts of some shows do get the opportunity to do some of these things I have seen them done. The fact is the sorts of assistance that firms give to the TV shows make it MORE likely that these things won't be as budget busting as they often are in real life. It is really counter productive to discourage folks from watching the very shows that do the most to encourage this sort of thing...
There is only a tiny minority of buyers in the general population that can see past the non-functional aspects of home with inadequate closest space for dual income family, baths from era when weekly bathing was more common than a morning shower and entertainment meant a rocking chair next to a Victorola...
Funny thing too is I have long subscribed to the magazines that do showcase well preserved / updated craftsmen era bungalows and similar lovely homes. The editors often run features that highlight NOT how out of step the best designers of those homes were but instead point out that the most skilled / thoughtful designers of the bungalows of that era were way ahead of their time -- rather than making formal spaces opulent with over wrought detail the clean lines and lovely views of the outdoors make those homes worthy of preservation and relatively easily adapted to modern life.
Below are a couple pics of a vintage kitchen I found, while looking at houses for sale online several years ago. It seems to me that a few of us would keep this great kitchen. The OP seems to be asking why many people would feel compelled to tear it out.
For what it's worth, this was just a middle-of-the-road, 3BR, 1000SF+/-, 1920's home.
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