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The older homes in NJ are gorgeous, from columns to Victorian style. Very classy and stunning. Sometimes, newer ones being built trying to fit that look can be what you described. NJ has a pretty even mix of both new and old architectural styles so there is a big variety. They don't make houses like they used to anymore, no mater how hard someone tries!
And oh the interior of that home in the link is awful!
I'm definitely not talking about classic historic homes in New Jersey, or anywhere else for that matter, those designers and builders generally followed the rules of proportion, detailing and scale wonderfully. It is the newer ones that fail so miserably, adding elements willy nilly because someone saw something like this somewhere and liked it so having several extra large ones must be better- whatever that architectural element might be.
I'm definitely not talking about classic historic homes in New Jersey, or anywhere else for that matter, those designers and builders generally followed the rules of proportion, detailing and scale wonderfully. It is the newer ones that fail so miserably, adding elements willy nilly because someone saw something like this somewhere and liked it so having several extra large ones must be better- whatever that architectural element might be.
Looks like really nice homes to me. What abouy them makes you say they are tacky?
Houses (estate homes) too big for their lots.
Right next to major roads.
No landscaping.
Cement slab driveways on the edge of the property (and hence right next to the road) and yet seem to take up half the yard.
Cant see what you guys are seeing. Don't see any poorly made homes, ir poor architectural styles or down right ugly homes like the op mentioned. I see nicely made and kept homes. They are big, but hey what do you expect from richer neighborhoods?
I have to agree...I can't find anything tacky about the photos of River Oaks. They look like estates, complete with mansions and gated driveways, and many of the homes there are pre-1950.
Not sure I equate ostentatious to be the same as tacky. That seems to be the general direction of this thread, though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by HtownLove
Looks like really nice homes to me. What abouy them makes you say they are tacky?
Actually, I'm going to take back my original comment about the Houston homes. Upon looking at them again, they're very nice...I think my perspective was skewed because while it's not necessarily tacky, the house on the right in the first link is about as ostentatious (great word Felt) as it gets. There's no yard, no trees, and an overwhelming sense of "Look at this!".
After shooting around the neighborhood a little bit more, there's a lot of very nice houses, and plenty of very ostentatious ones too. I think that house with the H2 out front falls into the "tacky" category though. It's just so over the top haha.
Last edited by JMT; 05-09-2013 at 09:59 AM..
Reason: Please watch your language.
Actually, I'm going to take back my original comment about the Houston homes. Upon looking at them again, they're very nice...I think my perspective was skewed because while it's not necessarily tacky, the house on the right in the first link is about as ostentatious (great word Felt) as it gets. There's no yard, no trees, and an overwhelming sense of "Look at this!".
After shooting around the neighborhood a little bit more, there's a lot of very nice houses, and plenty of very ostentatious ones too. I think that house with the H2 out front falls into the "tacky" category though. It's just so over the top haha.
Houston haws no zoning laws but that does not mean they have no laws. The city has very strict residential ordinances concerning lot sizes. Lot sizes in the inner loop are rather small compared to outside the loop. The lot sizes in River Oaks just goes back to the time it was developed (almost 100 years ago) rather than being tacky.
The same sized homes in Boston of that period would have been even closer together.
Besides River Oaks is more of a Back yard neighborhood than a front yard one. The show at the front is the house itself, the yard space is at the back.
That is pretty much the same for most inner loop neighborhoods. Big yards with swimming pools at back, with the house closer to the street out front.
Anyway all three links that he posted of River Oaks, all have adequate yards for me.
Last edited by JMT; 05-09-2013 at 10:01 AM..
Reason: Please keep this about just North American cities.
Houston haws no zoning laws but that does not mean they have no laws. The city has very strict residential ordinances concerning lot sizes. Lot sizes in the inner loop are rather small compared to outside the loop. The lot sizes in River Oaks just goes back to the time it was developed (almost 100 years ago) rather than being tacky.
Besides River Oaks is more of a Back yard neighborhood than a front yard one. The show at the front is the house itself, the yard space is at the back.
That is pretty much the same for most inner loop neighborhoods. Big yards with swimming pools at back, with the house closer to the street out front.
Anyway all three links that he posted of River Oaks, all have adequate yards for me.
The house I was referring to is from the first link provided. Of the houses at that corner, one has an extremely small back yard and the other literally doesn't have one.
There's nothing wrong with it...they're just insanely large, and built in a manner that is trying to show off their wealth. Honestly, I don't hate the houses or anything but the one of the right just needs to put up some more tree cover IMO. You see similarly sized homes in that neighborhood which look better and more toned down because there are more plants and more of an attempt at privacy.
Looking at the arial view, the building on the North side of Avalon Pl is far larger and far more gaudy...but from the street it doesnt't necessarily appear that way because they cover it up well. Still, I can't imagine being that guy's neighbor and having a massive friggin blank wall next to my beautiful brick home.
Edit: The street view in front of that brick home is actually perfect. The house is large, but charming. It's not gaudy and it makes an attempt to cover the house with some privacy. It's the way dense suburban upper class homes should be built in my opinion--however I fully acknowledge that most of that neighborhood is estate-style and not dense suburban.
Quote:
The same sized homes in Boston of that period would have been even closer together.
It's very difficult to compare the development of the two. The house which I'm kind of picking on was probably built in the 2000s. Most of Boston's exclusive neighborhoods are fully built out at this point, and rarely have a new building rise in them...and when they do it's rarely the same size as that house, which is probably 10-15,000 square feet. This newly built home on Commonwealth Ave is about as close as I can get to a brand new home being built in an exclusive neighborhood (the title of the thread is actually "The Last Empty Lot" haha).
You are correct that the Boston home is built closer to its neighbors...but you're talking about an urban neighborhood versus a suburban neighborhood. The Houston home is in tract 4114, which has a density of 4,152.6 ppsm. Conversely, the Boston home is in tract 10702, which is 20,721.2 ppsm. Overall it's comparing apples to oranges.
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