"They don't build them like they used to" - comparison btwn 70s houses to now (opener, laminate)
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I have never seen a 1950s house with plaster walls. 1950s house = the mass produced post-WW2 houses, that clearly used drywall. I suspect the house you saw was actually from before the 1950s, or it was a non-typicl homeowner constructed house that used older construction techniques.
I don't remember all that much about the house. But I distinctly do remember saying to myself, this house is the age of the house my parents built in the mid fifties and their house was so much better than this one. I was more shocked about the garage basement entry than anything else.
I spent from 1972 until I finally retired in the real estate business, so I have seen lots of houses. We bought our first one in the Silicon Valley in 1956 for $13,750 and it is worth about $1,000,000 today (wish i still had it to sell). I have had homes built, usually for the single family rental market. Built at a good price, rented for clients for a few years, and eventually selling them for a substantial profit each.
Lets look at the true facts. No matter when it was built, the quality of construction depends on what the owner is willing to pay for. The more money that was spent for period it was built, the better the quality of construction. Panel doors are used in cheap construction today, and solid wood doors are use in higher quality homes the same as it was 50 years ago. The more you spend, the higher quality the finish work is. The more you spend, the higher quality the materials used to build the home.
Today the cost of building is high, and the only way to keep the costs down so people can afford to even buy the home requires building it with things like panel doors, etc., etc., and cheaper materials. If you can afford to pay more, they build it to higher standards of materials.
Today they build in some ways even higher quality than they built in the more distant past. They wrap the home in a plastic sheet to make it more energy efficient. Keeps out moisture better, and helps prevent mold. The roof trusses are built in a factory under controlled conditions and match perfectly. Building them on site, is time consuming, drives up the cost of building the home, and will not all perfectly match no matter what some builder may tell you. Floor joists are often factory built engineered to remain truer and greatly reduces floor squeaks and bounce.
Today, it is just as in the past. The quality of the home depends on how much you are willing/can afford to spend. Yes the quality of the materials used, and the quality of workmanship is determined by the amount of money you are willing/able to spend to have the home built.
I spent from 1972 until I finally retired in the real estate business, so I have seen lots of houses. We bought our first one in the Silicon Valley in 1956 for $13,750 and it is worth about $1,000,000 today (wish i still had it to sell). I have had homes built, usually for the single family rental market. Built at a good price, rented for clients for a few years, and eventually selling them for a substantial profit each.
Lets look at the true facts. No matter when it was built, the quality of construction depends on what the owner is willing to pay for. The more money that was spent for period it was built, the better the quality of construction. Panel doors are used in cheap construction today, and solid wood doors are use in higher quality homes the same as it was 50 years ago. The more you spend, the higher quality the finish work is. The more you spend, the higher quality the materials used to build the home.
Today the cost of building is high, and the only way to keep the costs down so people can afford to even buy the home requires building it with things like panel doors, etc., etc., and cheaper materials. If you can afford to pay more, they build it to higher standards of materials.
Today they build in some ways even higher quality than they built in the more distant past. They wrap the home in a plastic sheet to make it more energy efficient. Keeps out moisture better, and helps prevent mold. The roof trusses are built in a factory under controlled conditions and match perfectly. Building them on site, is time consuming, drives up the cost of building the home, and will not all perfectly match no matter what some builder may tell you. Floor joists are often factory built engineered to remain truer and greatly reduces floor squeaks and bounce.
Today, it is just as in the past. The quality of the home depends on how much you are willing/can afford to spend. Yes the quality of the materials used, and the quality of workmanship is determined by the amount of money you are willing/able to spend to have the home built.
I appreciate your knowledge in this. I do want to talk about "panel doors" which I think I know as "hollow core" doors. I've had those on every house I have lived in as an adult. The absolute worst ones were made of Philippine Mahogany, whatever wood that was. They were stained, grainy and ugly. The doors I have had in my last two homes have been fake paneled doors, that is they are hollow core, but have the look of a solid door with fake paneling. They look better, but they aren't like an old fashioned solid door. I am curious about what sort of home has solid doors. A million dollar home?
If I could do what I wanted, I'd have have nice old doors throughout my house, even if they didn't match each other.
It depends on the builder and cost of construction. I grew up in a home built in 1968 with solid hardwood floors throughout standard (which my mother promptly covered with carpeting, of course), thick moldings and solid doors, real brick as opposed to brick veneer, etc. Very solid home.
I own a rancher now built in 1972 in a 1970's development, true brick exterior, but less sturdy materials inside; cheap wood paneling in the kitchen and hallway instead of sheet rock, and cheap composition flooring that cannot even have hardwood flooring put down on top of it. So, quality can vary decade to decade depending on the builder and cost of construction. I will say the original cabinets are solid wood, one of the worst offenders of new construction today, I think, is the particle board cabinetry.
Model and track suburban housing was near worse in the 70s, and seem better by the 90s. The old homes built well would be from the early 50s when wood was in plentiful supply. Today, if one pats for ut, one may have solid brick and 2 by 6 wall beams.
I've lived in a mix of old... and brand new custom construction. I live in a gut renovated 1875 edition. I prefer old houses for their craftmanship and old growth wood.
But as I watched a 1916 9000 sqft house burn to the ground in 40 minutes last Thursday.... one thing I don't miss:
It depends on the builder and cost of construction. I grew up in a home built in 1968 with solid hardwood floors throughout standard (which my mother promptly covered with carpeting, of course), thick moldings and solid doors, real brick as opposed to brick veneer, etc. Very solid home.
Our bungalow was built in 1959 and this is exactly how it was is constructed. The house inspector told us that that the early 60's was the last era of quality home construction, and our home would give us far less problems than a new home built by modern standards.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KaaBoom
I have never seen a 1950s house with plaster walls. 1950s house = the mass produced post-WW2 houses, that clearly used drywall. I suspect the house you saw was actually from before the 1950s, or it was a non-typicl homeowner constructed house that used older construction techniques.
I appreciate your knowledge in this. I do want to talk about "panel doors" which I think I know as "hollow core" doors. I've had those on every house I have lived in as an adult. The absolute worst ones were made of Philippine Mahogany, whatever wood that was. They were stained, grainy and ugly. The doors I have had in my last two homes have been fake paneled doors, that is they are hollow core, but have the look of a solid door with fake paneling. They look better, but they aren't like an old fashioned solid door. I am curious about what sort of home has solid doors. A million dollar home?
If I could do what I wanted, I'd have have nice old doors throughout my house, even if they didn't match each other.
The same company that made your hollow fake panel doors no doubt also makes the same style as a solid door and is probably less than ten dollars more to the builder. It may also be available as a fire rated door and cost even more but all three types would match. You get what you pay for.
In my opinion, this obsession over anything and everything wood is crazy. Wood cups, warps, scratches. I don't really see the need to spend the extra money for a solid wood door. It would not make a single difference in my every day life. The trim in my house is probably MDF. In fact, several contractors recommended using MDF because it doesn't warp. Our front door is fiberglass, which I found easy to clean and maintain. Unlike the wooden door we had at our old house which needed frequent staining. Sometimes the newer things are better to me, and it's not purely out of cost.
There are some things where wood is preferred. Other things like doors doesn't make a difference to me.
I've lived in a mix of old... and brand new custom construction. I live in a gut renovated 1875 edition. I prefer old houses for their craftmanship and old growth wood.
But as I watched a 1916 9000 sqft house burn to the ground in 40 minutes last Thursday.... one thing I don't miss:
balloon framing.
I would be interested in knowing what balloon framing is, and how it relates to a home burning down in 40 minutes. Thanks for your knowledge.
The same company that made your hollow fake panel doors no doubt also makes the same style as a solid door and is probably less than ten dollars more to the builder. It may also be available as a fire rated door and cost even more but all three types would match. You get what you pay for.
OK, but I haven't ever had the experience of paying for a new house. I've always lived in one owner homes. My question is, at what price level would one tend to see solid doors in a home? Custom only? Million dollar homes?
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