Pittsburgh "remuddling"... (California, Lawrenceville: real estate, apartments, appliances)

[I_Like_Spam]

Here in Pittsburgh this kind of remodeling is not only a tradition, but public policy.

Peabody High School in East Liberty used to look like this:






now, only the Ionic columns would indicate that it is the same building

[Craziaskowboi]

I like it when people install their new windows sideways, so they look short and wide instead of tall and narrow. I think it looks kind of cool, in a weird way.

[UKyank]

It's mainly the decision of putting siding over brick that makes me scratch my head. Let's see, I'm going to spend money to make my house look uglier & cheap. It's rampant through the city neighborhoods.

[LIRefugee]

Originally Posted by I_Like_Spam

Here in Pittsburgh this kind of remodeling is not only a tradition, but public policy.

Peabody High School in East Liberty used to look like this:






now, only the Ionic columns would indicate that it is the same building

Huh, and here I thought it was BUILT as an ugly brick almost windowless building with a couple weird columns thrown in. Those were aesthetics of the the times, though, and not just in Pittsburgh.

That Shadyside house always amused me when passing by. There are many others that have poorly thought-out additions, though there are plenty if houses that are beautiful too.

[greg42]

Originally Posted by UKyank

It's mainly the decision of putting siding over brick that makes me scratch my head. Let's see, I'm going to spend money to make my house look uglier & cheap. It's rampant through the city neighborhoods.

Not like anyone does that now though right? I mean this happened decades ago. Who knows what they were smoking then.... (My guess is that in certain times 50-odd years ago siding made the house look "modern", plus Alcoa probably had a big push for it, etc.)

[BrianTH]

I've heard stories of salesman roaming the neighborhoods selling siding, with the pitch being it was modernizing, and neighbors effectively competing with each other to do the "nicest" job.

[UKyank]

Originally Posted by greg42

Not like anyone does that now though right? I mean this happened decades ago. Who knows what they were smoking then.... (My guess is that in certain times 50-odd years ago siding made the house look "modern", plus Alcoa probably had a big push for it, etc.)

I hope no one is doing this currently at least. It's just frustrating walking around some of the neighborhoods seeing rows of homes that look run down or cheap whereas if the siding was ripped off all of them & the brick cleaned up you'd have an instant upgrade across the board & a very nice historic look to things. No clue how much or how involved siding removal would run someone.

[stburr91]

It's not just the exteriors that were ruined over the years.

Here's a little sample from the Craftsman style rowhouse I recently bought. They removed just about all of the original character, painted over what little was left.



Here is the fireplace that was added in the 60's or 70's. (Don't you just love the carpet.)




This is what would have been there originally.




This is what I replaced it with to try and put some craftsman style character back into the place. I tore the carpet out, put in a hardwood floor, and dug out the electrical boxes for sconces that were there originally.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by juliegt

I live in SF and everything Tallysmom says is spot on. Although it was worse in the 60s when I was growing up. In those days very few people appreciated older homes. At least now there are many of us who appreciate and respect the character of the era the home was built.

I work for a remodeling company and we just completed a teardown of an Eichler (mid-century homes built in Northern California) in San Mateo. Had the house been in Palo Alto, it would have been protected because they've created a historic district that only allows accurate restoration. Part of me bristles at these kind of restrictions, but as a lover of architecture and historic homes. I see the need.

You tore down an Eichler? My dream home? I'm actually sick to my stomach and I have tears in my eyes and I am NOT kidding. You're probably building a "Tuscan Kitchen" for some moron who doesn't cook and who thinks having a faucet for filling pasta pots at the stove top is the height of "sofistication". Emphasis on fist.

I would have laid in front of the bulldozer.

But even out here in San Francisco, people will buy a good piece of land with a house they don't want and is protected and then let it rot, go to the planning commission and say it's too far gone to rehab, and get a teardown permit.

[doo dah]

Originally Posted by UKyank

It's mainly the decision of putting siding over brick that makes me scratch my head. Let's see, I'm going to spend money to make my house look uglier & cheap. It's rampant through the city neighborhoods.

In re siding, ever hear of the movie Tin Men?